For many college students, clothing serves a purely aesthetic purpose. However, for three Trinity juniors — Janka Rutkovszky, Montserrat Waissman and Sumaya Tandon — fashion is an indispensable outlet for community building, education and connection to identity. This unique perspective on what fashion represents inspired these students to found the Burgundy Label, an up-and-coming fashion magazine run by and for the Trinity community.
The club’s inception began during the spring 2024 semester. Waissman, junior political science major and Burgundy Label co-editor, recalls that the club’s founding was inspired by the lack of fashion-based clubs on campus.
“The idea was Janka’s,” Waissman said. “She had a friend at UT who worked at one of the [fashion] magazines there, and she told Sumaya and me about it, and we were like, ‘Hey, that’s a really good idea. We should help get this off the ground [at Trinity]’ … I think a lot of the people here would really enjoy something like that.’”
As the club began to take shape, the magazine turned its focus toward the historical and cultural implications of fashion trends. To the club founders, fashion goes far beyond surface-level aesthetics. According to Waissman, many fashion trends have deep cultural roots that must be acknowledged by those who follow them.
“For a very tangible example, the coquette use of ribbons [has] been used a lot in Hispanic and Mexican cultures, especially in Oaxaca. It’s been very common practice to wear a lot of bows and ribbon for the longest time,” Waissman said. “So it’s just really delving into that and appreciating it, and just bringing a bit more attention and a more diverse look at [fashion].”
Additionally, the club’s members will play a critical role in the magazine’s mission to promote a holistic view of fashion. Tandon, junior environmental geoscience major and Burgundy Label co-editor, emphasized that the club seeks to enhance collaboration between members and celebrate diverse voices.
“Since we have so many different people … who have different fashion sense, we can all come together and be able to celebrate them, get to know more of the meaning behind some of them … and give credit where credit is due,” Tandon said.
In realizing this goal, the Burgundy Label is steadily gaining membership. At its first meeting during the 2024 spring semester, about 30 students attended. Levolea Wallace, senior sociology major, was one of those 30 attendees and reported that the meeting was an amazing start for the magazine.
“It was good vibes. … Really, you can tell they really put a lot of effort and time into it, which is nice to see, especially for a startup club,” Wallace said. “Everybody was really nice that we met on the board. They were very welcoming. … I’m very excited for it.”
As for the magazine’s plans for the upcoming year, the founders are eager to set the club in motion. The top of the club’s to-do list revolves around securing funding from SGA, which will allow the Burgundy Label to begin its journey to publication and share their passion for fashion.
“We definitely plan on having a first meeting sometime in early September, figure out funding [and] to try to get an issue out, at least by the end of this semester,” Tandon said. “It’s gonna take a lot of effort, but I have faith in everybody.”
