Name: DJ Hargrave
Year: Sophomore
Major: Strategic Communications
Hometown: Winston-Salem, North Carolina
What brought you to HPU?
Originally Wake Forest was my dream school back in my hometown of Winston-Salem. But when I toured High Point, I thought it was so beautiful. I was even more impressed by the people. That’s what really stuck out among the other schools I toured.
Tell us about your entrepreneurial project, 6 Gents. Why did you start it?
Between the time guys come to HPU and when they leave, they become a better person. We coach them on public speaking, teach them about networking and selling themselves, and engage in community service projects. Right now we’re writing gratuity notes to the Campus Enhancement members, who are the employees at High Point that work on every maintenance project on campus. I started it because I believe as men we have 6 senses—touch, smell, sight, sound, taste, and being a gentlemen. That’s why it’s called 6 Gents. Our job is to teach men how to be a gentlemen.
Why did you start your blog “College Style Guy”?
We live in a world where men know how to dress now—there are all these men style magazines and online personal styles, but there’s nothing helping high school and college students. I get asked all the time, “How do I get started? How do I approve my wardrobe?” and no one is really answering those questions. If you Google how to dress for men you’ll get so many answers, but if you Google how to dress for teenage men you’ll find no results. I want to help guys out.
You had the amazing opportunity to work for Greensboro Fashion Week. How did you nail that?
I was scrolling on Instagram and saw an ad with the headline “Are you a fashion blogger?” and I had been a fashion blogger for a whole eight days so obviously I clicked on it. It opened the Greensboro Fashion Week Instagram page and there was an e-mail address in the caption so I shot them an e-mail. For a reason that I still don’t understand, they chose me.
What did you do for them?
Over this past summer, I travelled back and forth between Winston-Salem, High Point, and Greensboro. I met designers for GFW, sponsors, and a few models. My job was to make sure people were getting excited for Fashion Week. I was the hype man so I posted new content every week. During the actual week, I was behind the camera taking pictures and covering the red carpet. I conducted interviews too.
What was the coolest part about the whole experience? The most difficult part?
The coolest part about it all was being on the front row of a fashion week, even if it isn’t the biggest one. It was really cool to see collections designers had made from scratch and to track their progress from when I first interviewed them to when their collections debuted on the runway. The most difficult part was being consistent. It wasn’t just my personal blog I had to run anymore, so I had to get used to keeping up with two different platforms.
Do you ever get recognized in public?
Everyday. If not everyday, then every other day. Especially when I meet someone new, they’re like “I’ve seen you on Instagram!” or “I’ve seen your blog!” The weirdest moment was this past week when I met this girl and said, “Hey, my name’s DJ”! and she freaked out and just looked at me. Her friend told me after that she knew who I was.
What are your future plans?
I eventually want to be a creative consultant for a clothing brand so I can help them bridge the gap between college students and professional adults to make the transition smoother.
Go check out College Style Guy, the modern student’s guide to dressing and living well.
Follow DJ and his amazing fashion sense on instagram, @CollegeStyleGuy.