The idea for Godet presented itself to me in bits and pieces over the past couple of years. While I started my career with SCAD at the Savannah campus, a myriad of circumstances led me to settle down in Atlanta for the remainder of my time. I ultimately love being at this campus, but there was always something missing. I vividly remember looking for clubs to join in Atlanta and being significantly disappointed with the lack of community in areas I had interest in, mainly fashion. It seemed like all my friends back at the main campus had so many opportunities to participate in projects outside of their classes, but those same opportunities seemingly fell short here.
As I continued my time here, that yearning for community continued to build in me. I started considering the possibility that maybe — just MAYBE — I could do something about this. Now let me make one thing clear: I have never been the student to shake things up. I had always seen myself as a slacker, a procrastinator, all around just unmotivated to get anything done. So when this idea popped into my head, I saw it as a pipe dream. Who am I to come and start something like this? Who am I to change the way fellow students interact with one another and build a larger sense of community here? I figured it was a fun idea that would only live on in my mind, most likely never taking form.
And then something happened.
Sometime in early 2022, right as we shifted away from hybrid classes and were fully back on campus, I shifted as well. I suddenly found myself having these types of ideas and actualizing them, rather than shoving them to the side. I had this new found motivation to create something bigger than myself. More than anything, I just wanted to prove myself. When I look back at it, I realized this didn’t come from just me. It came from all the people surrounding me, listening to my ideas and encouraging them. Throughout lockdown, that sharing of ideas among students was nonexistent. I didn’t realize how much I craved that type of community until I was back on campus.
There was one idea that kept coming to me. A student fashion publication here in Atlanta, similar to that of SCAD Savannah’s Manor. I loved Manor in its ability to give students autonomy over their work outside classes and foster a stronger sense of community in Savannah. The more I thought about it, the more the idea excited me. It started to feel less of a pipe dream, and more of an apple hanging off the tree, waiting for me to reach up and pick. Only problem is I needed a ladder.
Enter Caroline. I’ve always admired her work. She’s seemingly so on top of things, something I’ve struggled with from the start. As we got back into the groove of things post-Covid, we would sit in the studio late at night, half working and half complaining about things we wish we had as freshman. We both shared this same yearning for community, resources and opportunity. There was discussion of ideas for what could fix this, all pertaining to accommodations the staff could make for us, but when it came down to it, we realized administration can only foresee students needs to an extent. If we felt a particular way about this, it was up to us to make a difference. That’s when I felt the push to share this idea that had been sitting in the back of my mind, waiting for its moment.
“Let’s make a fashion publication.”
Her eyes lit up. I knew from that split second that the stars had aligned and we were exactly where we were supposed to be. In a matter of days, I had little team set up and we met for drinks to discuss. The very first Godet meeting. Or as we called it at the time (and still do today) the Very Professional Business Woman. VPBW for short. Over the next year from its original inception, we brainstormed and brainstormed every idea we could possibly have about what we wanted this to be and what impact we wanted to have on the Atlanta campus, no matter how big or small. Finally, through lots of emails and back and forth, we found exactly where we were meant to fit into all this.
Enter SCAD Connector. They welcomed us with open arms, excited to hear about all the ideas we had, and we were so excited to finally bring this vision to life. Oh, the vision you ask? Let me explain by defining the very thing that inspired its name.
Godet (go-day): A triangular piece of fabric added into a garment to give it more fullness.
Whether it was from a 1920s drop-waist dress or in the seams of flare pants, it’s a design detail that you’ve most definitely seen before. We were attracted to this name because of its ability to create fullness where needed. That’s exactly what our goal was as well. So here we are, Godet: filling the gap. The gap represents everything I, and many of my senior classmates wish we had starting out here. It’s all the nuanced information, the secret tips and overall connection to community here that we didn’t have from the get go. We’re here to spread awareness among students on how to use SCAD’s resources to their advantage, so that when it’s your turn, you can surpass what we were able to create. This isn’t just for the SCAD community, this is to build a better industry as a whole, one that fosters a sense of community and inclusivity among its creators. Our hope is to create a place where students are excited to share their ideas amongst each other and gain perspective through fellow students input, as well as their professors. More than anything, our goal is to connect with one another, one article at a time. We just hope you’re down for the ride.
Interested in joining the Godet community? Feel free to fill out this quick form so we can get to know you! https://forms.gle/wwnySPPY6AhG9UFq5