Name: Millie Leeds
Year: Sophomore
Hometown: Jacksonville, FL
Major: Retail, Merchandising and Product Development
Her Campus (HC): You’re involved with Strike Magazine on campus at FSU! What is the focus of the magazine and how did you get involved?
Millie Leeds (ML): I met the co-founders Hannah, Ashlie and Natalie at another club we were all involved in. Tthey came to me and told me that they were starting their own magazine, I knew right away I wanted to be a part of it. Since this is the first ever issue of Strike, a lot of this semester was spent trying to build the brand and becoming more well known around campus. When Hannah, Ashlie, and Natalie brainstormed Strike they wanted a magazine that was all about challenging the status quo and producing content that was more than just an article on DIY face masks.
HC: You’re the Bookings Director and Lifestyle Assistant for the magazine, how are you liking it and what are your usual tasks?
ML: For every section in the magazine, the directors of that section tell me where they want to pull clothes from and locations they want to shoot at. I then contact the store owners and ask them if we can pull from them for our shoot and then I coordinate the pulling with the stylists. If the directors want to shoot at a commercial location that requires approval from the managers of that establishment, I’m also the one who gets the approval for that. I don’t think a lot of people realize this, but our entire magazine is student ran and therefore all the money we acquire throughout the semester from share-it nights and fundraisers goes straight to printing the magazine. Therefore, the local Tallahassee boutiques and store owners let us pull clothes from them for free and shoot at the locations for free as well. Being the Bookings Director has taken me out of my comfort zone and given me the confidence to not be afraid to talk to business owners or anyone for that matter. I was also the Lifestyle directors right hand man. I helped them come up with photoshoot and section themes, brainstormed outfits, took care of model coordination and logistics and made sure the clothes were being taken care of. Anything they needed help with, I was there. Between the two positions, I’ve learned a lot.
HC: Huge congratulations on the launch of the magazine this week! How is the team going to celebrate?
ML: Awe thank you, we’re so excited! We’re celebrating at our release party Thursday, April 13th at The Edison from 8-10 PM. It’s open to the public so any and every one can come and see what we’ve been up to and grab their own copy!
HC: We’re both Retail, Merchandising and Product Development majors, what made you think you want to be involved in fashion?
ML: As cliché as it sounds, I’ve always known I wanted to do something in fashion. I’ve been reading fashion magazines since diapers and was always obsessed with the outfits and the people wearing them- I knew I wanted that to be me one day.
HC: What are your favorite trends at the moment?
ML: Denim!!! I love mixing dark and light washes, or acid washed jeans, ripped jeans, etc. I love mixing holey or rugged looking jeans with a silk top or metallic shoes because it’s something you wouldn’t think go together but for some reason, it just works. HC: I hear you have an internship this summer in New York City! What company is it for and what does it entail?
ML: Yes! It’s for a company called Factory PR which specializes in fashion, lifestyle and technology brands. Some of their most popular clients being Steve Madden, ASOS and Betsy Johnson. I’ll be working in the fashion department doing inventory, sample trafficking, press clippings, organizing and merchandising the showroom.
HC: Okay last question, scale of 1-10, how much do you love being a Seminole?
ML: 11!