When you think of fashion, what comes to mind? Whatever that may be, Lauren Barker, a fashion design major, is here to break those typical fashion industry stereotypes. When Lauren isn’t working hard to design in a sustainable way, she’s working hard to support women in the industry and around the world. This bada** fashionista believes that women, and people in general, should be able to express themselves the way they want to, and that everyone deserves to be happy. Outside of fashion, Lauren stays fit and focused with kickboxing and martial arts. In her free time, she enjoys a nice game of chess. Her Campus was able to sit down with Lauren and find out a bit more about her, as well as her collection for this year’s 2017 Illinois State Fashion Show. Check it out!
Designed by Lauren Barker, 2016 ISU Fashion Show
Her Campus: Have you always been a fashion major?
Lauren: No. I actually went to Illinois Wesleyan freshman year as an undecided major. I wanted to do a little bit of everything. I wanted to do criminal psychology and I also wanted to do publishing. I didn’t think I wanted to do either of those things for the rest of my life though. My main goal was to be able to make a difference and help people. I finally realized that I wanted do fashion, so I moved home to go to a community college for a year before coming to ISU for fashion.
Her Campus: What inspires you to do the work you do?
Lauren: I kind of have a running joke that I came into this major because I don’t like it. This industry does not empower women, and it’s bad for the environment. These factors drive the decisions I make when I design. I kind of work backwards compared to many designers. I first find the materials that I use from second-hand sources, and then I come up with my concepts and designs around that.
Her Campus: Tell us something interesting about yourself that sets you apart from other designers.
Lauren: Definitely the use of second-hand materials and the backwards working process. Also, I wouldn’t say I fit the mold for what’s popular. I love costumes. I think my time doing reenacting sets me apart as well. I love theater. I recognize that clothes that fit each woman’s body will be different, and I really consider this when I’m designing. For the fashion show I asked my models what makes them feel comfortable and what they love about themselves so I can design to accentuate that. Many designers feel that they are kind of the boss and tell the designers what to wear. I don’t, I care about how they feel.
Her Campus: Other than designing for the fashion show, what other projects are you working on right now?
Lauren: I teach at Youth Build, which is an alternative school. Part of their alternative learning is to take a service class. This semester the theme is about the environment. This year they are doing a fashion show using recycled materials. Ultimately, it’s a fundraiser. The kids are designing the things and auctioning them off. Half of the profit goes back to the school and half of it goes to the charity of their choice.
Her Campus: What’s your favorite part about the FDM program?
Lauren: I really like our sense of community. I was afraid of this major because it’s so stereotypical of girls to not get along with other girls. I didn’t want to be involved with people who were catty and put each other down. However, the majority of people in this major want to build each other up rather than put each other down. It’s very tight knit, and we focus on making everyone feel comfortable.
Her Campus: What are your plans after college?
Lauren: I think it’s important to get any type of experience. You can’t really be picky starting out. What is important to me is to be with a company whose values align with mine. I genuinely feel that if something happened to me and the only thing I accomplished in life was uplifting other people, I would be happy. I have established my own brand. No matter how big that is, I am going to continue to work on myself and my entrepreneurship.
Her Campus: As far as your collection for the 2017 fashion show, can you give us an idea of what we can expect?
Lauren: I was very inspired by Viking culture. They recently uncovered that 50% of the warriors uncovered were females. They had absolute equality on the battlefield. That’s what I stand for. I’ve been doing a lot with textiles and making my own repurposed materials and textiles. My collection is called “Iron Jawed Angels”. When women were protesting for the right to vote many of them stopped eating. People tried to force them to eat and they refused, so they put them in asylums. This earned them the name Iron Jawed Angels.
Designs by Lauren Barker
Her Campus: It was a pleasure talking to you, Lauren! Thank you from the women of Her Campus!
Tickets for the 2017 Illinois State Fashion Show are on sale at the Braden Box Office, or online at Ticketmaster.com. The show is April 13tht with light refreshments at 5 p.m. and a show start time of 7 p.m.