The fashion club at Salt Lake Community College held a special gathering on Feb. 13 at the South City campus to welcome Valentine’s Day. The event invited anyone in the SLCC community to participate in an afternoon of crafting.
Those who attended the event crafted paper handbags using templates and pre-made bags that closely resembled purses. Carolina Lozano-Ashton, a Fashion Institute staff member, described this club gathering as a nostalgic walk down memory lane that called back to the days of stamping hearts on lunch bags.
“It’s just a fun way of looking back [on] when you were in elementary school – you [made] those little lunch bags for your Valentine’s cards, or you made those little mailboxes of Valentine’s. It’s kind of a play on that,” Lozano-Ashton said.
Students expressed having fun with others through their shared love of fashion. Itzy Guillen, a sophomore and business major at SLCC, said she expresses herself through fashion.
“Fashion is something I’ve always been interested in,” Guillen said. “It’s so fun to express yourself. It feels like a superpower. There are so many things you can wear. Fashion styles have changed from casual to being classy and eloquent.”
Kaitlin Fen, an environmental science and electrical engineering major, is in her first year of college in a dual enrollment program with Weber State University. Fen said the event was an excellent opportunity to take advantage of an artistic activity with friends as homework gears up.
“I found [out about the crafting event] online and invited Itzy to it. I thought it would be fun, especially with Valentine’s Day tomorrow. I wanted to celebrate with a good friend; I love fashion,” Fen said.
The treasurer of the fashion club, Andrea Ruic, said she appreciates that the club allows her to learn business skills. Being business-savvy, Ruic said, is a good supplement to her keen sense of fashion, as she hopes to one day transfer to Fashion Institute Tech in New York.
“I get help with fashion and leadership skills from SLCC professors at the Fashion Institute. They help me with the business side of the fashion industry,” Ruic said.
Vuri Sanchez, a sophomore majoring in fashion design, operates the club’s social media accounts. She said it’s always a pleasure to meet students from other departments and build relationships outside of class.
“I like that you get to work with different types of people,” Sanchez said. “In fashion, you are always working with technical people, [so] it’s good to work with others outside the fashion [world] to build social skills.”
Lozano-Ashton reported feeling pleased with the turnout of the crafting event.
“A variety of majors were able to come here. We were able to get a big group,” Lozano-Ashton said. “This is what it is all about: the community coming together to enjoy an afternoon of crafts with each other.”
