Anoosha: 

It was sophomore year. Tramie and I had gone to Harvard’s “Young Women Business Leadership Conference” as mere acquaintances, but we left as business partners. It was at this conference where we learned of our shared love of all things fashion, and we were inspired by the women around us. We imagined a platform for fellow creatives to express their designs, fabrications, and concepts through different media. 

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Tramie and I were passionate about our new project and we were excited to get it going. She mentioned our proposal to her friend Lami who immediately knew she wanted in. As a budding journalist and fellow fashion enthusiast, she knew this was the project for her. 

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Months past before we visited this idea again. 

 

Lami:

It was just a regular Saturday afternoon on campus when I barged into Tramie’s room in PBA. Like most Saturday afternoons, the blinds were pulled tightly shut and she was, of course, taking her daily, glorious nap. But like any over-caffeinated person with an over-ambitious motivation to start something, I woke her up and said: “yo, let’s do this now.” Luckily, she shared my momentous enthusiasm so we called up Anoosha and the tedious planning process began.

 

You never fully grasp what something truly could become until you start working on it. At first, we meant this blog to be something fun, something aesthetically pleasing, something that takes us away from our daily routines of equations, thesis statements, and grade point averages. We churned out articles on how to accessorize, what jeans to wear on a nice sunny day, and even flirted with an article idea of how to be stylish in dress code in exchange for the sponsorship of the deans. However, as we sat down each month to brainstorm our vision and ideas, we slowly realized that fashion meant something much more for all three of us. Furthermore, it meant something different for all three of us.

 

Fashion is something perhaps as old as humanity itself. Like everything and anything that withstood the ebb and flow of time, it has changed to reflect who we are as a society and the values we hold dear as humans, humans who are capable of infinite beauty and great cruelty. You see, we wrote about high heels, but what we failed to address was the symbolic transformation of high heels from creating socioeconomic divisions and limiting the mobility of women in the 17th century Europe to becoming a symbol of empowerment and passion in today’s society.

 

But it’s just something that covers up our naked bodies right? Well, that’s like saying Hamlet is just a collection of scribbles on some flattened wood.

 

Fashion is the most forthright way we show ourselves to the world. What we wear demonstrates our individual expression, our identity, and creativity. Figuratively speaking, it can be both a glittering shower of “this is who I am” and a big old middle finger to the world.

 

 

 

Afterall, the word “fashion" is something often misinterpreted through and hindered by gender binaries, socioeconomic status, racial stereotypes, and body image. We recognize that "haute” in haute couture literarily means high end, thus hinting at a world of inequality and missed opportunities. It shouldn’t be this way.

 

Here at “Haute Binger," we prefer to think of our middle name within the context of the adverbial phrase "haute à voix”, which means “out loud”. Fashion should be expressed out loud without fear of judgment. It is a medium through which we celebrate our diversity and strength. In a very paradoxical and confusing way, our divisions and differences are what unites us in this integrated world. Fashion only asks that we keep an open mind and an open heart. Therefore, when we talk about hairstyles like the cornrows, we recognize a history of discrimination and cultural pride. When we talk about the mini skirt, we look back on a new generation of physically, mentally, and sexually liberated women of the 60s who are more than ready to tackle whatever problem lied ahead.

 

So, now you know, our troubled past and hopefully our bright liberated future.

 

 

 

 Binge away!