For many high school students, style is not at the forefront of their minds when getting ready for a long school day. Casual wear is a lazy day must, but according to fashion club president Laura Muriungi, this is still considered a fashion statement. “The statement of comfort” as she would call it.

The fashion club meets twice a month, with its next scheduled meeting taking place Thursday at 8:15 a.m. in E100. But before that happens, Wingspan sat down with Muriungi to learn about her thoughts on personal style, ongoing local clothing trends and the fashion club.

Wingspan: What made you want to start a fashion club?

Muriungi: “I’ve always wanted to start a fashion club here, especially because it’s very different from all of the other clubs, and it looks good on college applications for fashion colleges like FIDM (Fashion institute of Design & Merchandising) and FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology).”

Wingspan: What are you hoping to achieve with fashion club this year?

Muriungi: “This year we’re hoping to grow the size of our club and acquire more members. We also want to create more activities and ways to teach members about the many career opportunities within the fashion industry.”

Wingspan: What do club meetings usually consist of, and can you give us a preview of future club activities to come?

Muriungi: “Usually we will discuss current trends, our own opinions of designers and what’s going on in the fashion world, and then there will be a fun activity about fashion careers or fashion trivia. In our first meeting, we will be talking about club t-shirts and what sorts of trends we noticed over the summer.”

Wingspan: What trends did you notice this summer?

Muriungi: “I saw a lot of denim like shorts, shirts and jackets, there was a lot of sportswear inspired clothing, and throwbacking to the 70s I saw a lot of flares, floppy hats, and suede material.”

Wingspan: What sorts of students do you think would be interested in this club? And what would you say to students uninterested in fashion? Should they join as well?

Muriungi: “Students who already have a love and knack for fashion should join because it would be a great outlet for them, but I also think that if you’re not necessarily interested in fashion you should join too! You could learn a lot more about fashion and maybe realize it’s something you would like too.”

Wingspan: When did you start to become interested in fashion and who are your style icons/inspirations?

Muriungi: “I first became interested in fashion at a young age around like 8 or 9, I just loved dressing up in my mom’s clothes and wearing her high heels around the house. Some of my style inspirations include Alexa Chung, Olivia Palermo, Vanessa Hudgens, and Rihanna.”

Wingspan: Do you plan to pursuit a career in fashion and if so, how?

Muriungi: “Oh for sure! I want to go to either FIT or FIDM and possibly live in New York or L.A to be a fashion stylist. Which a fashion stylist by the way is someone who styles either celebrities or models in the clothes they would wear for events or photoshoots.”

Wingspan: What do you notice about high school fashion? Any ongoing trends you see?

Muriungi: “For the longest time this preppy style has been very popular, so for guys it’s like pastel shorts and button up shirts or Vineyard Vines shirts with sperry shoes. For girls, leggings with a big t-shirt and Nike’s are a comfortable look. Jandals and chacos are also dominating shoe trends right now. Comfy casual has become the norm nowadays. It’s still a fashion statement though people don’t realize it! It’s a statement of comfort.”

Wingspan: How do you stay motivated for dressing for school? What’s your morning routine in regards to clothing choices look like?

Muriungi: “Every night I pick out my outfit for the next day so it’s all ready. I stay motivated to dress up because I think of it as dressing for success, and for me it just feels kind of weird not to dress the way I do on a day to day basis.”