Making the World Your Runway: Meet SDSU’s Fashion Fiends
One of life’s greatest joys is figuring out how to express yourself in the world. For many, customizing their appearance through experimentation with what they wear is the perfect vehicle for self-expression. SDSU’s club, Fashion Fiends, is an organization on campus that caters to students who love all things fashion and clothing customization.
This year, Fashion Fiends is led by their president, Nicole Rodriguez-Abad. Rodriguez-Abad is a third-year student at SDSU with a major in graphic design. She experiments with her creativity in a multitude of aspects, yet fashion has her heart.
“Fashion has been with me since I was a child,” she said. “We may not realize it, but we all practice fashion every day of our lives. There are no rules to break – you make your own rules.”
Rodriguez-Abad took on the role of president of Fashion Fiends to help spread the club’s central message of fostering creativity through fashion. With clothing as a medium, people can transform how they feel and portray their true versions of themselves. Rodriguez-Abad explains this when asked why students should consider joining Fashion Fiends, and touches on the power of community when generating comfortability in creativity.
“Our main goal is to fuel the dreams of those who wish to follow a path within the fashion industry,” she said. “We want to encourage members to be curious, challenge their creativity, and not be afraid to grow together. We want to provide a safe place where students can confidently go outside their comfort zone when it comes to experimenting with different styles and honor their individuality through that.”
Fashion comes in many forms and does not have a singular look, which is what makes the medium so special. Every individual has the opportunity to make it their own and tailor their choices to create their own style. Many people are under the impression that fashion has strict standards that must be followed in order to be deemed “fashionable,” but, at the end of the day, clothing is simply clothing – and it can be put together as the wearer pleases. Adopting this attitude is what allows one to cultivate their own style and Rodriguez-Abad offered some great advice on what students looking to begin experimenting with their fashion can do to find theirs.
“You have to realize you are the main character of your own life,” she said. “There is no right or wrong; don’t be afraid to try different things or explore the limits of your creativity. Ask yourself questions like, do I like vibrant colors or more subtle ones? Baggy clothing or a more fitted look? Do I feel confident in this?”
Taking this advice into account, Rodriguez-Abad explains that one can pull inspiration from all kinds of styles and shape them into one that truly feels like a personification of the wearer’s essence.
SDSU students can keep a lookout for Fashion Fiends by following their Instagram, @fashionfiendssdsu, or by participating in their campus events, like their pop-up shops hosted in the walkway of Love Library facing Hepner Hall. Fashion Fiends hopes to one-day host workshops that would allow students to practice things like sewing and styling and perhaps even put on their own fashion show where members can take to the runway to showcase their creations or styles.
Clubs such as Fashion Fiends allow students of SDSU to realize that the world is their runways and, if interested, they can use fashion as an inspiration and stepping stone for achieving the manner they wish to present themselves to the world.
Isabella Perez — April 19th, 2022
