Hello there! I’m Autumn Barney, a freshman fashion design and merchandising student with a marketing minor at Kent State University. I’m crazy excited to be writing and observing trends for CollegeFashionista this semester. I am definitely pumped to be reporting for the winter season, something kind of different for me. As an avid obsessor of fashion since day 1, I am constantly trying to surround myself with inspiration and learn about every possible angle of the industry. For me, fashion is an art form and the most visible one at that. It is how people express themselves everyday to everyone else they interact with, and this is what so passionately draws me to fashion.
Personally, my style is constantly referencing the past. Fashion is definitely cyclical, so to be able to look back at what generations before us called their style is an important factor into what we all wear today. Although I am always influenced by various eras, I most heavily reference my favorite decade, the 1960s mod-vibe. It is almost impossible to find me without some sort of garment with a high collar or a well familiar pair of retroesque loafers. At that, I always make sure to mix the old with the new and try to add an offbeat interpretation to most of my looks. This usually occurs in the form of my favorite materials: leather or denim. It is my personal ideology that you will never get anywhere without a good, solid leather jacket. And that’s that.
Apart from fashion, I am a lover of music, which is coincidentally the main inspiration for my designs. I genuinely love collecting old records and can frequently be found desperately digging through my parent’s old collection. I also love being in the city and try to travel as much as possible. I truly believe that all these various elements of life (fashion, music, travel, and more) are so important to one another and work together to enhance each art form, which is why I am so drawn to them.
Overall, I am just thrilled to be a part of this community and to be able to express not only bits and pieces of my personal style, but that of the world around me. I know this semester is going to be fantastic and I can’t wait to share it with all of you through other students’ eyes as well mine!
Last but not least, remember the wise words of my style icon David Bowie: “Ooooh, Fashion!”
