Letter From the Editor There may be some unsaid irony in naming our third issue “Ripe,” a year into a global pandemic. It’s not exactly a time you might associate with being fruitful or right at the peak of growth but for Flair’s existence, operating in a pandemic is all we’ve ever known. Our first issue was published in June of 2020, months after the start of the pandemic and here we are with our third issue, in May of 2021, nearing what looks like the “end” (thank you, Pfizer). Flair feels to be at its peak of existence thus far- tender and ready. In a year, we’ve watched Flair grow into a close-knit community within Wilmington. With more people involved and showing support, we’ve been able to host clothing swaps, pop-up at markets, have multiple photoshoots, publish advertisements, and get more collaboration amongst students- the whole purpose for creating Flair. I am so grateful for anyone who has ever contributed or shown support for our publication, let alone in a time as challenging as this. Creating a magazine and collaborating with others is hard enough on its own but doing so virtually and without ever meeting many of the people you are working alongside makes it even more challenging. With that being said, being in isolation has allowed for much more time to work on the things we love but rarely make time forfor us, that has been Flair. With Flair in its ripest form, we are passing leadership over to a whole new team with some familiar faces. Half of the original Flair team, myself included, is graduating from UNCW, and passing Flair down to a whole new group. Thank you to Jordan Mays, our Director of Art and Design, and Josie Trautwein, our Fashion and Beauty Editor, both 2021 graduates and day one Flair board members. They were at the very first Flair meeting and lent their creative and talented minds for almost 2 years beyond that. Flair would’ve never been the same (and possibly not existed) without them. Creating and being a part of Flair has been my greatest accomplishment thus far and I’m honored to even be able to pass this child of mine down to anyone let alone, our own staff photographer, Alana Consol. I know the Flair community will show Alana the exact same love and support that I’ve been shown and I’m so excited to watch the incredible things she, and everyone else, will do with this magazine. This is my last letter as Editor-in-Chief so from the bottom of my heart, thank you for reading Flair. Special thank you to Merewif and Shelton Metal, both local jewelry companies, who generously loaned their products for Flair photoshoots and have showed the utmost support for Flair. Enjoy these fruits of our labor. Love, A Crying Editor-in-Chief
The Ripe Issue | 5
