When most people think of what Vanderbilt is known for, fashion is not the first thing that comes to mind. However, unbeknownst to many, fashion as a medium of creative expression has a significant presence on our campus. Every year, many passionate fashion enthusiasts at Vanderbilt come together to host Vanderbilt Fashion Week (VFW), a series of fashion events culminating in a show where several student-created pieces are modeled.
Sophia Arnold serves as the director of Vanderbilt Fashion Week, which is in its fourth year.
Arnold is a junior majoring in psychology with a minor in human organizational development and emphasizes that students from diverse areas of study have found VFW as a means to engage with art and fashion.
“We don’t have an official fashion major here at Vanderbilt, so this is kind of our way to bring fashion to the students. It’s a great place for creative expression,” Arnold said.
This year, VFW was held from April 6 to April 12. The week kicked off with a Sustainability Symposium featuring sustainable local brands and organizations on April 6, followed by Threads of Culture, a curated exhibit pulling outfits from different cultural organizations on campus on April 7 and a virtual speaker session held featuring three prominent female leaders in the sustainable fashion and beauty industry on April 8. On April 11, there was a pop-up thrift shop, where students could bring their own clothing to sell or purchase other second-hand clothes.
“VFW does this to [support] the sustainable cycle of reuse in fashion and [at] Vanderbilt,” Arnold said.
The week concluded with the Fashion Show at the Wond’ry, which featured 19 designers and upwards of 50 models. The show was in collaboration with the Tennessee State University Fashion Society, which Arnold said provided 15 models for the show.
“[The Tennessee State University Fashion Society collaboration] was really cool for us and a way to bring different people, perspectives and cultures into Vanderbilt,” Arnold said.
VFW prides itself on its inclusivity, especially with its model casting process.
“We accept everybody. In terms of who you are, what you look like, that doesn’t matter. You can be 4’8, you can be 6’10, you can be any size, any color. All we judge at model auditions are confidence and coachability … everybody wears clothing and everybody should be able to see a representation of themselves on the runway, and in fashion,” Arnold said.
Sustainability is also a big focus for VFW. Many of the designers had sustainable collections, and VFW highlighted emerging student designers who made everything by hand.
“We have seven or so brands this year, all of whom are sustainable,” Arnold said. “Our corporate sponsorship team, when they do research into designers and brands, that’s a huge consideration for us. We check their sustainability practices and their ratings on Good On You, the sustainability fashion website.”
The fashion show exemplified the creative expression that Vanderbilt students are capable of. Without a specific theme, the show was laden with individualistic designs that effectively incorporated trending elements, such as fringe and loungewear. This ranged from more complex and unique pieces, such as two dresses made out of men’s ties and casually elegant cashmere sets and linen dresses. With such delivery across the different elements of fashion, VFW will likely remain a catalyst for creativity here at Vandy.
“We value uniqueness, individuality and we want this to be a space where everyone feels completely free to be themselves and express themselves, and I think that fashion is a beautiful medium in which to do that,” Arnold said.
