Name: Peter Nance
Year in School: Freshman
Major: Apparel Design and Merchandising
Hometown: Trinity, NC
Tell me all about App State Fashion.
We started out just myself with an iPhone, running an anonymous Twitter account of just street fashion on campus. Not even a week went by and I had two more people working on the Twitter with me. I started to think, “Wow, this might actually happen. I might be able to start a fashion magazine…” The next few months were a whirlwind of meetings with prospective members, all both excited and possibly a little anxious for the long road ahead. Before I even realized how much momentum we were gaining, I had thirteen people on the staff and an Instagram and Tumblr on top of our original Twitter.
Q: Do club members operate your sites or select team members?
A: Both. Each member of the staff gets to decide what they feel most comfortable with, what fits best in their schedule, and then together, myself and the member, find where they’re meant to be. Each member is assigned to either a social media site, the publication, or one of the other roles.
Q: Are there dues to be active in App State Fashion?
A: Members pay $5 dues for the semester or $8 for the year. It’s barely a drop in the bucket compared to what printing costs, but we make it work.
Q: What inspired you to start it?
A: One of the tag lines I use regularly on the Twitter is #BeBoldBeYourself. I stand by that one hundred percent. When I first stepped onto this campus, I was inspired by the way so many students here weren’t afraid to boldly communicate themselves through their clothes in voices all their own. I thought this publication would be a creative way to celebrate those voices. Here at Appalachian State, we’re fortunate enough to have an extremely diverse sense of style.
Q: What inspires your own style?
A: I have always said, “The devil is in the details.” When I put an outfit together, each piece is specifically chosen to both fit in and stand out. I’m never one hundred percent preppy or full-on gothic. When I wake up, I decide who I want to be. I put on a character, and make sure each detail fits. So I may wear a suit one day with Doc Martens or a leather jacket and black shirt with blue plaid bell-bottoms. It’s all about having fun.
Q: What other things do you do for fun regarding fashion?
A: I design menswear, and my work will be featured in the Spring AFG Fashion Showcase, an event that Unzipped will be covering and posting on our social media sites. I’m also very much interested in designing jewelry, currently experimenting with wire-wrapping and weaving techniques.
Q: What has the feedback been like?
A: Both the campus and the community as a whole have been extremely supportive of what we’re trying to accomplish. If you had told me a year ago that I would be organizing photoshoots with professional models and a team of remarkably talented stylists, I would have called you a liar. If you had then told me that I’d have half the store owners on King Street supporting this publication and people across campus calling me “Appstate Fashion Guy”, I would’ve called you insane. It barely seems real even now.
We’ve created a surprising amount of buzz, and people were tweeting us, letting us know that, when we stopped them to take a picture of what they were wearing, it had made their day.
I suppose what’s most remarkable is the way, when I tell people what we’re doing, taking pictures of complete strangers, showing off the vibrant style of Boone, their eyes light up like a kid’s on Christmas day. It’s exciting, and what’s even better is that the campus as a whole shares that excitement with me. And if they don’t now, they soon will.
Q: What are some of your biggest goals?
A: I’d really like to see the Apparel Design and Merchandising department, along with the commercial photography and journalism programs here, grow substantially from all of this. When incoming freshmen and transfer students see what they can become a part of, I want them to find that passion in these programs, filled with talented young people like themselves, and know that they can be a part of creating something beautiful.
Q: Do you have any events coming up?
A: We are currently organizing a launch party for our first printed edition of Unzipped: Appstate Fashion. The date is January 31st. The place is Strand and Bald Guy Brewery on King Street. We will have local musicians, artists, delicious coffee, and free food. The owner of Strand has also been nice enough to offer her entire store to be shopped, a beautiful stock of custom jewelry and hand-crafted pieces at very affordable prices. On top of all of this, anyone in attendance will receive an exclusive first look at the content of the first ever issue of Unzipped!
We invite anyone and everyone to celebrate with us!
Q: How can students get involved? How do they contact you for more info?
A: We have a group email at appstatefashion@gmail.com. Also, I personally will receive any messages sent to our Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr accounts. We have meetings every other week, and we can also be found on clubconnect.appstate.edu as a registered club on campus. Any student interested can join our team of stylists, graphic designers, photographers, writers, or street-fashion editors. There really is a place for everyone!
Q: Where can people find you online?
A: On Twitter and Instagram, we go by @AppstateFashion, and on Tumblr, we can be found as appstatefashion.tumblr.com.