And alright, and we're recording so, um, if you could please just state for me your name, your year your major your pronouns and then once you're done with that, just go back and spell your name just so that we can make sure we get full accuracy.
Perfect. My name is Sheridan Olander I am a fourth year that's major linguistics Japanese binary. My pronouns are they she, she her any other questions? Oh, H i, G are
perfect. Okay. Um, so just to get started here I wanted to ask you what the mission or purpose of or finally is, if you could, you know, just sort of can be broad, it can be specific, it's whatever you sort of you feel like it is. Of course,
we have many goals. mission statement is to make fashion more accessible not only for students but for everyone in the greater LA area with a sustainable lens. So making sustainable fashion and specifically like to fashion vintage fashion and secondhand clothing accessible to everyone so that we can promote fashion sorts of everyone in regards to like, expressing themselves through creativity as well as reducing the amount of waste and specifically depression that our planet is suffering from right now. I think that sounds pretty
No, I got you, I got you. Um, so you talked a little bit about sustainability. So I would assume that you feel sustainability is really central to your organization. Am I right in thinking that? And then could you talk maybe about some specific steps that refine takes to promote sustainability? And how would you just recommend in quarterly
public shops or locations where we sell clothing for affordable prices that is all secondhand, and curated so that people have easy affordable access to beautiful clothes to try and kind of get a classroom message that you can have a really nice beautiful, good quality clothing that is secondhand and not purchase from she and all these other websites that we hate. And so some ways that like our members incorporate that sustainability into our daily lives and recommend to other people. A huge one is like upcycling clothing, whatever members particularly she like has so many items that she's held on to I think you're going to interview her faith items that she's held on to for so long that she like, will constantly like detail, or upcycle we have what else is a great example kind of thing. Because it goes further than fashion. It's like it's kind of like using everything to his maximum likelihood and not just like wearing something out once or twice, but trying to find new ways to style items, new ways to use items like even I know a lot of us when we're done with our close will chapter by using this little like white super clean bathroom. I'm really making sure you get full use out of every item and so that there isn't such a huge amount of fabric that we throw in here. Oh, I love that.
That's really awesome. Um, you talked also a little bit about curating, and this idea of curating was something I was really interested in when I was looking at your guys's Instagram page and sort of going through everything. Um, can you expand on like what you would define as curated does this mean or just refer to the styles and types of clothing you guys are selling or is it something else entirely in your opinion?
curation is kind of one of those words like you know, a lot of people like influencers use but at least for us, it kind of means picking out clothing that is not only like, I guess you could say trendy or a certain meets a certain aesthetic, but it's also a good quality and is also like I described, I guess, like appropriate to reselling people like a lot of the times when you go into thrift stores, especially nowadays because, you know, the deep hunger at least have a lot of leftovers like she had at the thrift stores and things that are like, we're not trying to promote. And so we'll be curious. We want to find things that are brands that we like that are secondhand that we know are I guess accuser in style, and then also items that we know will last a long amount of time and that can be worn in many different ways that are versatile. That way we can like maximize the I guess, like, I guess, like efficiency will have in its lifespan rather than, like, you know, curating a tiny little sheet of tops that are going to fall apart after one lecture. Kind of like diminished away so I guess that would be my best definition of maturity. Yeah,
that's great. Um, do you also see your guys as easy talk about like, you sort of try to keep up with the latest what's in the fashion and what's in style? Do you see yourself in a way also as maybe a trendsetter or like as a trend setting organization or is that something like you're less focused on perhaps?
I think we do really care about you know, a lot of our members care about our aesthetics and all those things, but at our root, it's a we care about, I guess, everyone has their own sense of individual style, because I think that's a huge thing with secondhand clothing. When you go to the thrift store, you're gonna see all kinds of things. He's what you might consider upgrading outdated or things so you might think they're like to do to having a comeback. So that I guess like I wouldn't say that transitioning is our goal, but more so like encouraging people to explore their options because like, anything could be trendy right? Like we see things come and go. And like when cowboy boots I'm like, That was shocking for me. Like I never saw them are coming so I guess I felt the same way. So yeah, exactly. So I guess trying to find items that regardless of anyone's like, style journey or a personal sense of style that people would would like and enjoy, kind of like trying to showcase that clothing of various ages. Various different styles and prices based on like, you know, whether it's like thrifted or designer anything to accomplish compliment someone's aesthetic and also the qualities of a piece that they can hold on to for a lifetime. So I think perhaps more like encouraging individualism and people's explore style rather than trying to follow a trend. I guess it's like transcending in its own way. But yeah, something along those lines, if that makes sense. Yeah, no, for sure.
I got it. That makes a lot of sense. I really appreciate it. I'm sorry, switching gears a little bit to some more. Sort of, I guess logistical questions about refine. What are your guys's branches? Slash components of the department?
Yeah, so we have five main branches, or like I guess teams within our club, which our our our product team, which is our team that curates the clothing goes to the thrift stores like Whole workshop. They often work with like secondhand fabrics to create tote bags, accessories, things of that nature. I think they're trying to create a look at this here too. And then we have our marketing team. They handle our Instagram, all of our graphics as well as like creating like Cross Club graphics for like what we have different events and customers. And then we have our editorial teams that work on our articles for getting our blog back up and running our domain so yeah, they also wanted editorial team to get on Twitter and Tiktok like we want to have some more some more outlets. So they're checking that as well. We have our social impact team and they're in charge of like, various kind of like, sustainable focus like environmentally focused events. I think we've done panels before with different creators that are like secondhand focus, as well as we plan on partnering with like this way community die house in LA and like allows people to like bring all sorts of clothing and like diet with their color of the month kind of thing. So kind of like reaching out to different organizations that are laying that are promoting sustainability in fashion whether that's like in regards to like government workers rights, options, antennas like upcycle them things of that nature. And then finally, we have our internal social team which plans all of our events, like don't put this in the article but our fundraisers
just call them fundraisers. I'll take those
Yeah, so that's our main brushes. And like people we have like our general members who LSTMs as well as a couple extra people like a president. We have our webmaster or finance director. So yes, but those are like our main operative teams.
Awesome. Um, and then in the know do you have anything that you're looking forward to with doing with your final play in the new year or any preparations have been made?
We are stopped launching that this spring in partnership with sca so student committee for the Arts. We are planning on holding the whole student Met Gala. So we're still figuring out the details but it will be an event where we have a chance to like have people try on really nice clothing, locker, red carpet, photos, enjoy some delicious foods and kind of get the sense that fashion is accessible to everyone and everyone can have that feeling of being like a celebrity, wearing those beautiful garments that we see like trending all over Twitter. So yes, that is our main goal for the new year on that large event to promote our mission statement.
I'm sorry, you said that was with a collaboration with one other organization as
a student committee for the arts. Committee for the arts. Got it. Okay, okay. Um, okay, um,
good. We've already kind of touched on this. I'm just gonna skip over it. Um, so I'm getting a little more personal about how refined has impacted your life how do you think Ed has helped you grow?
Help Me Grow in many ways. I guess like especially because you know, as UCLA students we always talked about we're so busy with all these kinds of things. It's, it's often I feel like at least before I was a member refine, I would forget about kind of like the impact that I had in regards to like the environment in various areas of life and, like, you know, 1000s that I would wear and the choices I would make every day in regards to like, what I'm purchasing kind of came second, but surrounding myself with people who kind of all have like the same mindset in regards to the impact we want to leave on the planet and like, also, the impact you want to leave on campus has really changed my viewpoint, I think. I don't know. I just think there's a lot more consideration that goes into every decision for me and definitely, I think, almost every day. And so I don't know, I think that just a lot more aware and conscious now of the impact that every decision I make. Oh, yeah. No, I mean,
I think it's I think it's very true and very good to have this sort of like awareness because we can all talk about and we can all share as many and this is more I guess, like off the record I'm not considering putting any my opinions obviously in the articles, but I would say like I think it's it's so much better to have an awareness and of consciousness of what you're doing versus just posting a little Instagram graphic and sharing it and being like, and you know, that that's it, like, that's my, you know, sort of duty for the day and like I've done the best I can to save the planet versus like taking those conscious steps. So that's really awesome. And I think it's really awesome that you're like combining two really awesome interests. I mean, fashion and sustainability and such like important ones. I think it's lost a lot of times to today, this idea that like in order to be sustainable, you have to get rid of certain things that you really enjoy, but it's obviously clear that fashion can still be something you love and take pride in while being conscious of the environment. So that's really, really cool. Yeah. Is there anything sort of like a broader idea or future plan event that you guys would like to do in the future? That's sort of just like in the back of your mind, not really anything that you've planned yet. It's sort of something you think would be really cool and innovative?
I definitely see. There's a lot we were getting thrown at us every meeting but something that we really want to get into is like we really want to start thinking lookbooks okay, because I think that sometimes because we spend so much time with these like minded people, sometimes we are a little bit critical of people out there for us to see, you know, it's like we can hold our coffee shops and everything but it's really up to people whether or not they want to like you know, purchase from us, but I think we do want to do some sort of blood book or some sort of creative collaboration, whether that's like another Fashion Organization by fast, specifically or more like, sustainability. thrifting work like unravel. We definitely want to do like a lookbook or some sort of similar along, like, the lines of the bank got some sort of fashion show because I think that like, those are areas that people see as kind of like Allegiant we kind of want to break down that barrier exclusive to crazy expensive designer items that are made in terrible conditions for workers, so yeah, I think kind of like, events that kind of like break down those barriers in our future.
Um, okay, um, so would you say there's sort of a defining aspect about your group that makes it very special and unique to maybe other on campus organizations that sort of specialize in either sustainability or fashion? I don't really think there's any other sites specialize in both honestly. But if you could sort of touch on that a little bit more. Yeah,
I think I always say the refining feels like a family. Because you know, we have like, you know, we're like minded. We share similar ideas. I think that's part of it. Like when we are going from person to person across campus to ask you if they have any clothing, donations, clothing items they want to sale, or what we're asking for store together, like go and do the racks like because they're shopping, shockingly, surprisingly, really like a bond does close together. So I've been involved in a lot of organizations on campus big and small, but I definitely would never find it feels like home. Even though we're all so individual and have our own sense of style and all these sort of things that are at our core we have very similar values, and have spent so much time together that I would say like it is like a family if that answers the question. Yeah,
for sure. I think that's awesome. I mean, that's what you want an organization I mean, obviously you have goals aspects, but like, people join organizations to feel like you're, you know, at home in a in an environment that can be really scary, which is college. So that's that's really great. I think
Um, okay. Do you have on campus by the way? I was just I was, Are you an RA? I'm an RA.
Awesome, that's really cool.
I mean, like I just have always put up with so much So, kudos to you for that. Um, and then my last question is, you talked about this a little earlier. Also something I noticed on your guys's Instagram as well members of the organization talk about how fashion serves as a means of communication and communicating their personality to the outside world. Could you expand on this a little and maybe in what specific ways do you leave that fashion has served you as a means of expression and communication throughout your life throughout college? I mean, however you want to take this really? Yeah.
It's difficult because it's really late to answer this because it's really personal to everyone. But at least for me, particularly, I'm like a trans and that's a huge part of my identity. And I came into this college I tell people like we're packing shorts and T shirts and like dressing up a little whiteboard. And like, having this organization kind of show me that fashion, whether that's like feminine, masculine, androgynous anywhere in between, is something that is accessible to me, has been huge because it just allowed me to express like, not only my sense of style and personality, but also gender in a very affordable and meaningful way. And so I think that everyone has a journey like that, right? Like a lot of our members grew up with, like strict families or in backgrounds where certain items weren't available to them. So it's kind of like that accessibility component goes so far because it allows, like access to so many different styles, which means so much to people like stylist. I think people really underestimate how much data can impact people. It's not just about like your mood of the day it really goes deeper and allows us to kind of reflect like, our identities, our personal struggles and things of that nature. So I think for me personally, that's how it has impacted me and I think a lot of our members would agree that like they really are to put their heart on their sleeves to really show their authentic selves through sustainable, successful fashion. That was really great. That's I mean, that's, that's my Good answer. I'm like, I don't know about these other questions, but that one that could be an article. No, you you really, you nailed that one.
That's really I feel very like. I mean, I just I just think that it's, it's perfect, like, wow, like I you just you really feel like how passionate you are about this organization. That's really, really awesome. over my words, so if you have to do a little autocorrect on that. You were I mean, amazing seriously. So I don't have anything else if you have anything you want to ask me or at all I just anything at all just before we go I guess
my questions are were like logistical the first one being. Do you happen to have any idea when this piece or article would go up anywhere? Yeah. Um, so this piece should
be up. I believe it's on the Wednesday the 26th I think Oh, please don't Don't worry. You know, do not fret. This is this is how we roll out to everyone. This is exactly like our process. We get things very like nails done Next week, next article. So not at all at all even slightly like your fault in the slightest, please. Um, so should be up by Wednesday, unless we sometimes things happen where we have to like, reconfigure but it will be definitely like within this week before next weekend. Yeah.
And then to those two other members, see if we can get some sort of photos to send over tomorrow. That's, that's perfect. Yeah. Thank you so much for that. I really appreciate it. And then I'll reach out tonight too. So I reached out to Alyssa and then I'm sorry the other day I'm drawing a blank face. And I'll reach out to a faith tonight before the night ends but yeah.
Thank you so much again, and I think did you say your last minute but we were also very last minute so if anything comes up if one of them for some reason, interview and you need to find someone else. Let me know and I'll try to get someone available quickly. But I appreciate it so much. Thank you so much. Seriously, this
was really great. I hope you have a great rest of your night and I'll keep you posted on anything. Okay, sounds amazing.
Have a good rest of your day. Good luck with Article let me know if you need anything. So much. Thank you.