Courtesy of Rebecca Yale
How will you spend your Thanksgiving break?
Gallatin senior Rebecca Yale did not sleep for three days. Not because of the amount of homework she had, but because of her involvement in Gallatin's first Eco-Fashion Week.
Images
Courtesy of Rebecca Yale
Courtesy of Rebecca Yale
Yale, the go-to photographer for Gallatin events, was first approached by Gallatin's Deans' Office Operations director Rachel Plutzer to participate in Fashion Week when they came up with the idea of putting together a look book.
"[The experience] was great, but very tiring," Yale said. "We spent two long days shooting in the nightclub Greenhouse, generously donated to us by a Gallatin alumnus who owns the place."
After two all-day shoots, Yale had a whopping 3,000 images to work with, which she edited down to 50 images for the final look book.
"The result was worth it," she said.
Although the Eco-Fashion Week photo shoot had its tough moments, particularly with the time crunch, Yale said there were some parts that made the task much more manageable.
"The easiest part would probably be that the clothes looked so great, I didn't have to do much to make them look amazing," Yale said. "The designers all worked so hard and did such a beautiful job that it was a pleasure to work with their designs."
Yale's passion for photography began on her first trip to Europe. She received her first camera from her parents and fell in love with photography and scrapbooking immediately. Since age 10, Yale knew that photography was what she wanted to pursue.
As she grew older, Yale combined her joy of photography with her natural affinity for fashion.
"I have always been interested in fashion and self-expression," she said. "I also worked last year at the Richard Avedon Foundation where I had the opportunity to study his archive and learn a lot about fashion photography."
Though Yale enjoyed the photo shoots, the best feeling came once the work was complete.
"My favorite part was holding the book when it was done," Yale said.
Gallatin freshman Abby Echiverri said the final product was stunning.
"Her beautiful photography really captured the mood of Eco-Fashion Week, and you can definitely see the [amount of] work that went into it," Echiverri said.
But for Yale, the look book is not just another piece to add to her collection; it is something that has the potential to spark change.
"Consumers have a lot of power and can dictate what is created by what we choose to spend our money on," Yale said. "It's important that we find ways to use sustainable practices in all aspects of our lives, and since fashion is a huge part of everyone's life — whether you consider yourself fashionable or not — everyone has to wear clothes. It's a good place to start."
