Rising Stars: Meet Sophia Arnold and Matti Angelides of Vanderbilt Campus

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sophia Arnold and Matti Angelides. They and their team shared their story with us below:

Vanderbilt Fashion Week (VFW) is one of the first youth-driven sustainable fashion weeks in the world. VFW promotes fashion by showcasing sustainable practices, celebrating diversity, and featuring industry innovation. We aim to create a dynamic fashion ecosystem that encourages a culture of creativity, environmental responsibility, and collaboration by connecting global designers and brands with Vanderbilt and the Nashville community.

The Vanderbilt Fashion Week (VFW) 2022 was a pioneering event founded by Lauren Parker that celebrated sustainable fashion, marking a significant achievement in the field both within Vanderbilt, Nashville, and nationally. The event was a culmination of passionate work from its inception in a sustainable fashion course, leading to the creation of a week-long celebration featuring sustainable brands modeled by students. It was a massive success, with the highlight being the Sustainable Fashion Show, which showcased seven brands, demonstrating the feasibility and beauty of sustainable fashion.

The VFW 2023 Future of Fashion Show dazzled attendees with a showcase blending fashion’s rich history with a sustainable future, featuring designers who repurposed materials to challenge and expand the boundaries of modern style. Through the lens of sustainability, designers like Karisma Hishikawa, Georgiana Katsingris, and RENDERED FREE, among others, presented their unique visions, proving that fashion can be both environmentally conscious and deeply creative, culminating in a memorable event that set a precedent for the future of fashion at Vanderbilt. VFW 2024 marked its third annual celebration with an expanded roster of 15 global designers and was graciously hosted by The Wond’ry at Vanderbilt University, highlighting its unwavering commitment to sustainable fashion.

This year’s event, held from March 22-29, spotlighted sustainable practices in the fashion industry, featuring designers like Kit Hamlin with “They Can Wear It,” Fabiola Soavelo, Ashe Cain, “Ratz in NY” by Deniz Hur, “LOVESICK” by Liz Diachenko, “Siristudios” by Siri Majaroen, Presley Church, “Madelow”, “Rag & Bone”, and talented local student designers such as Ava Gottschlich, Isa Heuer, Benson King, “NOWHERE” by Jeremiah Crosswhite, “SECLUDE” by Jaidyn Harden, and Allyria Mcbride, aiming to connect innovative brands with a community passionate about eco-conscious fashion.

The week was filled with events, including a Sustainability Symposium showcasing 10 local Nashville sustainable stores and organizations, such as Madewell, The Good Fill, SPEAR, Sage Refill Market, Skycaseco., Oil and Lumber, Smart Art + Craft Supplies, Turnip Green, Lemon Laine, and Allyria’s Boutique and Creations.

We also hosted a “Pop-n-Shop Student Thrift Store” event promoting clothing reuse among students, a series of sewing workshops at the Fabric and Textiles Studio, and a photography showcase at The Wond’ry, illustrating the journey and impact of VFW over the past three years. With a diverse cast of 48 models, the show attracted upwards of 250 attendees, and the events throughout the week brought in about 600 people, emphasizing the community’s growing interest in sustainable fashion and VFW’s role in fostering a more responsible and inclusive fashion future.

As the Co-Directors and producers of VFW 2024, Matti Angelides and Sophia Arnold collaborated with over 60 team members, 48 models, and 15 designers to bring this beautiful passion project to life. This year, our mission was to foster a dynamic, creative community that appreciates people who appreciate fashion, while making fashion accessible to all Vanderbilt students.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The journey to VFW 2024 was far from easy, with challenges including the complexities of collaborating with national and international designers and the logistics of managing a large, diversely experienced team. With the departure of Lauren Parker and half of the previous team upon graduation, Matti, who previously focused on Corporate Sponsorship and PR, and Sophia who was involved with Beauty and Styling, had to quickly adapt to new roles and responsibilities, often learning the fly to fill the gaps left behind.

Balancing the rapid pace of the fashion world with their coursework and other commitments at Vanderbilt added another layer of difficulty, making the preparation for VFW a test of their dedication and time management skills.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Matti’s main focus is the intersection of business and creative industries, her professional experience spans from working as a Music/Talent intern at the Tonight Show, where she interacted with artists and creative personalities daily, to her role as a recruitment intern at Warner Bros. Discovery, where she refined her organizational abilities and mastered the art of building interpersonal relationships.

Her passion for film, theater, and the pre-business communities at Vanderbilt has not only enriched her personal growth but also enabled her to infuse VFW with talented individuals from these spheres, setting her contributions apart with a unique blend of creative and logistical prowess.

Sophia, with her extensive leadership and development background from four years at Culver Academies, has been instrumental as a co-director and producer in shaping the strategy of VFW 2024, along with being the Chair of the Beauty team and a member of the Styling team during VFW 2022 and 2023.

Sophia also has experience in the film industry, with a notable contribution as Chair of Beauty on the short film “Cupid,” which received a nomination in the National Film Festival for Talented Youth, highlighting her capability to merge creative vision with effective team management, marking her as a distinct figure in the intersection of fashion, beauty, and production. Cupid, the short film, won the Audience Choice award for Breaking the Mold at NFFTY.

What makes you happy?
What brings us the most joy is the collaboration and connections we have formed with the incredible, talented individuals we’ve encountered throughout our journey with VFW, from team members to models and designers. Witnessing the enthusiasm from designers about the possibility of working with us and realizing the impact of emerging sustainable fashion communities in their areas fills us with excitement and hope for the future.

The culmination of seeing our vision materialize during the Future of Fashion Show, not just as a concept but as a vibrant, tangible experience, and knowing we’ve made the previous VFW generations and our families proud, is incredibly rewarding. Furthermore, the opportunity to explore and contribute to the world of fashion through a sustainable lens continually inspires us, driving our passion for what we do.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://vanderbiltfashionw.wixsite.com/vfw23
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vanderbiltfashionweek/

Image Credits
Sam Mitike, Kasey Kautz, Ade Forrest, Lauren Carnahan, and Evan Levine