Redefining Dresscodes: Authentic Expressions of Identity

​I Can & I Will

Claire McDonough

I Can & I Will, is a brand regarding women in business, and the measures of success that society places on them. Our culture has made women decide if they want to pursue a career or if they want to raise a family; because for some reason they can not do both. We have molded this idea that if you choose to become the CEO of a company, that must mean you have no desire to have a family. And if you choose to stay at home as a mom, it must mean you have a lack of ambition and no place in the business world. 
This brand celebrates all of womens decisions as successful, and the idea that a woman can be multiple things successfully. Women have to suffer through the double standard with working men as well. Men are praised and seen as well rounded for being “settled down”, with a family. Where female business students are being taught not to wear their wedding rings in interviews to avoid being discriminated against for certain opportunities.
I Can & I Will is going to mix the ideas of success in our eyes. We are going to allow the working mom to wear what she wants, and succeed in whatever decision she chooses to do.

No Limbits: The Freedom of Independence

No Limbits was founded by Erica Cole, an amputee with a newfound mission to make fashion more accessible to people with disabilities. By creating a brand that follows and tracks trends while addressing points of concern that wheelchair users, amputees, and people with sensory issues have expressed, No Limbits brings fashion to those who have previously been ignored in the industry. 
Though it started as prosthetic covers, No Limbit’s brand is expanding far past that. A particularly difficult garment for many wheelchair users is jeans. No Limbits has worked hard to create functional, fashionable jeans at a lower price point for its customers. 
Our team has also been extremely ecoconsious about the fabrics and processes we use because in addition to our sensitivity to our clients, we also value sensitivity to the wellbeing of our planet. 
More than a brand, No Limbits is a community founded by an amputee, for other amputees to connect and express themselves through fashion while regaining the agency they’ve lost or possibly never even had to dress themselves and chose their own style. The real world isn’t composed of standard sized, runway perfect bodies, so No Limbits has decided to embrace that diversity, and celebrate it.

​Abbey Danowsky

Black or white

​Devin Yarkosky

Being bi-racial can mean the best of both worlds or feeling divided by two identities. Growing up, I felt like I never fit in because I wasn’t “white enough” or “black enough.” I never felt “enough.’ 
Black or White is a brand I created to empower those who struggle to find where they belong. It means I have two cultural identities that I get to explore and learn from. It also means I have two different ways of navigating life. 
Being bi-racial can be difficult growing up, as we don’t always know how to speak, or act, or dress. Not always do we have the resources, or know where to look when it comes to figuring out how we present ourselves to the world. 
Black or White is a brand built for and by people of color balancing on the trapeze of mixed races.

To Hell and Back

My name is Halie Giegerich and for my brand I wanted to focus on community engagement and personal connections. When the coronavirus hit a lot of people lost personal connections and those connections are a vital part of our mental health as humans. With my brand I hope to create products that bring people together and help people realize that we are one another’s best assets and in the end we are all we have. 

I was extremely fortunate during the pandemic through UNI Orchesis Dance Company I got to stay connected with amazing people throughout tough times and have that extra support behind me that I needed to mentally push through the pandemic, but I know there is some people out there that are having difficulty staying connected and that’s what I want to focus on with my brand. Giving people an opportunity to find people they can relate to through experiences they’ve had good or bad. Finding community and support with others is beneficial in a time like this and I believe my brand could be a great asset to those who are feeling distant from the world around them.
For my brand photo I wanted to highlight the struggles in past that happened within my community back home and then on the flip side highlight the benefits of the community that I found in college and how community was always there in my life during the good and bad. We’ve all been To Hell and Back and we can do anything with love and support from others.
For my brand video I continued my community and connection focus and projected people and experiences that I hold dear to my heart. Without the connections I’ve had in my life tough times would have been so much harder and it’s the people around me that give me so much strength that I feel like I could accomplish anything I tried. I attempted to capture that feeling within the song choice which is a cover of Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Mo Mo O’brien.

​Halie Giegrich

​Not a DOubt

​Ireland Frisch

The brand Not A Doubt is a women's empowerment brand I created in order to inspire women to dress in a way that makes them feel successful in the workplace. I want women to be able to hold a leadership position and not be underestimated because she is wearing platform heels or a skirt. Women do not have to play dress up in a suit to be successful.
The idea behind it stemmed from a conversation I had with my mother about a critique she received from a man in the workplace about her outfit. She was told, as the executive director of her organization, to not wear heels. I thought that was absolutely ridiculous. My mom, or anyone, should be able to wear heels whenever they damn well please. 
Not A Doubt comes from the phrase “There is not a doubt in my mind”. I chose this as the name for my brand because I want to convey to these women that there is not a doubt in my mind that they are successful, regardless of what they are wearing. As a young woman going into the workforce, I think this is an important message to hear and spread to other women. ​

Making my mark by marking myself

Employers tell you to bring your whole self to work but what they really mean is bring the parts that benefit the business and leave the rest at home. I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of having to alter my appearance in order to make those around me comfortable.
I created a brand that revolves around deconstructing appearance rules and redefining professionalism in the workplace. I admire artwork and I believe that tattoos are an incredible art form and a beautiful way for people to express their inner feelings outwardly. My tattoos don’t inhibit me from completing tasks or being productive but feeling uncomfortable in my own skin does. Let’s start judging people by work ethic and forget the body art.
It’s time that we free ourselves and allow our authentic selves to be accepted in the workplace. I will continue to make my mark in this world while simultaneously marking myself, and if you want, you should do the same. 

​Kalleigh Kress

​As you are

​Kate Flaherty

“As You Are” is an intimate apparel brand that creates a space for those who want to break free from the normalized standard of “beauty” and thus appreciate their own individual beauty. When a person is getting ready in the morning, underwear is the first thing they put on. Meaning it should be the first thing that makes you feel powerful as an individual. 
Living in a society with strict gender norms and accessibility issues, it is hard to shop for intimate apparel as someone not living within those restrictions. Because most intimate apparel brands on the market today cater to a gender binary, much of the product is made to uphold the societal standard of both cisgendered men being hyper-masculine, as well as cis gendered women being ‘sexy’ and thus dressing and performing for the male gaze. This line of intimate apparel was designed to encourage any person that their body can be both powerful and sexy in their own, unique, individual way. We can disrupt beauty standards that stem from this binary with the first thing we put on in the morning. “As You Are” celebrates the body you live in everyday, because it deserves to be accepted and appreciated with no limits or restrictions. ​

​SweetBoy

Sweetboy addresses the currently narrow definition of masculinity and its effects on boys and young men. Through diverse marketing campaigns, in-school workshops, and ethically-made apparel products, this brand seeks to change the narrative and let boys breathe.
From an early age, cisgendered boys may be put down for crying or talking about their feelings. Rather than releasing their perfectly human emotions in a healthy way, they are told that boys don’t cry. These unreleased emotions start to build up and may lead to patterns of anger and violence towards themselves or others.
On the other hand, it is both normalized and expected for girls to talk about feelings. Cisgendered girls are often encouraged to develop close friendships, provide and receive emotional support, and solve conflicts through verbal communication. These tools and practices are key to any child’s development and success throughout the course of their life.
When boys are denied access to and practice with these crucial emotional skills, their mental health and relationships suffer. Without an outlet to express their emotions, they can feel isolated and trapped. This brand aims to be that breath of fresh air.
Sweetboy empowers boys and young men to freely be themselves, express their emotions healthily and support each other in real ways. They learn from men who could be their fathers, cousins, or friends that they deserve love and are naturally intelligent, emotional, creative and kind. Because boys are so much more than just tough.
(model pictured is Bossman Johnson, father and owner/designer of ITMRTM Custom Apparel, wearing his own line)

​Melina Gotera

​Belong

Mia Rampton

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Belong is an empowerment brand that inspires you to  feel confident in yourself and your roots.
Growing up in both Iowa and Beijing, I felt like the odd-one-out no matter where I was. As a child, you never want to look, act, or seem different. Belong encapsulates the positive feelings I finally feel towards being different. I am proud of my bi-racial heritage and I hope to motivate others to feel proud and confident alongside me.

We don't Need your Permission

Permission is not needed. Permission is a brand that addresses the societal roles placed against individuals addressing their perceived appearance. Society has placed roles on gender, sexuality, and status to control the way we dress in order to fit in. Permission is focused on empowering women, non binary people, and the queer community to portray themselves in a way they feel powerful. Permissions mission is to make society understand there are no roles and nobody needs to ask permission to be themselves. 
​Our status is held highly in society to determine our success. People dress up in different forms to format themselves into the role they believe they must play. Permission wants to break those boundaries and let the creativity of all people flow to allow them to be unapologetically them. Clothing represents money, power, and identity in this world and it is past time to throw away the labels that determine someone's characteristics.

Bailey Wall

Create Your Fabulous

​Peyton Zaimes

Create Your Fabulous is a brand that showcases that you can be current with trends and chic in your wardrobe while also being sustainable. "Create your fabulous" is for people of all ages and every gender because everyone should be able to shop sustainably. If you think about it, the lifecycle of most clothing items is limited. It starts with the purchase of a shirt onto wearing that shirt, typically only for a season or two, and eventually, it gets tossed out. The purpose of my brand is to change the lifecycle of clothing by reusing items to serve the earth better and sustain and enhance your style.
As most know, fast fashion is a powerhouse in this day and age. As social media rises, the need for clothing and the idea of being trendy grows. This forces people into a box of constantly cycling in new clothes to keep up with recent trends. The constant cycling of clothes causes a high demand for fast fashion, and it's hazardous to the environment. Fast fashion production makes up around 10% of humanity's carbon emissions. It also dries up water sources and pollutes streams and rivers. A whopping 85% of textiles go to the dump each year. Create your Fabulous breaks the idea of constantly buying new clothes to reach those fashion goals you possess. This brand, "Create Your Fabulous," taps into wearing used clothes and creating new styles out of second-hand items. 
There are currently more than 25,000 resale, consignment, and Not For Profit resale stores in the United States. Thousands of stores filled with robust chic inventory waiting to be worn and transformed.
               Let us Create Your Fabulous ​

​Rewear

Fast fashion’s focus is to always be in style, offering the latest trends, with little to no regard for the impact on the environment.  Most fast fashion garments are not designed to last.  They may be worn once, maybe a few times, but then often end up in a landfill.  There is also a taboo around wearing the same outfit twice because fast fashion has ingrained it into our brains that we always need to be buying and wearing the latest trends.  This is not sustainable.  The purpose of my brand, Rewear, is to show how we can use the clothes that we already have in our closets to create looks that fit with the current trends or our own personal style.  Rewearing clothes keeps garments out of the landfills for a longer amount of time and you would be amazed to see the variety of looks you can make with the clothes that you have.
​Take a look at the example I have put together.  I started with a blue blouse, black jeans, and a pair of red ballet flats.  A simple look, nice for meeting up with friends or going on a picnic.  Next, keep the blouse and the pants, but change the shoes and add a blazer.  The subtle changes allow the outfit to have some novelty while keeping the core garments.  Now it is the perfect look for a business meeting.  And finally, trade the blazer for a different jacket.  Voila!  You have yet another look, good for a more casual day at work or for going on an adventure of some sort.  Being sustainable doesn’t have to look like buying expensive eco-friendly garments, it can look like you wearing the clothes that you have and buying less.  So let it be said “because we care, we rewear!”

​Rachel Funkhouser

​Inherited

​Tempi Hathcock

Inherited is a brand based upon family heirlooms. An heirloom is defined to be a valuable object that has belonged to a family for several generations. Heirlooms bring a focal point of the past into the present, the sentimental value these objects hold are worth more than any price. These tend to be well-used objects that contain their own story, with a background of significance. Wearing that family heirloom is a way of collecting the past generations in a deep, personal way.
Inherited empowers families to pass down the memories and traditions in their current state, to become somebody’s new present.

​Not alone

My brand empowerment project name is Not Alone, which focuses on gifts for or to someone who the person loves, but they are far away from him/her. Not Alone is a jewelry brand that a person could buy a gift from it to another person who he/she loves, so they usually wear it anytime and anywhere, and they feel the person's heart with them. International students and international employers around the world have difficult feelings because they are far away from their families and countries. Sometimes they are feeling they are alone in a strange place, so the gift from who they love will make them feel they are not alone. Also, during the COVID-19 pandemic time, more people could not see their family for a long time, which it's not easy for everyone and sometimes that affects a person psychologically. Sometimes when I say this object or gift means more things to me and when I wear it my psychological and mood become better, they do not believe that. People see if you are related to objects that mean you are mad and need psychiatric treatment. Psychologists said that the things we use affect our behavior, attitudes, personality, mood, confidence, and even the way we interact with others.

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Zahra Alnemar

​Revamped

​Madison Luther

​Everyone wants to wear trendy clothing. Not only is it accessible with fast fashion, but it is also cheap. The textile and apparel industry produces so much waste that it is one of the world's largest polluters. Revamped is a brand that focuses on being eco-friendly and sustainable. There is sometimes a stigma behind secondhand clothing. Revamped’s mission is to remove the stigma and show that you can be fashionable wearing secondhand clothing. There are so many garments that are only worn a handful of times and then thrown away. Our goal is to prove that old garments can be given a longer life, whether that be through restyling, upcycling, you name it. Why not get creative and make pieces that you love. Not only is this good for the planet, but it will also save money. I think we all could be more conscious when it comes to buying clothes. Before purchasing new clothing, consider asking yourself some questions like: do I love this? Will I wear this for a long time? Do I already own something similar?

​Breaking the Basics

Breaking the Basics is an empowerment brand created to encourage both men and women to embrace their confidence in a bold pattern and bright print. This brand is meant to make the uncomfortable feel comfortable. For years, I felt as if dressing out of the norm was shameful because it wasn’t accepted by everybody. It was thoughts of, “I can’t wear that, I’ll be looked at” or “They’ll laugh at me.” I thought blacks, grays, and whites should be my only color palette for fashion. Yet now, I search for the funky prints in stores, colors that speak volumes, and designs that catch attention. I will throw on zebra print pants and a green top with a boost of confidence that others are noticing me, not judging me. It is time to wear clothes for yourself, not for others. It is time to break the basics.

​Rebecca McDermott

Bend The RUles

​Gina Montgomery

Bend the Rules is a clothing brand that centers around the idea of dressing for you and not for society. We were rarely taught the importance of dressing for ourselves. We were told to dress in a way that makes us look "presentable". Pretty dresses, lipstick, and sensible shoes are on the top of the list when it comes to dressing and looking the part. When were we as individuals ever asked what we want to wear or what our taste in clothing was? We deserve to feel empowered and beautiful in our own clothes. Bend the Rules wants people to radiate confidence and feel authentically "you". ​

​Personal Gaze

​Personal Gaze is a women's empowerment brand created to help people feel confident in pushing their physical boundaries by not being afraid to look "different." It allows people to step out of society's modest dress norms and step into what makes them feel powerful and independent. Personal Gaze is about pushing past other people's inclinations and, in turn, wearing what makes YOU happy. Why should you dress for others? Dress for YOU!

Katie Maloney

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​You. Are. Art.

Brittany Huinker ​

You. Are. Art. is an inclusive cosmetics brand that focuses on expressing yourself creatively and artistically. Makeup has no rules and this brand wants you to push the boundaries and wear what makes you feel good. We are constantly exposed to flawless and photoshopped images through social media that make us feel like we have to wear makeup a certain way or only post perfect photos of ourselves. We want to empower you to try new things and take risks. This brand explores unique colors and textures that aren’t typically seen in conventional makeup brands. We encourage you to find inspiration in everything around you and have fun with our products. Makeup doesn’t have to be intimidating, problematic, or a chore you feel like you have to do each morning. With us you can be free to be whoever you want. Focus less on covering up and more on showcasing the real you. ​

​You for You

You for You is a brand about body confidence and just showing people that if you want to wear something, you can no matter what the standard “beautiful” person looks like. Society has made out that for someone to be “beautiful” or “attractive” you must be skinny but may also have curves like a big butt or big breasts.  People like models are examples of what is perceived as attractive and what some people believe they should look like. So many people use fake “get fit” scams to try to look like these models, but every body type is beautiful and more people need to understand that. Nowadays, there are different body types shown in the media and seen as beautiful, which is good but so many people still experience body image issues. You for You is a brand that I want to be a brand that can help people wear what they want to wear, without worrying about what people think of what they are wearing or worrying about if they look beautiful because everybody is beautiful. There are companies that exclude somebody types, which is disappointing because if someone likes the clothing but can’t fit into it, they might feel like they are not good enough to wear those clothes. There are many times where I have heard people, like my friends, say that they liked a piece of clothing but when they tried it on, they saw the parts of their body that they don’t like and decided not to get the clothing. This brand will make pieces that can help people not feel like their “flaws” are the most noticeable thing, which can help build confidence and let them wear those cute pieces of clothing that they like. ​

​Caroline Ott

​What are you?

​Malena Silva

​What Are You? This was a question I would get all of the time. People would follow this question up by trying to guess my ethnicity or race. This brand is to reclaim that question and bring empowerment through your identity. Growing up as a bi-racial child in the U.S. can be difficult and isolating. Many times, it may feel like you don’t fit in anywhere, and this country doesn’t want you here. It didn’t matter if I was with my Hispanic community or in my small white town. The sense of feeling alone was still there. it was through my siblings 
I truly felt like I belonged. I am here to tell you that you belong here too, and we will be your support. What Are You? is creating a community for all mixed and bi-racial people who feel cast out. We are here to let you know you are not alone. All of the adversity you have faced growing up and the different insecurities you had about who you are and where you belong are valid. Together we will carve a path in this world to create cultural liberation. I am me. What Are You?