When you think of fashion, you may initially picture a model strutting down a runway in an outfit worth thousands of dollars. Noblesville High School Fashion recently incorporated fashion into their curriculum, though it already plays a big role in many student’s lives. But for students, it isn’t all about making it down a runway in New York, it’s about their personal achievement and the creativity that goes into it.

Fashion club is a newly introduced club to the school. The idea was created by Senior Bailee  Penski and graduate Faith Ronning, and with the help of FCLA teacher Mrs. Katelyn Butz, they got the ball rolling.

Penski, vice president of the club, said, “The club actually got started because Faith Ronning [the club president] and I were in aerobics together. I’d heard that she wanted to be a fashion designer and we had followed each other on Instagram, so we both knew that we like logging our fashion interests. She told me that she wanted to start this fashion club because she was attending the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising [FIDM] in the fall and I thought that was an awesome idea because Noblesville has never had a club like that before.”

The club not only offers a chance for fashion lovers to get together, but for participating students to have a shot at getting college scholarships. Though the club is mostly student led, Butz is the adviser.

“FIDM has a couple of universities; the main one is in San Diego, they have one in New York, and I think they have one in Los Angeles as well.” Butz said, “The club is run through that school, so there are a ton of scholarship opportunities to people that are either officers or just members.” By attending the fashion club, students get scholarships. Higher ranked officers get better scholarships with more opportunities, says Butz.

Ronning, president of the club, helped start the club out of personal interest and investment for the students. Ronning graduated from Noblesville in 2014 and will be attending FIDM in the fall of 2015.

“Throughout my four years of high school, we had no classes or anything that had to do with fashion,” Ronning said. “I had heard word that this textiles class was starting up next year so I was like ‘We need to do something, we need to get people involved, we need to get people excited,’ and this was the perfect way because I wished that I had this. I’m graduated so this doesn’t really do this much for me but I want other people to have what I didn’t have.”

Ronning is enrolled in two classes through IUPUI and will help run the club through the end of the school year.

Although fashion is shown on a personal level every day, it is more than simply wearing clothes.

“Fashion is important to me because it is another way to express my individuality. It’s one of the biggest things that says who I am,” Penski said. “I can’t draw or anything, so my artwork is what I wear and it’s just something really fun for me to do and I don’t think I’m ever going to stop loving it.”

The club meets during every Friday AL, says Penski. The club’s future includes activities and field trips outside of school, including a trip to Chicago. The club’s call out meeting on January 30th had a turnout more than 75 attendees. Penski says the future for the club and its members looks as bright as the runway.