Chantal Strasburger

This week’s Campus Celeb has a passion for style that has taken her all over the world. But now that she’s back on campus, her passion certainly hasn’t faded—if anything, it’s becoming contagious. Read on to learn more about how senior Chantal Strasburger is inspiring the rest of WashU to explore the world of style.  
 
Her Campus: What’s your major?
Chantal Strasburger: I’m a Fashion Design major and Chinese minor.
HC: What are some of the things you’ve done with fashion and design around campus?
CS: I had some pieces in the WashU Spring Fashion Show last year and am planning a few outfits for this semester’s fashion show. And then this past summer I received a research grant to study textiles in Southeast Asia. I got to travel around to silk farms and learn how to weave on traditional looms and everything—it was great!
HC: And I hear you and your friends started up WashU’s style magazine, Armour. What was the inspiration?
CS: Well. I think style is important, because it’s a way in which we reflect our personalities. But my friends Felicia Podberesky and Jacob Lenard and I all agreed that we lacked a medium to discuss style and fashion here at WashU. So last semester, we created Armour Magazine as a way to start the conversation.
HC: Was it a difficult process?
CS: It took a lot of work, especially since it was literally just us three when we started, but we’ve gotten a lot of help from friends in communications design, photography, journalism, and such. And it was really cool because the former editor of GQ magazine actually came to WashU to speak at the career center around the time our first issue was coming out, so we were able to talk to her and get her opinion and feedback, which was encouraging.
HC: What sort of ideas and topics does the magazine feature?
CS: We’re very open to ideas surrounding style, fashion, or other creative happenings going on around campus. Last year we interviewed the Kuumba Boys and featured an article on Kuumba. We also had a huge photo shoot and spread on jewelry we’ve designed, so we really are open to any and all creative ideas.
HC: Does Armour have a blog too?
CS: Yes, the blog was actually started first because it was a much quicker way to spread the word about the concept of Armour and really get the ball rolling. For that, we take a lot of pictures of students with cool styles that we see around campus and then post them with the student’s name, year, and major.
HC: Last question, how can others get involved with Armour?
CS: Just email us at armourmag@gmail.com! We’re always looking for more people interested in fashion, design, journalism, photography, communications, or who just want a way to get involved with creative happenings around campus!