LFHS has many creative classes and ways for aspiring photographers, fashion designers, and artists to express themselves. But what is it like to be a creative outside of the classroom? The designer, who goes by Insidious, behind Insidious Studios for the Chicago Fashion Week dove into the local fashion scene and what advice they have for aspiring artists and designers.Insidious attended DePaul university majoring in Psychology.
For students in photography, Insidious’ start may sound familiar.
“I started with street and architectural photography with a focus on brutalist architecture, and I transferred a lot of that into fashion,” Insidious said. “I enjoy capturing the grittiness of city life, and how there’s a part of the city in everyone.”
Those ideas carried into their collection, pulling inspiration from daily dress in the city along with 90s streetwear and culture. Fashion students can similarly take inspiration from the clothes they see around them on a daily basis. A large part of their brand is sustainability. They focus on the waste involved in fashion and upcycle clothes from thrift stores to make their pieces.
Having a sold out show for Chicago Fashion Week means many long days in the studio.
“I’d wake up at 9 A.M., feed my cat, then head to the studio for 8-10 hours a day: never seeing the sun,” Insidious said. “It’s a long process, but I like to hand sew my pieces to feel more connected to the work.”
They said that all of that hard work was finally realized the week before the show, seeing all their pieces fitting together.
There was excitement for the collection before the show began. The team promoted tickets at the door but Insidious was surprised to see that many people bought the tickets online on their own without a direct link.
“A lot of people found our online ticket link without even advertising it, which to me shows that people are really interested in what we’re doing,” Insidious said.
This year’s show was sold out, and a big part of the interest came from thinking outside the box, something. One of the biggest parts of this year’s show was the “human gallery” section, which turned the runway into a living art exhibit with models posed on platforms.
“I did Chicago Fashion Week last year but the show was super short, since I didn’t have that many pieces, and so it only lasted like 15 minutes,” Insidious said.“This year I want people to truly appreciate the art and models on platforms and to have a more leisurely pace viewing the pieces.”
Insidious, behind Insidious Studios, said that building the right team was one of the hardest parts of getting started. This can apply to students as well, whether it is a fashion design project or a group slideshow presentation.
“Being too flimsy with team members and not selecting people with good qualities, basically I needed to have better discernment,” Insidious said.
Now, they look for three things in a valuable team member: “Be reliable, fit the vibe, be punctual.”
This was only Insidious Studios’ third show, and their second one in-person. Over the next few years, their goal is to develop a more established runway with more capital and production time.
“Our goal is to make everyone feel connected, like they’re stepping into another world,” Insidious said.
For Insidious, it all comes back to the people wearing the clothes.
“Fashion is a way for people to feel comfortable in themselves and in their skin, and I appreciate the people who wear their feelings on their body,” Insidious said.
This is the same mindset LFHS students can have every day when they put together an outfit, or work on a project in an arts class. Insidious is an example of where the creative skills you can develop in high school can take you in the future.
