TRAVEL PICKS

by: britney kirwan design: catie haugen

You wake up to go work one day, when all of a sudden Nicole LaValle (a.k.a Snookie) wants to give you her favorite clothes from the The Snookie Shop and Kelly Clarkson wants you to be on her show. A girl can dream right?! Well, for Amanda Munz, she doesn’t have to as this is now her reality. Amanda Munz is the founder of The Fashion Foundation, which is a 501c3 non-profit. She gets designers to donate merchandise or samples that they don’t need anymore. They’re sold on the website for a fraction of the retail cost for customers around the world to buy, and then the proceeds go to help local underprivileged kids. She’s been featured in Forbes and was even on the Today Show because of her business. There’s so much to learn about Amanda and it was such a

pleasure interviewing her.

I’m so excited for everyone to get to know you and everything about the Fashion Foundation. So, to start off, tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from? Where did you go to school? What did you study?

So, I grew up on Long Island in New York. I had my first internship in fashion at 16 years vold because I went to a trade school. Most towns don’t have this, but our town had a trade school program where I left my high school for half of the day for my junior and senior year, and then I went to a fashion school. I learned how to sew, learned about fashion merchandising and the basics of fashion. So because of that, that’s how I got my first internship in fashion. I started at my internship at 16 and I stayed at my internship as a paid intern for five years. I was so young, I couldn’t even drive to my internship. My parents had to drop me off. After highschool, I went straight to FIT for fashion merchandising and management and stayed for all four years.

I honestly was never fashionable growing up. I remember in middle school and elementary school wearing T-shirts and sweatpants every day. I also wasn’t super girly. I don’t remember at what point it kind of switched over to being interested in fashion, but I remember I was always creative. By the time I was in trade school and had my first internship was when I really started to seek interest in it. However, I don’t think it was just one moment that I realized I wanted to be apart of it. I think everything just built up to it.

As I got older and I got deeper and deeper into the industry, I was questioning whether or not I loved the industry anymore. I just remember sitting at one of my internships and saying,”, Why are we throwing shoes in the garbage? Why am I throwing clothes into a dumpster?” And that was the moment where I realized I couldn’t work in an industry like this my whole life. After doubting the industry I was working in for a little bit, the solution came to me by finding a way to combine my love for fashion with starting a non-profit.

Day-to-day every day is very different because we are an e-commerce store selling all donated designer merchandise. We’re not buyers so I don’t plan for my merchandise as what I get is what I get. I could wake up and get 30 boxes delivered to my office and I have no idea it was coming. I could get one box or not get merchandise for three weeks. It really depends on the day. I’m not much of a morning person so our work day starts at 10 o’clock. I don’t wake up and do yoga and have a matcha. I literally wake up, roll out of bed and get to the office. I answer my emails, I look at like our social media accounts, and I typically ship out orders. I could also be sitting in meetings all day brainstorming for collaborations. That’s pretty much everything, I guess. And then the next day could be totally different.

Oh, I’ve never had someone ask me that. It’s definitely impacted my life and I absolutely love what I do. It has brought me job opportunities and helped me create my personal brand. It’s definitely the reason why I am also a college professor at 28. It has also given me more clients to work with after being featured on The Today Show and Forbes.

You really need to set yourself apart in whatever kind of field you’re going into. There’s a lot of competition, especially in the fashion industry and PR industry. What is that thing that’s going to set you apart from other people? For me, I’ve always been a hard worker. I’ve always had a job. Like I said, I started at 16. I was an unpaid intern to start, but that kind of rolled into a lot more opportunities. So you need to put in the work. You need to set yourself apart just because you get an internship doesn’t mean you’re going to last in that internship. You need to be a good intern.

Okay, so I think the easiest way is to follow us on Instagram and support us on social media, even if you don’t buy anything or volunteer in an event. Shopping and telling your friends about us is also a great way to be involved. Don’t keep it a secret because the more people know about us, the more merchandise we sell, and the more kids were able to impact.

Definitely when Kelly Clarkson said that she loved my glasses and loved everything I was doing. I was just thinking,” What is happening?!” She’s an icon. I just can’t believe it happened. Rebecca Minkoff, as well. She was one of the very first people who supported our mission as a designer, and celebrity Paige Desorbo from Bravo who responded in 12 minutes after I had emailed her about about partnering with The Fashion Foundation. She’s been to schools with us, homeless shelters, and shes’s always donating from her closet for us. What’s amazing is that these celebrities are genuinely helping

So, September 15th, 2021 was when I was on the Kelly Clarkson show and they brought out Mayor Bill de Blasio, and he actually honored me and dedicated September 15, 2021 to be recognized as Amanda Munz Day in the City of New York. I don’t know. I really sometimes can’t believe it. Like, that’s my life and these are things that are now happening. The craziest thing is once once I recorded Kelly Clarkson, it didn’t air for another two weeks, so I wasn’t able to tell anybody what happened.

Here’s the thing, in college I was not comfortable in my own skin. I was always trying to impress people. You’re surrounded by a lot of competition and you’re trying to figure out who you are. Trust me, you will learn it. You might not learn it in college, but it will come to you.. I learned who I was after I started my business. If you’re in a job that you hate or you’re in a relationship that you hate,, take that as a win because you just learned about what you don’t like. Don’t stay in jobs too long that aren’t good for you. Don’t stay in relationships too long that aren’t good for you. I think that helps kind of alleviate the stress of what you’re searching for and really helps you feel more comfortable in your own skin. But figuring all that out comes with age and time. Don’t get like worked up right now, especially while you’re in college. A lot of things will be out of your control and you’re not alone. Learn how to figure out each day as it comes.

by: cate hudson | design: samantha fuss

Throwing on your headphones to walk to class or running on the treadmill is a great way to pass time, but the moment you’re on your bedroom floor screaming the lyrics to “Before He Cheats” is when music holds its greatest power. Music triggers emotion and heals trauma in special ways, bringing people together. The most life-shattering and identity-forming experiences happen during college, so here are the songs that got us through the good, the bad, and the confusing.

Potential by Danielle Bradbery Jealous by Labrinth Starring Role by Marina and the Diamonds Break My Heart Again by FINNEAS Self Control by Frank Ocean

Heartbreak hurts and the best way to cope can be drowning in the pain. If you need a pick me up, consider Beyonce’s new album and attempt to keep a positive mindset and stay distracted; but, when you need to scream into your pillow and cry your eyes out, these are the songs to queue up. Blast it in your car or on your bathroom floor, but most importantly make sure you drink some water after.

Family Line by Conan Gray Big Girls Don’t Cry by Fergie TV by Billie Eilish Hey Jude by The Beatles Charlie Boy by The Lumineers

When those you care about are on the rocks, they can also take you down with them. Fighting can be tasking on mental health as well as on finding motivation to do simple daily tasks. A great way to let out these feelings can be journaling or therapy. When you need to vent but can’t find the words yourself, here are some songs to fill in the gap.

Silhouette by Aquilo Jaded by Drake The Night We Met by Lord Huron Yellow Lights by Harry Hudson Talking to the Moon by Bruno Mars

Grieving the loss of a friend, family member, or loved one looks different for everyone. This is a feeling no one can explain but everyone experiences. Don’t be afraid to find comfort in the people who are present in your life. Here are some songs to feel a little less isolated in your own mind.

Camera Roll by Kasey Musgraves Find What You’re Looking For by Olivia O’Brien Starting Over by Niykee Heaton Evergreen (You Didn’t Deserve Me At All) by Omar Apollo We Find Love by Daniel Caesar

Is closure even real? Whether it is or isn’t, trying to find peace and understanding after any huge change in your life can be distracting and mind-consuming. Be kind to yourself even if it’s difficult to understand your circumstance. These songs are great for looking at the past with a judgemental but gentle eye.

Something in the Orange by Zach Bryan I Still Do by Why Don’t We Forever by Lewis Capaldi Those Eyes by New West K. by Cigarettes After Sex

No one will judge. But maybe turn off your friend activity if you’re listening to any of these songs on Spotify. It is normal to miss the past and grieve the loss of a constant in your life. Let yourself mourn it, but just remember you had a life without them once and you can have a life without them again. These songs will bring up old feelings while also reminding you why you didn’t need them in the first place.

by: jolie zenna | design: elizabeth wolf

Reflecting on past relationships can feel like opening the creepy attic door in a horror movie. You are scared to open it, but you have to see what has been haunting you. In this scenario, the ominous creatures beyond the door are the ghosts of our lovers in the past. Quite honestly, I don’t know what’s scarier; that, or a real ghost. It’s easy to shut the door and throw away the key, but are we really going to act as if every sort of relationship we’ve been through has not left some sort of lasting mark on us? Whether it was the month-long situationship that you just couldn’t shake off or the three-year relationship that forced you to grow up, each of our relationships has a lasting effect on us whether we like it or not. The first step in reflecting on the ghosts of lovers’ past is accepting that they are there. Everyone has ghosts and it’s totally normal and healthy. Whether it’s refusing to delete photos of your ex from your camera roll or replaying a song that reminds you of them, there’s a reason for it so let’s address it. People can have a hold over us, even after they are no longer a part of our lives and it’s a hard truth to face. We often have the tendency to romanticize things as we reminisce about them but to truly reflect on the time spent with your ex-partner, you have to remember the good and the bad, which I know is much easier said than done. Did they belittle you, make you feel unworthy? You can still carry those lingering feelings of unworthiness before realizing that it was a true reflection on them and not you. Did they cheat, make you lose faith in others, or feel not good enough? Again, you need to flush those feelings out by surrounding yourself with those who you know always have your back and make you feel good, whether that be a girls’ night in or some family time to get you back to your roots. Most importantly you need to open your eyes as every experience is a learning lesson. As soon as you see these same tendencies as your ex in another potential partner, RUN. Or maybe the ghosts you can’t shake are of what could have been, the thing that never truly blossomed into a relationship. Being in college there are many of those situations, unfortunately. Feeling on top of the world when they ask you to hang out, but ignoring the fact that it’s never in public nor sober. Some ghosts can feel like unfinished business and that is why they continue to follow us around and drag us down like an anchor. You deserve someone who wants you at all times of the day and wants to commit to you. Do not settle for something like this again if it doesn’t satisfy you (but also I get it we all have needs sometimes). In your heart you may feel that there was so much wasted potential when in reality you are hanging on to the spirit of someone that you put on a pedestal and created in your head. Now I get it, not all ghosts are bad. There may be that one exception of someone that the timing was off or you ended on great terms, but even then, it’s time to let go. We can use these ghosts to see things we want to see in our next relationship and other things that we want to leave in the past. Did you love the way this ex complimented you? Great, now know that you need words of affirmation with your future partners. Did you hate how another ex didn’t get along with your friends? Now you know you need someone who can hang. Once you’ve reflected and taken your lessons from each ghost it’s now time to perform the *metaphorical seance* to relieve yourself of them because let’s be real, it’s exhausting to waste energy on people in our past. These ghosts can only serve a purpose for so long. For your future’s sake, it’s time to let go of the ghosts of our past partners to move on to a healthy relationship.