At 7:30 on Wednesday evening, a group of about 25 students filed into Room 114 in the Garrand building, dressed in colorful sweaters, metal t-shirts, spiked chokers, stylized ties and baggy jeans. Discussions of band lore, keychain attachments and shirts in the mail filled the room. Members planned to attend sewing classes at the makerspace, and talked about an upcoming Valentine’s Day hand sewing lesson that would involve making their own patches from a local queer artist. This is Seattle University’s Fashion Club. 

“It’s really nice to be in a small community making art together,” Third-Year Kit Nosacka, Fashion Club event coordinator and a psychology major, said. “We’re all really passionate about dressing. We put a lot of effort into clothes, and it’s really like a hobby of ours.” 

Nosacka described their style as cyber goth, but with punk and grunge influences. 

Fashion Club is currently preparing for an event partnered with KXSU scheduled for March 8. In addition to KXSU’s free concert, Fashion Club will be selling their zine and featuring vending booths from club members to sell things like patches or other art. The zine is called “Shudder,” full of horror-themed fashion photography. 

The long term project of Fashion Club over winter and spring quarter is a fashion runway, happening sometime in the spring. According to Nosacka, the theme of the runway is a tightly kept secret.

“We’re hoping to make a splash,” Third-year Cai Robinson, head of photography for Fashion Club and a photography and women, gender and sexuality studies double major, said. 

Robinson described their style as punk, grunge and goth. Both Nosacka and Robinson explained that they like to incorporate bones or other natural elements into their fashion. 

“We like to wear things from nature because it gives them new life,” Robinson said.

For the runway event, Fashion Club is encouraging every member to create. 

“We really want everyone to be able to make something physical. Whether it be a pair of earrings, or a patch, or a shirt or pants or an entire outfit, just allowing people to explore that,” Nosacka said.

Xander Banschbach, fashion club member and first-year sociology major, described his style as involving elements of punk, emo, hippie and grunge. 

“You should take pride in what you’re wearing, and what you’re choosing to wear. It’s even more special to me when it’s something I made, or something I thought of. I have patch pants and a battle vest, but I also have cardigans and flannels and jeans,” Banschbach said. 

Robinson enjoys the space Fashion Club provides to learn more about other students’ fashion.

“It’s also cool to just kind of get to see parts of people you wouldn’t really if you were just on campus, or just friends. Just being able to talk about what everyone likes and how they present themselves and how they present their identity has been really cool,” Robinson said. 

Fashion Club has been around for at least ten years according to Robinson and Nosacka. It was started by Seattle U Alum Harmony Arnold, who now teaches classes at Seattle U like Fashion Lab, as well as working off campus as a designer. 

“Generally we’re just finding ways to explore fashion in different ways. We’re doing things like making patches, or having design workshops, or sewing workshops, learning to sew. Anything that comes along with art and creativity through clothes and identity presentation,” Robinson said. 

The club brings in speakers like Arnold and past club presidents.

“It kind of changes every week,” Nosacka said. “We shift between doing workshops, talks, discussions, crafts, fun stuff. Once we get more things fleshed out we’re gonna really be working on the pieces we’re going to be showing on the runway.”

For both Robinson and Nosacka, Fashion Club is first and foremost about authenticity.

“I honestly just love that fashion can be whatever you want,” Robinson  said. “I could come to this club in the weirdest outfit, and like, it’s a fashion club. It feels like a really safe space for people to just wear what they want, create what they want, and make art.”

Banschbach appreciated the creative space provided by the Fashion Club. 

“It’s like my center for self expression at Seattle U, and that’s very important to me,” Banschbach said. 

Robinson and Nosacka sought to dispel any fears students have about coming to the club. 

“I can understand why we come across as intimidating, but we’re just goth. I know so many people who are like ‘fashion club is intimidating,’ and then they come and they have so much fun,” Nosacka said.

With the upcoming zine release as well as the runway in the works, Fashion Club is an exciting creative space, welcoming for all students.