Misha Jabal-Abadi, Production Editor
Lotus is a student magazine centered around the fashion industry, where club members work together to publish magazine issues every semester. Members have the opportunity to make and source clothing pieces for photoshoots and their annual fashion shows. With its growing and welcoming community, artists can collaborate with one another to create a form of self-expression that is true to themselves and their cultures. One of their goals, as stated on their website, is to allow anyone a space to feel represented and beautiful.
“At Lotus, we want every person to feel beautiful and have a space to show it off. All shapes, sizes, colors, ages, genders, sexualities- whatever you look like, wherever you’ve been, the way you express yourself needs to be represented.”
With a focus on the inner workings of the fashion industry, Lotus is a club for fashion enthusiasts who want to learn more about how a magazine works from the inside. Sienna Gallus, a senior majoring in psychology and the Editor-in-Chief of the magazine, looks for different internships throughout the year and shares the opportunities with members who show great interest in the industry – much like the one from a few weeks ago.
A Fashion Week internship is a short-term, immersive position where students and aspiring professionals assist behind the scenes during major global fashion events. Just weeks ago, four members from the Lotus team got a chance to participate in one of these roles. While it was an unpaid opportunity, members got to work behind the scenes and experience firsthand what goes on during a fashion show.
For those who are interested in learning what goes into a show like this, this internship gives them the opportunity to work with designers and bring their visions to life. Gallus expresses her excitement about this year’s participants.
“I was especially excited about two freshmen who decided to come,” said Gallus.
@FASHIONWEEKONLINE / INSTAGRAM
The internship was a one-time experience for only one show, but during that time, students were able to get fully immersed in the experience. They worked in a variety of positions such as stage manager, VIP seating, greetings and more. This internship was fast-paced, but it reflected just how fast-paced the fashion industry itself is. A freshman studying communications, Jonah Montoya, was one of the four who participated in it this year. When asked about the internship, he shared the variety of roles he could choose from.
“You were able to work with the show, check people in, help the models get dressed, and kind of run the program,” said Montoya.
Gallus, who also took part in this internship, worked in different parts of the show.
“I was present, and I did backstage managing, as well as VIP seating, and I really love dressing the models and doing the quick changes,” shared Gallus.
When The Quadrangle asked Montoya for his opinion on the internship, he expressed just how much of an opportunity this was. Not only was he able to get experience, but it allowed him to see firsthand the importance of time management skills, adaptability and more.
“I felt like it was a really fulfilling experience to get a lot of information about the fashion world,” said Montoya. “It’s something that I had never been used to or accustomed to, being from Colorado.”
Getting to work behind the scenes allows people to get a deeper understanding of how much work it takes to keep everything running smoothly.
“I thought that it was really interesting to see all the moving parts [of the show],” said Montoya. “All the systems that it takes and how many people it takes to get something going and to host something [at this scale].”
With more opportunities to come from Lotus, Gallus provides two recommendations for students who could be interested in joining the club to experience the behind-the-scenes of the fashion industry.
“Be flexible and be true to yourself,” said Gallus.