Edessa School of Fashion

Perhaps the easiest way to understand what happens at the Edessa School of Fashion is to break down its name, word for word, in reverse order.

First, the word ‘fashion’ at Edessa has a different meaning than the one you may be familiar with. Traditionally, something is typically described as ‘fashionable’ if it matches an established trend, looks expensive or rare, or otherwise creates distance between the ‘fashionable’ wearer and the ‘unfashionable’ masses.

For Edessa students however, fashion is personal expression, nothing more or less. Something is ‘fashionable’ if it communicates how the wearer is feeling in that moment, or expresses a statement, ideal, or first impression that the wearer wants to invoke as they move through the world.

“A lot of people think you can look at someone and say whether they are fashionable or not. I don’t believe that,” said student Sabrina Lombardo. 

“Fashion is who I am and how I feel. Some days it’s bright and funky, others it is drab and gray because I don’t feel like being outspoken as a person, I feel more introverted.”

Furthermore, the word ‘school’ may imply that Edessa is where students of fashion go to be told how to identify fashion, or told how to talk about fashion. It implies a hierarchical structure with teachers who dispense knowledge to students who otherwise would be lost.

But this is not how Edessa classes work. At Edessa, students are there to build on their already unique identities and experiences with fashion, whether that be as five-year-olds creating unique outfits for their Barbie dolls or entrepreneurs trying to make it in the industry without sacrificing their identity.