Fueling the Fire of Fashion
Above: FINDING FASHION: Clarke Central High School fine arts department co-chair Jessica Shelden (left) and CCHS sophomore Jacqueline Braun (right), pose for a photo in the CCHS Media Center on Feb. 7. Shelden sponsors the Fashion Design Club, which was re-established after an unforeseen hiatus. “There's (only) a couple of kids right now working, but they seem to be getting along pretty well and helping each other out,” Shelden said. “I think the more we get it rolling, the bigger we can make (the club) and the more vibrant it'll be.” Photo by Victoria Garland
The Fashion Design Club at Clarke Central has been revived in the spring semester of the 2024-25 school year.
Threading bobbins, designing, creating patterns, altering clothing, and sewing by hand and machine are all things to expect from the CCHS Fashion Design Club that’s picking back up.
Clarke Central High School fine arts department co-chair Jessica Shelden serves as the sponsor for the club, and like the students who requested its refounding, is excited about the possibilities.
“(The club) had been going on for a couple of years, until last year, and then it kind of fizzled out a little bit as we were waiting for the sewing machines to show up,” Shelden said. “Then I had quite a few kids asked me to start it again last semester, so we finally got it rolling this semester.”
Above: FINDING FASHION: A poster promoting the Clarke Central High School Fashion Club is shown above. Fine arts department co-chair and sponsor of the CCHS Fashion Club Jessica Shelden hopes to broaden participation in the club. “There's such a bigger range of what kids are interested in, in terms of fashion,” Shelden said. “So I think having a bigger range of kids in that club who have varying styles will make the club more interesting.” Photo by Victoria Garland
With its relaunch, and with more materials, Shelden says the organization as evolved, allowing club members to bring their designs to life.
“When we first started it last year, it was primarily focused on design, so we practiced the actual design element of fashion. Then we did finally get some sewing machines, so now we get to implement the more practical side of it,” Shelden said. “How to hem things, how to use a sewing machine, how to do hand sewing techniques, altering clothing, as well as using and creating patterns.”
Club member Jacqueline Braun, a sophomore, has ambitious goals for the club, starting with outreach to expand the number of students involved.
“We need more people, so I’m thinking we're going to put up more flyers to help remind people,” Braun said. “Looking around the school, there's obviously a lot of creative people, and you can see them express that in how they dress. Getting them together (and) having them be able to make something that they're proud of is kind of the biggest goal.”
Above: SEWING SUPPLIES: A box of thread is shown in Room 314 on Feb. 20. CCHS Sophomore and club member Jacqueline Braun helped get the club back on its feet and is excited for the future. “We're hoping to not only draw and have members design but also maybe along the line, create it (and) hopefully, get materials to do so we can sew by hand or find sewing machines,” Braun said. Photo by Victoria Garland
Shelden notes that the club goes beyond the preconceived notions of art within CCHS and the club might be of interest to different individuals.
“It's nice to be able to offer kids a side of art that is more functional. I think a lot of kids just see the very non-functional side of it (art), drawing and painting and sculpture,” Shelden said. “I think it's fun to be able to draw kids into the art side of the school that might not necessarily think they fit in our artsy side of the school. Bringing more diversity to our program (and showing that) there are other sides of art that they can be part of, other than just drawing and painting.”
Story by Victoria Garland
Victoria Garland is a senior at Clarke Central High School in Athens, Georgia and serves as the Managing Editor for the iliad Literary-Art Magazine. Garland’s passionate about sharing students creativity, and hopes to provide more of an outlet through social media. Outside of school Garland is on a competitive cheerleading team, plays piano, and enjoys hanging out with friends.