Samuel '13 Blogs about Men's Fashion
17 February 2012 Samuel 13 Blogs about Mens Fashion
In the three months since starting his blog, Men in Style Society, Shane Samuel 13 has gotten nearly 7,000 hits and been contacted by a representative for British clothing company, Smart Turnout, who offered to send samples for review.
When I got to HWS I was exposed to a different style, i.e. boat shoes, Nantucket red pants, etc., and I eventually adopted that style, says Samuel, who has always loved fashion. But when one of my best friends told me that I was starting to look like everyone else on campus that is when I realized there was not much fashion diversity on campus-something I wanted to change, so I started with myself.
After discussing the possibility of starting a mens fashion blog with his friends, Samuel went to see Professor of Writing and Rhetoric Cheryl Forbes about how he could maintain the blog amidst classes and other activities. Together, they came up with the idea of making the blog into an independent study, which acted as a great incentive for Samuel to continue working on it.
I decided to help Shane complete the blog as an independent study because it was offbeat and it provided me with a good opportunity to learn, as well, explains Forbes. However, what started as a student venture quickly turned into something professional as it has helped Shane to land internships and led to professional companies seeking him out to review their items, facts which I feel are indicative of the caliber and quality of Shanes blog.
While Samuel owns the blog, he receives help from several HWS friends, including stylist Karen Romero 13 and photographers Jamal Combs 12, Anabel Rosales 14 and Yesenia Morales 13. Although he did not start the blog solely to showcase HWS students, the majority of the models featured on the site are Hobart and William Smith students, including Kingsley Adarkwah 13, Cory Andrews 12, Gabrielle Ben-Yaish 15, Jonathan Clarke 12, John Darby 14, Emery Zhao Han 13, Natalia Hernandez 15, Kyle Sherwood 12, Nicolas Stewart 15, Adrian Tapia 13, Patrice Thomas 13, Carolyn Vasquez 13 and Drake Woodard 12. In addition to their other roles, Samuel and Combs are also featured as models on the site.
I wanted to give students the opportunity to express their own personal style on my blog. And for those who may not have found a style, I wanted to help them go beyond the typical sweats and hoodie look and try something new, explains Samuel.
After starting the blog, Samuel interned at GQ Magazine in New York City over winter break, and was subsequently asked to return as an intern this summer.
Samuel, a political science and writing and rhetoric double major with a minor in cognition, logic and language, is a member of the Budget Allocation Committee and Hobart Student Court. He also serves as the Vice President of Caribbean Student Association and the house manager and founder of the Domestic Violence Awareness House. Samuel works on campus in the Office of Intercultural Affairs.
Check out Samuels blog, Men in Style Society, at: http://meninstylesociety.com/. You can also follow the fashion trends on the blogs Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Men-In-Style-Society/328667447160095; and twitter: http://twitter.com/meninstylesoc.