Sessions @33 is now in its 7th season and continues to add meaningful opportunities to students in several areas. In addition to working with students in majors such as Cinema, Audio, Music Business, Photography, and Graphic Design, the series can now add Fashion majors to the mix. Helming that area will be sophomore Fashion major Annaliese Malamis. After being one of several Fashion majors who styled performers last May leading up to them performing at the Sessions @33 stage, Annaliese will lead a team of students in styling performers this season.
Annaliese has always had a deep connection to fashion. “My mom unintentionally inspired me to get into fashion by showing me “The Devil Wears Prada.” That's when I learned fashion could be a real career. She also would always take me to thrift stores, then help me with sewing clothes into something new and unique. I remember school to me was always a fashion show and getting dressed for it was my favorite part of the day. In high school, I always had this dream of going to fashion school, but I wasn't sure if I could move across the country to somewhere like F.I.T.”
Another alluring part of Columbia for many is the location. Conveniently located in the south loop, Annaliese immediately new knew it was going to be a great fit. “I knew Columbia was the right choice for me to pursue my education in fashion because of the diversity, the art and I get to live downtown. I've always had a love for the city and have the best memories of coming out here when I was younger. It's a dream to live right by the Willis Tower, which I loved to see as a kid.”
In terms of highlights, Annaliese cited a school-wide staple, Manifest, as a key part of her story. “Manifest was the best day of my freshman year. When I was working with the band, The Lemons, it was such a smooth and chill experience. I walked into Haus, handed the guys their clothes for them to try on and to my surprise, the clothes all fit perfectly. We had no fitting prior to the performance, and I had little other options with me if something didn't fit, but the vision turned out perfectly! I'm still very happy with how their outfits came out and it's currently my favorite styling project I've done so far.”
After that fantastic experience, Annaliese set her sights this semester on more involvement with Sessions @33. “Sessions @ 33 is a beautiful harmony of collaboration. We have musicians, audio, photographers, stylists, and more all coming together to showcase their talent. It's a safe space where we can ask each other for help and most importantly, be ourselves. I hope to see more fashion stylists at Sessions this year. I'd love to collaborate with new stylists at Columbia to make some dope projects.”
One of the most unique aspects of a creative project is workflow. Annaliese describes her process. “Working with artists can change depending on the project and what's available to me. First, I would have a styling meeting with the artists to get their measurements and style preferences. Then, I would need some time to go sourcing for all the pieces of their outfit. A week or two is roughly the amount of time I use for sourcing, but I've had projects with quick turnarounds (about 2 days or so). Fashion is all about being quick on your feet and making it work with what you have. After I finish sourcing, ideally, I would have a fitting with the artists. A fitting is when they try on all of their outfits, and I make adjustments based on what they liked/ didn't like. After adjusting their outfits to make sure everything is perfect, it's time for the performance/ event. I always go to the performance/ event to make sure the artists are feeling good in their clothes and to take pictures for my portfolio/ IG.”
Annaliese has benefitted from Columbia’s diverse student body. Speaking with her, you can see why Columbia was her first choice. Having classes that give students the opportunity to discover and truly be themselves, is one of the many reasons Columbia separates itself from other institutions. “Shoutout to the queer studies classes that we have at Columbia. I took Queer History last year and I'm currently taking Queer Literature. These classes have felt like community and a safe place for me to be authentic.”
In terms of the future, Annaliese had this to say. “My future goals in the fashion industry are to be a celebrity/ professional athlete stylist and model. Since I first learned what a fashion stylist was, I knew that's what I wanted to be.”
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