N Crowd – A fashion magazine and organization created by and for black students.
The idea was brought to life by young clothing and textile designers Takai Taggart and Damond Hardwick. Taggart, who serves as president, said she wanted to create her own fashion organization targeting black students because pre-existing fashion organizations at MSU didn’t have many opportunities to advance her position. With N Crowd, she seeks to change this.
“My goal is to create a safe space for people of color who are interested in the arts, particularly fashion, and just inspire Black students that it’s possible to pursue a career in fashion,” Taggart said.
Hardwick, who serves as the organization’s vice president, shares a similar perspective on the organization’s goals.
“We really want to give black students a platform to express their creativity,” Hardwick said. “I feel like I also bring a lot of creativity to the organization. We’re just looking to give people a platform, whether it’s fashion, art, photography or modeling.”
Brandon Williams, a data science sophomore, works as a photographer for N Crowd. He plans to use his photography skills to translate the organization’s message to his audience and share the creativity of fashion students at MSU.
“I want to incorporate everyone’s looks and their stories with fashion,” Williams said. “I had the idea to give an opportunity to those who have their own clothing line who go to the state of Michigan to showcase their brand and tell why they started it. ”
Taggart said that not everyone believed in his ideas at first.
“When I switched majors, not everyone was very supportive and they didn’t really see the vision until later,” Taggart said. “I want to be an example, for black students, that it can be done. I just want to inspire people.”
As Taggart and Hardwick grow N Crowd, they are both looking to bring their own work into the organization.
Hardwick created the clothing brand “Coutur3 Culture” last spring and plans to integrate her creations into the magazine. Taggart also plans to create his own brand.
“I really want our content to be super unique and creative,” said Taggart. “I want it to really inspire students, so we plan to post weekly and do some interactive stuff for the organization.”
The N Crowd members, while still in the development stage, shared what people can expect to see from them in the coming months.
“We plan to host a fashion show in November, which will partner with Ladies Of Elevation … and all of the black-owned brands on campus,” Taggart said. “I really want to create a space for Black students to connect with professionals, so hopefully we’ll have some guest speakers and panels as well.”
To keep up with N Crowd, you can follow them on Instagram.
Support student media!
Please consider donating to The State News and help fund the future of journalism.
Discussion
Share and discuss “Student-Run Fashion Magazine Seeks to Bring Opportunity and Inspiration to Black Students” on social media.
Source: news.google.com