Style and glamour took over Florida International University’s Modesto Maidique campus this past Sunday with Strike magazine’s “The Last Tea Party on Earth.” In collaboration with the FIU Thrift Club, the student-run magazine hosted a unique fashion show that combined trendy styles with sustainability.
“We always aim to be sustainable,” said Strike’s creative director, Andrea Victoria. “All of our shoes, all of our concepts, all of our styling is secondhand or thrifted.”
The event’s theme offered a fresh take on the “coquette” aesthetic, a style that features playful femininity and pastel colors. Taking inspiration from current fashion trends on TikTok and Netflix period drama Bridgerton, the magazine flipped the aesthetic on its head, incorporating edgy, punk rock elements. A partnership with the university’s Thrift Club and a shared mission to advocate for sustainable fashion inspired the event’s collection of secondhand outfits.
“They’ve been helping us find all the pieces necessary to make this show happen,” said Strike’s editor-in-chief Isabella Menendez. “It is so important to partner with these kinds of organizations to spread the importance of sustainability.”
Attendees enjoyed a free teatime, DJ and romantic decor as models rebelliously strut down the makeshift runways in the Graham Center ballrooms. The night ended with several moving speeches from the magazine’s directors, who thanked the audience for their support and extended an invitation to future Strike events. The magazine’s next celebration will be the launch party for their latest issue on May 9.
“I am super excited because it’s all the hard work that our team has to put in throughout the semester,” said Menendez. “We are really looking forward to it.”
