The Rage is a student-run fashion magazine based at Western Washington University (WWU) with a staff consisting of “a community of creatives that come together to create cool stuff,” according to Jaelin McQueen, the previous director of diversity and cultural strategy at the magazine. With over 3,500 followers on Instagram, this magazine has absolutely blown up since it’s hit the scene.
At the end of May, Worn Again Thrift hosted the second-ever Rage fashion show to help promote the magazine’s newest issue, “Desire.” 38 beautiful models walked in nine perfectly curated and unique collections. Each model sported eclectic accessories and garments, each flawlessly tailored to their bodies and aesthetics. Nothing was left to be desired, and the audience filled Worn Again’s space wearing iconic outfits of their own.
The Rage was founded a few years ago by WWU alumna Hannah Quinton. In the beginning, to help promote the magazine, she hosted a secret warehouse rave at an undisclosed location. It worked, as The Rage has connections with designers as far away as Seattle, lots of people coming to every event, and new members joining the staff every year, especially this past year.
As always, the goal is to “create work that matters, write it, and create spaces for people in the Western community to be able to experience fashion and arts,” according to McQueen. “There’s an importance, in a predominantly white university, to implement diversity and multicultural perspectives,” says McQueen. “We were optimizing for representation in the [fashion] show.”
McQueen was an organizer, along with the previous Editor-in-Chief Anijah Polo, in charge of coordinating the models and designers in the show, the seating arrangements, and much more. Local businesses Good Boy Mercantile and Lover Girl Leather were vendors, and DJ Yugwa’mala was pumping out the beats. The style and beauty team from The Rage was doing hair and makeup, although some models preferred to do their own looks. Worn Again Thrift, Good Boy Mercantile, and Lover Girl Leather had pieces on the runway, and other garments were outsourced from people that the mag’s staff knew personally.
“The most fulfilling part of the show was getting to see how much it meant to the attendees, the team, the designers, and the models. It’s a constant reminder of all that this magazine can really be,” says Polo.
The fashion show was an immense success, and McQueen says that he’s excited to see where The Rage goes from here. “I don’t know what the future holds for The Rage magazine…I’m glad that over the course of this year, we’ve been able to imprint some sort of structure. It’s definitely the goal to continue that work in the future, and I’m excited and hopeful to see it,” says McQueen.
Head on over to The Rage’s Instagram for upcoming events and their print magazine for unmatched articles and photography.
Bellingham, Instagram @theragemag
Photograph by Chloe Nelson
