Scarlette Magazine as an organization, magazine and group of creatives, has, since its establishment in 2011, blossomed into something grander than originally thought possible.
From the 90s to the 2010s, fashion underwent a world of change. Students at The Ohio State University (OSU), inspired by the switch from streetwear, denim and chunky accessories to the Y2K movement, decided to do something about it. In the year 2011, Scarlette Magazine was formed, a creative outlet through which individual style and trends could shine.
During this time, social media was becoming the essential part of life that it is today. With college students posting pictures of their outfits, sharing their sense of style and encouraging creativity through this new digital space, Scarlette knew it had to take advantage of the movement. The magazine mirrored this means of release, forming a space for OSU students to meet and organize with others who shared their love for fashion.
Co-president of Scarlette and fourth-year studio art and marketing major Ella Dipold said that the university without the magazine is hard to fathom: “Imagining the 90’s…was there no fashion magazine? Was there no space for people to be able to do this?”
“It was making me think…who went to Ohio State and got this solidified as an official club? There must have been a need for a platform for people’s voices to be heard and creativity to be shown. I think that’s the void it’s filling,” Dipold said.
Going back to the beginning, Scarlette didn’t begin with the manpower they harness today. The magazine was relatively small until recent years, and going through a worldwide pandemic certainly didn’t help.
When Covid-19 hit OSU in 2020, students were asked to leave campus, classes were moved online and student organizations were put on pause. Once students were finally allowed back on campus and in the classroom, it’s no wonder that some clubs — Scarlette included — had trouble picking up where they left off.
Due to Covid restrictions in 2021, Scarlette wasn’t operating as normal, and students looking for this creative space were unable to join. This was the year of no physical issues of the print magazine, no structured committees and not nearly enough members to fill those committees.
It didn’t stay that way for long, though: “I like to refer to this as the era of Lena and LeVana,” Dipold said, referring to past Scarlette Co-Presidents Lena Wu and LeVana Wu. “They had also joined fall 2022, but they became the next presidents and they just…whipped it into shape. I don’t know who taught them how to do this, but without their influence I can say the magazine would not be structured the way it is today.”
Some of the many changes implemented by these co-presidents included the introduction of a launch party each semester, organized committee roles, collaborations with other creatives and organizations and, eventually, a print magazine.
Dipold said that she discovered Scarlette directly after this era, encouraged through her love for photography: “When I graduated high school in 2021…I was given a camera as a gift. And going into college, I used it a couple times, but…I was searching for an outlet where I could just practice with kind of low stakes…maybe learn from other people.”
The magazine gave Dipold exactly what she needed: “Joining Scarlette is where I got the most experience and a space to shoot and learn and make mistakes.”
Through Scarlette’s acceptance of all majors, identities and talents, Dipold and many others have had the opportunity to work at something they love in a judgement-free, encouraging space.
Scarlette, over the years, has grown and cultivated an amazingly diverse group of students. Scarlette is not just a space for those who share an interest in fashion and creative thought; it’s a community where members can make mistakes, learn from each other and form unforgettable connections with one another.
“One of the biggest things I’ve learned is how important a creative community is,” Dipold said. “I’m so thankful that more people are interested, [and] we have more people with different backgrounds to gain those perspectives, because it just adds a whole other layer to the end product.”
The true beauty of Scarlette is in its members. Without the individual creative minds who collaborate to make this magazine and organization what it is, the club simply wouldn’t have survived after the pandemic and continued to thrive in the years after.
No Scarlette member is the same — that’s what makes the community so wonderful. The process of building such an intricate product encourages close relationships to be formed, and that connection shines through in each project Scarlette undertakes.
“I love the interpretation of Scarlette being in bloom…because it’s experienced so much growth and it’s just been cared for so much by people who are so passionate about it,” Dipold said.
With this issue's theme being “In Bloom,” there are so many ways to relate that to the club’s growth. It not only exemplifies the organization’s inspiring nature; it proves how each member of Scarlette has grown and bloomed through their experiences here.
With every addition to Scarlette, the organization will only continue to grow, its roots reaching deeper. Stick around; we’ve only just begun to blossom.
