The Rage Magazine celebrated its sixth issue with Ragefest: a fashion runway, presenting eight collections at Worn Again Thrift in Bellingham, Washington, on Jan. 30. Doors opened at 8 p.m., and seats were first come, first served; free Red Bull was provided for all attendees. By 9 p.m., the building was at full capacity.
This was the first fashion show that The Rage has produced. Peter DeMonte, the magazine’s creative director, said it took three months to prepare the event.
“This is the first time we’ve ever done a fashion show; there’s not a lot of those in Bellingham, either,” said DeMonte. “Our goal with this was really to create more creative experiences and more of a creative community in Bellingham.”
Once doors opened, attendees filed in, already having bought tickets for the event online. Before the show started, The Rage had a sellout on its hands; attendees who were late still lined up to stand and watch the show.
Before the models walked the runway, The Rage’s editor-in-chief Anijah Polo joined DeMonte in speaking to attendees, giving them an idea of what they could expect.
Also joining them was Worn Again store manager Natalie Mote, who noted that the store celebrated its fifth anniversary at the beginning of January. Mote complimented the people in the audience for their personal style.
“Personal style is about yourself, it’s about being who you are,” Mote said. “It doesn’t mean you have to be lavishly dressed, it doesn’t mean you’re the fashion icon, it means you’re dressed in a way that makes you feel more like yourself.”
Mote expanded on this sentiment later, saying that if there was one message coming out of this event, they would want it to be “speak your truth.” Once the introductions were through, as Mote would put it, it was time to “let the inspiration walk the runway.”
Made up of Worn Again clothing, the first collection was “created with intention” according to Mote. Some of the pieces date back as far as 100 years.
The more models that walked the runway, the louder the reactions in the building were, culminating in a collection made by Rage Magazine staff using looks found in their most recent issue, “Human Nature.” The show concluded with the models walking out together, each one getting another chance to strike a pose before walking to the back.
As Rage staff began taking down equipment, attendees stuck around to make conversation with new faces, having been encouraged to do so by Mote at the close of the show. Two of those in attendance who stayed were Georgi Ondo and Hadley McCulloch.
Ondo’s favorite part of the show wasn’t one model, outfit or performance, but the show as a whole.
“Dare I say all of it? There was so much hype the whole time, and it made it very enjoyable,” Ondo said. “It was something new, so I was on my toes.”
McCulloch’s favorite performance of the night was Tylar Nansel, who dressed up in black and white clothing, donning a white rabbit mask. Both said this was their first fashion show, and when asked if they’d consider going to another, they didn’t hesitate to say yes.
Nidori Walker, The Rage’s director of photography, was very proud of her team and what they were able to accomplish, attributing the show’s success to how easy everyone was to work with.
Walker’s favorite part of the show came at the very end, when Macy Oliver walked the runway, donning the same outfit Walker took photos of Oliver wearing for the most recent issue of The Rage.
After putting together a successful event, The Rage now looks forward to putting together more fashion shows in the future. For more information about The Rage, visit its Instagram.
Chance Loewi (he/him) is a reporter for The Front’s campus life beat. He is a third-year news and editorial journalism major. In his free time, you can find him playing basketball or ping pong with his friends.
