This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at DESU chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.
Major Keys from Major Icons
By Shelynn Handy
Delaware State University had the pleasure of welcoming two celebrity fashion designers, B Michael and Mark-Anthony Edwards, to speak to the fashion students and impart their knowledge on us. Given that there aren’t many opportunities for fashion students handed to us, I took my pen and paper and planned to grab as many free gems as I could. Out of all the major keys they gave to us, here are my top three:
- It takes a lot of effort. Both speakers emphasized that it would not be easy. To succeed in the fashion industry, it takes a lot of effort and there will be plenty times of struggle, but you must keep pushing through it all.
-  Leave a legacy. B. Michael said that one thing that you don’t want to be in the fashion industry if you want longevity, is trendy. Trends fade and pass and can be forgotten. You have to create something that can stand the test of time. Something that can be passed down through generations.
- Equity is important. This one was probably the most important one to me, especially coming from a black fashion designer. B. Michael stressed the importance of emphasizing equity over diversity. Not to say that diversity isn’t important because it certainly is. His point was that black people could have things as diverse as they aspire things to be when they own it. That’s equity.
I’d say that listening to them speak was an eye-opener and now I’m ready to be a game changer in the fashion industry.