The clothes we wear can impact us in more ways than you may think. They can affect our behaviour, attitudes, confidence, and they influence how others perceive us. However, most of our clothes are designed by other people and yearn for a personal touch.
The Fashion Club at MGCI was founded in September of 2019 by Grade 11 student Akil Miki Huang. He established this club to provide students with a creative space where they can personalize their clothing and meet other students with the same interests. It is a non-competitive club that works with hands-on materials. This is the first time a club has blended sewing, drafting, and designing into a fashionable space.
Akil established the Fashion Club in hopes of becoming more involved at MGCI and finding others who share his interests. He said he thought, “I have to start something that I’ve always wanted to because we’re moving on to university [soon]. We want to pass something on and for me, it’s fashion.” With this club, Akil hopes to help students “find their own space, find their style and feel comfortable.”
Meetings are held on Tuesdays at lunch in room 213 and usually begin with a lesson. Akil presents slideshows to inform members about certain aspects of fashion and inspire ideas. “We take it at a comfortable pace and go through phases. We had three lessons at the beginning where I had three powerpoints created, then for the next three weeks I just let them do their thing,” said Akil. Most of the lessons came from his experience and background knowledge. He encourages other members to also do research and share any ideas and questions they may have. The focus for the next few weeks will be on colour.
The responsibilities and heavy commitments of high school can be quite overwhelming. For many, Fashion Club has been a place to purge stress and unwind. They have materials such as stencils, fabric paints, stickers, and sewing machines available so that anyone can touch up their clothes. Vice President Sophie Yang said, “I think we’re kind of missing these kinds of clubs at school, a place that’s calm, where you can be creative and kind of just chill.”
Students embellish and decorate items of clothing with fabric paint. Photo: Allan Li.
Saesha Kukreji, said she joined Fashion Club because she hoped to gain more knowledge about modern trends. She talked about her experience and said, “It’s been really great so far. We learn about a new brand every week and Akil explains new trends in a really comprehensive way.”
In the future, Fashion Club wants to put itself out there by creating partnerships with organizations and working with charities. This Christmas, they are looking to organize clothing drives so that they can use their love of fashion to support a good cause.
For many, fashion is a hobby, a form of expression, and a way to unwind. Fashion Club has succeeded in giving the students of MGCI a place where they can be themselves and let creativity run free in an informative and enjoyable environment.
