Sha-SHEI Over!

As I walked past various student organizations at Festifall, one specific table caught my attention. Particularly, my eyes were drawn to the glossy pages of a magazine spread laid out on the table depicting a creative fashion shoot. From that moment on, I became a part of the SHEI Magazine microculture.

SHEI's latest magazine issue 

For those of you who don’t know, SHEI Magazine is a fashion and culture magazine here at Michigan. Flipping through each magazine, you’d be surprised to know that it is completely student run! Everything such as the design of the magazine, models, photographers, photo shoot directors, and writers are all students attending Michigan. As a part of this microculture, we share the common interest of fashion, but also the need to express our creative thoughts and ideas (Babin & Harris, 2015, p. 191). With so many diverse teams in SHEI, this microculture provides a group to bring our creativity to life. 

As a freshman, I joined the Fashion and PR teams within SHEI to blend both my creative and business interests. Whereas the business side allowed me to focus on organizing and publicizing events as well as forming partnerships with local businesses, being on the creative side gave me the chance to see what went behind the scenes during photo shoots and runway shows. Here's a few photos of various SHEI events:

State Street Fashion Show (left) and Magazine Launch Party (right)

Selling magazines in Mason Hall 

During a spring magazine issue, I had my first opportunity to bring to life one of my ideas. Since the issue’s theme was “The American Issue,” I drew inspiration from classic American novels to create a shoot concept based off of the 1920s era from The Great Gatsby. While directing the shoot, I realized how much work goes behind what you see on the page. From finding the perfect model to collaborating with local businesses for hair and makeup appointments as well as collaborating with the photography team and fashion assistants, there’s a lot of work happening before and during the shoot. However, it’s also a lot of fun working with so many creative people! 

Past SHEI magazines 

Preview of the 1920's shoot I worked on 

Being a part of the SHEI microculture has not only connected me with like-minded people interested in fashion, but it has also shaped my consumer behavior. In realizing all the work that goes behind each page of a magazine, I usually stop by the magazine aisle while shopping for everyday items. Additionally, I realized that in recent years I’ve also downloaded many new fashion-related apps onto my phone such as Pose, Poshmark, and Shopstyle.

Pose (left), Shopstyle (middle), and Poshmark (right) apps

If you’re interested in learning more about SHEI, come check us out by visiting www.sheimagazine.com!

Comment below to let me know if your consumer behavior has also changed due to the microcultures you're in. ☺