USF students create new fashion magazine: ‘A root for something bigger’

Fashion has always been woven into Amariah Gordon’s life, from the outfit approvals from her grandmother, Sonia, to seeing her mother, Acklin, work at her Kiddies Fashion boutique in Jamaica. 

But it was being curled up with her paternal grandmother, Loren, watching “America’s Next Top Model” that Gordon realized she wanted to join the fashion industry.

“From the hours spent dressing up in their closets to working in their clothing store, the women in my family taught me how to inspect fashion and its meaning,” Gordon said.

Fashion has found a home at USF beyond the covers of Vogue or Elle, with a new student-run magazine founded by Gordon. On Monday, Seam Magazine accepted its first group of members, with 26 students, to create a community of fashion enthusiasts. 

“Creating this platform for students is a dream come true,” said Gordon, a junior psychology and integrated public relations and advertising major.

Related: OPINION: Out with Shein. In with Sustainability.

Gordon said she created the magazine because she was “bored” with the consumer-driven fashion content she was consuming. When she realized other students could have been feeling the same way, she decided it was time to start Seam.

“I wanted Seam to become a source where people could find valuable information,” Gordon said. “It’s a space to experiment and apply our research and analytical skills to an area we are passionate about.”

Founding Seam as a USF club was a “difficult” process, Gordon said. She began work and research for Seam in the summer, and completed the paperwork in October.

As a club, Seam is run by students and benefits from university resources, including Activity and Service Fee funding.

Gordon also chose Carol Osborne, director of the Zimmerman Advertising Program and marketing professor, as their adviser.

Related: USF 2024-24 A&S budget to increase student organization funding in Tampa and St. Pete

The magazine is now co-led by Minh-Anh Dao as creative director, who joined the project in the fall after meeting Gordon through the Kouture Fashion Club at USF.

Seam strives to bring students together, host speakers and provide workshops on resume and portfolio building, Gordon said.

“A lot of people are interested in the fashion industry but don’t have an outlet that teaches them about it,” Gordon said. “Seam’s goal is to get you into the industry.” 

Gordon said the magazine will produce content analyzing and interpreting fashion, beauty and wellness. 

While the specifics are still in development, Gordon said she wants to highlight the campus fashion community with USF-focused content that highlights students and professors as sources of inspiration.

“Writing about the people who influence us, whom we admire and aspire to be like, is at the core of everything we’re doing,” Gordon said.

Related: OPINION: Slay the USF classroom to slay the professional world

Gordon said the team wants to start publishing digitally through social media and the upcoming Seam website next spring. The goal is to release the first printed issue by May, she said.

Gordon said while fashion is often dismissed as a hobby, its educational and personal value deserves to be recognized. 

“Fashion sends signals to other people that say, ‘I’m one of you. We should create together,’” Gordon said. “We inspire each other.”

Dao, a sophomore artificial intelligence and business analytics major, uses fashion to embody her Vietnamese roots. She said she tries to buy from local Vietnamese brands instead of mass retailers to showcase their talent.

“Last time I went to Vietnam, I traveled with an empty suitcase so I could come back with more clothes,” Dao said. “I always feel so proud telling people, ‘I got these from this cute Vietnamese brand.’”

Related: PHOTOS: Fashion Show and Tell at USF celebrates every body

Gordon said working with Dao makes building the magazine easier because she trusts Dao’s vision and work.

“Anything that I wondered was possible, she showed me that it was,” Gordon said. “We always say that we communicate telepathically because we come up with the same ideas.”

The magazine marks the beginning of their dream to break into the fashion industry, Dao said. 

“Seam is the seed, a root for something bigger,” Dao said. “I feel like I’m going to cherish this forever.”