It’s Fall 2022 Fashion Week in New York, and Los Angeles is celebrating all the way from the west coast. In honor of all the events happening in New York, Afterpay, a popular digital platform that allows online shoppers to delay their payments on purchases up to six months, threw one at Westfield Century City. Her Campus at UCLA was able to get VIP passes to the event and we have all the details to report.
Situated in the sunny center of the open-air mall, Afterpay took over “The Atrium.” Upon arrival, VIP guests were warmly greeted by Afterpay staff and thanked for showing support. As a token of appreciation, we as well as the other VIPs were gifted a tote with a design by B. Monroe. Inside the tote was a white t-shirt that said “Fashion is ____.” We took our shirts to the complimentary customization station where we had the option to choose whatever word or phrase we wanted in the blank. In making our design, we could choose between three different fonts and 5 different colors. Of course, representing our organization, we customized our shirts to say “Her Campus!”
While waiting for our shirts, next up was the photo booth. Guests could sit on a cute swing against an Afterpay background and take multiple photos and videos. The entire Atrium was filled with photo opportunities from custom mirrors for mirror selfies, cute seating areas and green walls. The options were endless. After having our fun in the photo opp areas, we headed over to the snack bar where there were complimentary Afterpay-green slushies and warm churros. They were the perfect pre-performance snack as we waited for the Afterpay half-time show.
The half-time show kicked off with a quick but dynamic performance by a marching band. The band blared out songs like “Industry Baby” as people danced on stage, getting the crowd hyped for the main act.
At long last, Taylor Gayle Rutherford, professionally known as GAYLE, took the stage. People quickly crowded around the stage, and a few of her younger fans were seen jumping up and down in excitement. GAYLE, another one of those artists who blew up after posting their song on TikTok, is only 17, but her short setlist was fun and her voice, powerful. GAYLE’s final song was her hit single “abcdefu,” and she concluded her time on stage with the crowd singing back to her. “A-B-C-D-E, forget you,” they sang, lyrics censored “for the youth,” according to GAYLE.
After the exciting performance, Brendan Monroe emerged on stage to do a live painting of a mural. For the rest of the evening, attendees watched this piece of art come into completion while vibing with the DJ.
Afterpay had a unique take on promoting their services, and with tons of people stopping by and joining in on the fun throughout the day, you could say this event was a huge success. Afterpay’s crossover with New York Fashion Week emphasized fashion’s wide-ranging influence and its power to bring us together into a common space.