IU’s SEASON Magazine put out its latest issue March 4. The fashion magazine showcases photos and stories about and by IU students.
SEASON is the university’s only fashion magazine. It is completely student-run, including management, photographers, designers and models. SEASON puts out two issues per semester. The magazine only put out one issue this semester due to COVID-19.
SEASON editor-in-chief Paige Venturi was a founding member of the magazine, working for SEASON since spring 2018. The IU senior has been editor-in-chief since fall 2018.
SEASON works as a team of about 60 members to come up with the theme for each issue. Some past themes include "Liminal" and "The Laws of Physics."
The March issue’s theme was "Opulence." The term opulence was popularized in the 1980s through the black queer community and Ballroom Culture. Ballroom Culture was the organizing of black LGBTQ+ people who wanted a safe space to be extravagant.
“We kind of looked at not only a material idea of opulence but also sort of a cultural idea,” Venturi said.
The photos in the issue feature extravagant clothing, makeup, poses and settings.
Venturi said they wanted to explore the reemergence of opulence within fashion. They were partly inspired by the 2019 Met Gala theme, “Camp: Notes on Fashion,” which focused on exaggerated, unnatural fashion.
As editor-in-chief, Venturi oversees the six departments of the magazine, including merchandising and styling, editorial, creative design, photography, marketing and communications and finance. She attends every photoshoot, helps style the models and makes sure the photographers and models are comfortable.
“I'm very attentive throughout the shoots, making sure that there's not a hair out of place or a skirt that has slipped up,” Venturi said.
Venturi said SEASON aims to showcase different skin tones, different hair types and different sexual orientations.
“Our mission statement has and always will be to promote diversity,” Venturi said. “I think the fashion world as a whole gets very whitewashed.”
Senior Arjun Madhavan is the director of merchandising and styling. Madhavan has also been involved with SEASON since its inception.
Madhavan works with a team to come up with ideas for photoshoots and makes them come to life. They gather models, style them and oversee the photoshoots.
“We all bounce off each other and see where ideas lead us,” Madhavan said.
Madhavan said the magazine was founded off of the desire to showcase students at IU, both models and people behind the scenes.
“IU has this great student body,” Madhavan said. “But we don't really see all the amazing things students can create.”
Junior Erin Huston is the deputy editor-in-chief and will be the editor-in-chief beginning in the fall. She said the fashion industry is viewed as unethical, especially with the lack of diversity. She said SEASON is working to change IU student's perspectives on the fashion industry.
“One of the things that SEASON is good at is showcasing different kinds of people,” Huston said. “We like to sort of show the diverse members of campus.”
During this time away from campus due to COVID-19, Huston said the magazine is working on becoming more present on social media and on their website by posting more photos and putting up feature stories and editorials.
“It's a good opportunity to force us to sort of be more creative with the content we make,” Huston said. “SEASON’s not going away.”
