When asked to pick a campus creative to feature for College Fashion Week it was a no brainer for me to choose Kiersten Mills. Mills is a sophomore known throughout the Atlanta University Center for her style and her new and upcoming fashion magazine.
How would you describe your style?
“I don’t really have a set style; it all depends on my mood. Right now, I’m obsessed with hype beast culture (sneakers, fear of god) brands. I literally change up every day sometimes, weeks at a time.
Has anyone influenced your style?
“I have a lot of fashion inspirations. Sometimes I’ll try to recreate some looks. Ryan Destiny and her stylist Scott Louie they’re one of my favorite duos. Zendaya and Law Roach her stylist, they’re great. But, honestly, I’m more about themes, like masculine with a feminine vibe, like Rihanna’s collection. So, anything like that where its more focused on a theme.
Do you consider your style unique? If so when did you realize this?
“I don’t know if the way I dress is unique but my obsession with clothing is unique. Like when I would talk to my friends, I realized I was way more into this than they were. Then people began asking me for advice and I was like wait maybe I can dress a little bit.”
What do you feel makes an outfit (yours in particular) unique?
“I don’t know. Comfortability is a big thing for me, I can’t feel awkward. I don’t really have a certain thing that make my outfits unique. I would say I have pieces that I could base my outfit around for the day. But, all-in-all it depends on the day.
Have you ever considered styling anyone else?”
“Yes!! I am in the process of styling my cousin. I always have to remember the reason I am doing this, for myself not so much them. So, I often have to remind myself that not everyone is comfortable with the same things I am. I would definitely say styling is a process, but I love it nonetheless.”
What is the process you go through of picking out an outfit?
“It depends on my vibe for the day and the event I’m going to. Also, you know what I have ready to be worn for the day.”
Do you believe there is a correlation between individuality and fashion?
“Of course! I always say how a person is dressed is their expression and mood for the day. I also say when you look better you feel better and it all is related to someone’s demeanor. You can tell if someone is a chill person by what they have on. I even think you could go as far as knowing what type of music someone listens to based on their outfits. That’s still outside appearance looking, but I think it says something about their personality and like if they care about what they’re wearing.”
What’s your favorite thing in your closet right now?
“My shoes!! I’m obsessed with them right now, I recently started working at a sneaker boutique, so that has what influenced me and the hypebeast culture. I love Jordan 1s. I can’t wait to style them for homecoming as well. Long jeans and baggy pants as well!!”
How has fashion helped you?
“Fashion has helped me realize what I like and what I don’t like. I get overly excited when talking about fashion. I realized the organizations that I was involved in really didn’t align with my passions. For instance, outside of school, I work on a magazine because it helps me get my little bit of creativity about fashion out for the day and sometimes week. Mills came up with the idea for her magazine over the summer. “I had visions that were very clear and came up with the idea for this magazine. Once, I got back to school, I started working on it with some of my friends and then I put out my first issue. The first issue was really an introduction into looks there wasn’t much content. But this magazine is my little baby, I’ve worked on it so hard. My second issue, I did the layouts and everything and this one is about the collective. An organization for fashion driven individuals on campus which I didn’t know much about but it’s all in the story. The magazine is very fashion-based. It showcases the creativity of black people, specifically at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). I believe that HBCUs and black people have started these trends. Then mainstream people look to us and decide to follow it. That’s what I’ve chosen to showcase because if we don’t document this then no one will that we were the blueprints for these types of things. I like to say black people are the uncredited blueprints for a lot of trends.”
What are your career aspirations?
“Honestly, I don’t know. I am a spiritually-lead and I actually just declared my major, sociology with a fashion concentration. I don’t know quite what I ‘m going to do with it just yet. Of course, I have my magazine, but I don’t know. I would love to go abroad in Paris or Milan. I would love to work with Rihanna because we don’t know what the lord has in store for me. I was just recently praying about this because I don’t know what I want to do. People keep telling me I’m going to be a big household name one day, but honestly, I don’t even know what that really means. I haven’t even really thought past the next three months of my life so when people tell me that, I just thank them. But the truth is I don’t know what’s in the cards, if it’s in the cards amazing but if not, that’s okay as well. We’re going to go with the flow and that’s okay with me. What. I’ve been doing has been working so we’re going to keep going with that.”
To keep up with Kiersten, follow her new fashion magazine: @LOOKSTHEMAG on Twitter and Instagram.