Introducing Bespoke: The New Student Fashion Magazine Striving for Inclusivity

Photo courtesy of Bespoke.

“We want to rip this house down to the studs and build it fresh and new from the ground up.” This was part of an Instagram post on Aug. 23, 2020 after five months of silence when theLook, Conn’s fashion and lifestyle magazine, announced its initiative to develop a more inclusive magazine. They welcomed criticism via an anonymous online form. By Feb. 18, 2021, the account had changed its handle to @bspkmagazine and promised more would be “coming soon.” 

Following backlash over the summer on social media, notably from the @blackvoicesconncoll Instagram account which criticized the unwelcoming environment, formerly all-white Executive Board, and lack of diversity in magazine content, change was long overdue. In context with the Black Lives Matter protests, white supremacy threatening the nation, and the ongoing global fight for social justice, the affluent, primarily white image perpetuated harmful exclusivity for BIPOC students. Reform was needed, both in leadership structure and content.

Co-Editors-in-Chief Sydney Lamb ‘21 and Emma Furgueson ‘21—along with Creative Director, Photographer, and Photoshoot Producer Helen Fulmer ‘21— explain why they decided to rebrand the magazine and how they plan on transforming it into a more welcoming, inclusive, and fashion-forward publication. All three had attended their first meeting for theLook as first-years in 2017, and they state that is when their desire to improve the publication began. 

Lamb says after that first meeting, she felt like the magazine did not seem like a place where she wanted to spend her time, and she only returned sophomore year because of friends who were involved. As a photographer, she values the opportunities to have her work published. Now, as an Editor-in-Chief revamping the organization, she says she does not want other students to “miss out on that potential growth and opportunity” due to feeling unwelcome in the space.

Furgueson recalls how she felt intimidated by how “cool” everyone was at that first meeting and how she felt her fashion had been different from the 2017 leaders. “One of my pledges to myself throughout my four years at Conn was to change the culture surrounding theLook so that anyone would feel comfortable being themselves, no matter what that looks like,” she says.

Lamb and Furgueson’s discomfort speaks to a major criticism the magazine has faced: its former name. Fulmer explains that the new name, “Bespoke,” is a “180 from theLook,” which implied there being one mold in fashion. In an email announcement, the board clarifies the name’s meaning: “the word ‘bespoke’ has become a frontrunner in the way the [fashion] industry is describing creation and design. In its simplest form, bespoke means custom-made.” Lamb says that the name “signifies a new era for the magazine,” one that does not decide who has “the look” and, instead, celebrates the customizable nature of fashion and lifestyle content. Even so, she says that they know changing the name is not enough, and they are working on concrete structural changes to the organization to address past shortcomings.

Regarding criticism of theLook, Fulmer says, “theLook was a magazine that was very white-centered, and it had a very specific image and brand and audience that it focused around, and I think that that’s something that everyone on campus was aware of.” Reflecting on the whiteness of the former brand, she says theLook “catered towards the students on campus who enjoyed middle-, upper-class high fashion” or people who like “dabbling in Gucci or Louis Vuitton or Vineyard Vines” while not representing a wider array of fashions and styles. At a predominantly white institution, they recognize the importance of diversifying who they represent and what styles they showcase as one of the campus publications.

The most significant changes in Bespoke are within the leadership structure, specifically in edits to their constitution as well as adding new positions. Notably, the Director of Diversity and Inclusion is a new addition to the executive board. “We’re hoping this position allows us to always remind ourselves that we can always do better and always be more inclusive even if we think we’re doing as well as we can,” Fulmer says. The position, currently unfilled, would help keep leaders accountable in terms of model scouting, article topics, and other aspects of production. They are still discussing the exact duties and responsibilities of this position, as with another new position: model scouts. 

These scouts would be in charge of finding models within the student body in the hopes of avoiding past favoritism and exclusivity. Lamb elaborates on the new club structure, saying that there will now be a division between the Executive Board, composed of the Editors-in-Chief, Creative Director, Directory of Diversity and Inclusion, and Treasurer, and the Leadership, which would include head writers, photographers, scouts, and other contributors. The Executive Board would oversee all other leaders to ensure that their new mission of inclusivity is upheld in every aspect. 

As seniors, they are focused on the legacy and longevity not only of the new brand but also of the changes they instituted this year. They are focused on being more transparent and open with all leaders and contributors about past problems with theLook and clearly defining what is expected of each position in the publication. Additionally, they acknowledge the past concerns of nepotism in which some prior leaders allegedly chose friends for specific positions in the magazine, bypassing a fair election and application process. In addition to editing the constitution, Lamb says that they will host meetings to explain the new positions and process while also giving prospective applicants an opportunity to pitch themselves for certain roles. Voting will be reserved for club members, but qualified candidates who are not currently part of the club are welcome to apply. As elections will be held in April, the Director of Diversity and Inclusion, the model scouts, and other new positions will not be filled until after the first issue is released.

Furgueson remarks that the biggest challenge has been publishing Bespoke’s debut issue within COVID-19 outbreaks and campus restrictions. Last semester was full of uncertainty regarding holding photoshoots safely and adjusting to a new campus lifestyle, and they were unable to complete the publication. They plan on releasing their first issue in late March, and they held their first two photoshoots—a timely mask fashion shoot and a monochromatic outfit shoot to highlight their new models—over the last weekend in February. Without their new scouts or Diversity and Inclusion positions yet filled, these photoshoot participants were selected from peers, friends, and fashionable students on campus. They want to make sure that “everyone sees themselves, people that are like them, or people who they are friends with and love,” especially in this first rebranded issue that will set the tone for their future.

Bespoke’s upcoming March issue will reveal how much progress has been made in terms of inclusive representation with models, content, and styling, but the efficacy of their new executive board structure remains to be seen following spring elections.