We know that many students here at Nottingham are crazy about fashion and working the latest catwalk trends to express their style and individuality. We spoke to 2nd year English student, Kimberley Bond, also known as the president of Fashion Soc! Kimberley let us in on the society’s recent trip to one of the biggest fashion centres – Paris – and her views on the fashion industry plus this season’s trends!
What made you want to take on your role in the fashion society?
In my first year I took part in several events that the Fashion Society had put on for its members, and I really loved how as a society it offered opportunities that no other society on campus did. When elections arose I decided I would be honoured to have a role contributing to a society I really enjoyed partaking in. I hoped that by running for President, I could allow new members of the society to emulate the same experiences I had, whilst also implementing my own ideas to make the society even bigger and better.
Fashion is an essential part of many students’ lives – why is it important for you?
The clothes we wear are the biggest indicator of our identities – even when you throw on a slouchy jumper and some leggings you are still reflecting an aspect of your personality. Fashion has the power to make people stand out and resonate with others; Coco Chanel was once quoted as saying ‘“Dress shabbily and they remember the dress; dress impeccably and they remember the woman.”: Fashion of any sort, be it street style or catwalk, has the power to make an impression, and that to me is one of the most important things it can do
To what extent do you agree with the view that the fashion industry is often a harsh or harmful environment?
Obviously there’s lots of controversy that surrounds the industry; models being too thin and setting an unrealistic standard of beauty for women to follow is always an issue that’s bandied about – this was particularly apparent in the 1990’s ‘heroin chic’ phase and Kate Moss’s waifish figure. But I think that over the last few years there’s been a change in attitude in the industry that celebrates female strength and beauty more than it used to; models like Crystal Renn show women everywhere that you need not be a stick thin size 6 to be beautiful.
You recently returned from your society’s trip to Paris! What did you want to achieve for Fashion Soc with this stylish expedition?
I managed to book the trip during Paris Fashion Week, so naturally the city was buzzing. My main agenda for the Paris trip was to see one of the world’s most fashionable cities, and provide an opportunity to members of the society to let their hair down, so that’s why I organised a bar crawl around the city.
Would you say that this was your best experience in the society then? What did you enjoy most about the trip?
Paris was definitely my biggest achievement so far as President – we had the highest numbers we’ve ever had for Paris and it was a real test of my skills that I have learnt over the past year. As much as I loved seeing some of the best dressed people in the world, my favourite part of the trip was visiting the Champs-Elysees and splurging on some luxury goods.
Now we’re finally approaching warm weather, what trends will you be sporting this Spring/Summer?
Right now I’m loving pastel colours and how they’re putting a cute twist on standard every day wear like biker jackets. I also loved the slogan tees that were seen being sported on Alexander Wang’s catwalk – I love that sort of effortlessly cool jeans and t-shirt look!