In November 2012, junior marketing major Lauren Snyder started a club to give students the opportunity to experience the fashion industry, since Temple does not offer a major in fashion merchandising.
After a year as an organization, Temple Fashion and Business Club has expanded as far as members, media, networking and progress. Starting with five members, FAB now has 60 members and plans to add more, Snyder said.
FAB public relations director and junior marketing major Jakaila Mustafa has been with the club since its beginning.
“I am very happy to be a part of everything that has happened in the past year,” Mustafa said. “I hope to see more come out of it.”
FAB members said they’ve been trying to put out the word about their club. They have a blog online at WordPress and a magazine titled The Style Book, which features students with various styles, Main Campus style and fashion advice from the club.
“We like to get the student’s inputs as well to try to get something new with styles,” Snyder said.
FAB has helped the Fox School of Business promote a segment called “Work Your Wardrobe,” which advised on professional dress and helped the sorority Delta Phi Epsilon produce “Confidence Show,” a fashion show intended to build girls’ confidence with their wardrobe.
“There is so much fashion in Philly,” Mustafa said. She called Temple “Philly’s college,” and said the fashion on Main Campus is worth commending.
Club members have gained experience and knowledge around campus by working to promote FAB. Mustafa said many guest speakers have appeared at their biweekly meetings, including a Temple alumna.
Members recalled being inspired by a recent guest speaker, 1999 graduate Angela Evans, who shared stories with the club of how she used to have fashion shows at the Liacouras Center. Snyder said those events ended after Evans graduated, but Snyder would like to revitalize those shows.
“She has done some awesome work,” Snyder said. “I would like to bring the fashion shows back because I think they would be fun and a learning experience.”
Mustafa intends to bring FAB members and Tyler School of Art students together for fashion that corresponds with art. Her theme for this project would be recycling, she said. The idea came when she saw a viral video of a woman who made clothes out of paper.
“I want to be able to do something like the woman did,” Mustafa said.
Mustafa said she believes working with Tyler students would lead to discovering new fashion ideas. Snyder called the networking possibility a “future goal.”
Snyder said she wants to increase the diversity of membership as FAB gains more interest.
“People think it is just female-oriented, but it’s not,” Snyder said. “We would like to see guys join. Also, we’re open to all majors.”
Snyder and Mustafa said they are excited to see what is in store for the future of FAB as they get their feet in the door of the fashion industry.
Karlina Jones can be reached at karlina.jones@temple.edu.
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