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The University of Edinburgh fashion society would be nothing without its president, Mackenzie Edwards.
Mackenzie has been part of the society for the last couple of years but having only joined the committee this year, I thought it would be good for me to meet her, learn a bit more about her, and what her plans are for the society this year.
We met early one Friday morning, and when I suggested that she meet me (and Shagun, *vice president and in-house photographer)* somewhere she feels comfortable in Edinburgh, I was surprised that she took us to a local coffee shop, instead of her flat.

Lily: So, how come you brought us to Beatnik?

Mackenzie: Beatnik is just one of my favourite places in the city. I think I’ve been coming here since it opened, so that would've been my second year, and I just … Well, I love the coffee first of all, I’m a coffee addict, as we’ve discussed. The coffee is really good here and I love the interior, I love the vibe. Sometimes they're playing Tyler the Creator at 8 in the morning and you just want to die, but apart from that *laughing* … But seriously, I just think it’s one of the best coffee shops in Edinburgh and I've had a lot of good experiences in it. I had my first date there with my boyfriend, and I've met so many friends there for the first time and stuff and, yeah, I just love it. The branding is also so cool and everyone dresses really well.

Lily: What do you think about it being laptop free? What do you guys think about laptop-free cafes in general?

Shagun: I think it makes it more intentional, sorry to crash your interview.

Mackenzie: No, no I agree. Yeah, I think it's nice to have a space excluded from work, cos I think we live in a city where the students take over. Like, half the population is students, I think, so you go anywhere in the city and you can find a student. Whereas it kind of makes you separate the student bit from, like, life. And it's nice and it means that you don't get laptops and people working there for hours and instead people come in and there’s chat.

Shagun: I think the same thing, it's just exclusively for meeting and, like, meeting people. It's, like, actually hanging out with the person rather than being on your laptop.

Mackenzie: Yeah, they did it very intentionally.

Shagun: I feel like when you go there it's very intentional that you're having your coffee and just chilling and having that time away from your screen. Cos, I remember when I went there with my boyfriend, we were just doing a crossword which was very nice and very wholesome cos we couldn’t take our laptops out and start working.

Mackenzie: And I think the owner was there one time and he seemed like a really nice guy and he was just chatting away and I feel like you could tell from his vibe that that's how he wanted it to be and everyone that they hire curates it a little bit, I think.

Shagun: And, I think that the music they play there is so nice, like, I don't think I’ve ever not enjoyed the music there.

Mackenzie: It's like, yeah, I just love it.

Lily: So, what are you wearing today, talk me through your outfit.
Mackenzie: So, erm, well I wanted to be comfy cos normally I’d wear a skirt and get 2 seconds out of the door and feel cold. So, I have vintage Calvin Klein trousers on. They’re black and kind of a suit material, they're slightly flared at the bottom, and they have a low to mid rise. And then I’m wearing little red, patent mary-janes.
Lily: Where are they from, by the way?
Mackenzie: They’re from Office.
Lily: Nice.
Mackenzie: Because, I got them around this time last year and it took me maybe 3 weeks to break them in. My feet bled, for the first 2 wears.
Lily: Oof, that’s what I was going to ask, if they were comfy.
Mackenzie: Yeah, but what I did… My mistake, and why they bled, is that I walked 20,000 steps in them. But they are really comfy now. You can wear them with socks or without and, erm, your feet do get cold, like, my feet are freezing now *laughing*. They are really cute but they scuff quite easily. So, then I’m wearing a Uniqlo top, a Uniqlo long sleeve, white top, for warmth, which I just bought. I walked in and was like “I don't think I can pay £20 for a white top” and then I was just like “I can do it”, because I needed one. And then I have an Arpenteur canvas jacket on. I got this because my brother worked in a store called Dick’s in Edinburgh. I would go in quite a lot and admire the clothes cos it was expensive, it's really well made but, like, the price point is out of a student range. So, I went in a couple of times and I always saw this brand and this jacket and I just love it and, erm, I think it was for my birthday, he got a discount so then we worked it out. I wore it constantly last year, like, with everything. It is just such a good thing to layer.
Lily: I love the patches on the elbows
Mackenzie: Aren’t they so cool? Yeah, it's just basically like a blue canvas jacket I’d say, it's slightly baggy fit, but sits really well. But yeah, patches on the elbows are great. I’m wearing that and then I’m wearing a big, fuck off, leather jacket *laughing* from the brand Clint’s. I bought it off of my friend who was in fourth year last year and she was moving to London so she had a big closet sale, and honestly the girl has some of the best style I’ve ever seen. She has a collection of Tabis, and I love them and yeah, I'm very jealous of her collection. She was having a closet sale, and it was so well done for a student. She put the jacket online and I was like “I want it please, I’ll take it.” The thing is, there's elastic within the sleeves, and you have to bunch it up so, I’m 5 foot 10 and sometimes it still doesn't fit me, but it is a really good piece, just a staple.

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Lily: This leads us on nicely to: What is your favourite item in your wardrobe, and why?

Mackenzie: See this is a difficult one, cos I have so many clothes and, like, when I buy them, they are my favourite piece. But I think, either, my Ganni, the only thing I have from Ganni is this checked oversized shirt.

Lily: Is it one of the tie-shirts?

Mackenzie: No not one of those, it is just a shirt. I got the large because I wanted the oversized fit, and it has a little pocket on the chest with a bow, and it's just really dainty but like timeless, and so I would say that, that was like an insane purchase and I love it. Or … and this is just more cos it has meaning for me: It was, like, my first trip away when I was, like, an adult and I went to London, and went to the Vivienne Westwood store in Chelsea, called ‘Worlds End’ which is the original store. Mainly because I just wanted to see it and we went in, just before it closed, and we were chatting to the people in there and I was looking around and she has the classic, like, tits on a t shirt, back when it was named Sex, so I bought a white t shirt with the blue detailing of the boobs, so that probably. But, the wash instructions on it are so specific cos you can’t put it in a machine cos its hand done, I think, and they use natural dyes. There were purple ones as well, but I was too scared, cos it's harder to wear and I would definitely put it in with whites or something. But yeah, one of those two.

Lily: What experience do you have with fashion, either professionally or personally?

Mackenzie: So, I think. Nothing professional, hopefully professional in the future, erm, but I’ve always been interested in fashion from a young age, and I think being in this society has been amazing, just to explore all of it, but I’m trying to do as much as I can to be involved with the fashion world, whether it’s watching the shows from London, Paris or Copenhagen fashion week, and trying to keep up-to-date with everything. I think, erm, I’m trying to get more experience within it before I start applying for jobs. Genuinely, I just have a good old genuine interest in it, and obviously being in the society has helped a lot cos I’ve been in it since my second year. Oh, I can’t believe I forgot, but I did a course at the Conde Nast school, where I went and stayed in London and did a short course, which definitely helped more with connections and networking and just firmed that I have a real drive to be in the industry.

Lily: What do you think started your interest in fashion? I know you said your brother worked in fashion as well?

Mackenzie: I would like to say he exposed me to more, but I don’t think he started it, I think it was more just self-expression. For sure, I think the best part about fashion is that you can dress to show who you are without actually using any words, so I think that initially when I was like 16 is when I started leaning into it. I’d always liked it, but I’d felt overwhelmed by the thought of fashion in general, and this huge industry, and where do you start when you don’t know your own personal style, and then when I started leaning into it more, I found it freeing. It's just such a nice feeling to be able to put on clothes that represent you. And then through that, learning more about the way that it is for different groups of people. Like queer voices: my flatmate is part of the LGBTQ+ community so I learn a lot from them about certain ways in which dressing throughout history has been represented within the queer community. I think it’s, I don’t know … people can dumb down fashion to the current trends, or micro trends, but it's actually such an interesting field, constantly always something going on, always stuff changing, happening, yeah. It's just so interesting.

Lily: What is your role on the committee? And how do you think your previous experience will help you in your role this year?

A: So, I'm president *laughs* I think that this year I have a huge vision for the society. I am just excited to be part of something like this in such a big way that I can make change. Like, obviously my interest in the fashion industry is huge, and I just want to reflect that within the society. I think that we have a platform, an amazing following, to be able to really involve Edinburgh uni within it, and sort of change the society for the better. I’m really focussed on doing a lot more with our members and with what we have within the uni. So, first of all we’re starting with social media. I love social media like everybody else, so it's about creating an image and a brand for the society, that reflects everyone within it, and that people want to join and want to feel included in, so that to me was the first big thing. And then, moving on from that, the fashion show. Our fashion show at the end of the year, I'm just so excited to do, last year was such a big success. We raised £1000 for Save the Children UK, specifically for the West Bank and Gaza, so that was just amazing. I think to be heading something as impactful as that with, like, the experience of last year, but to be able to put my own input into it with sustainability, and set design, and everything. I think it's going to be really fun.

Lily: So that actually leads on really well to the final question which is: what are you most excited about with Fashion Society this year?

A: I feel like I need to say fashion show now. But, the fashion show definitely. It’s our biggest event of the year, and I think it’s the one that gets people the most excited. It’s for a good cause, it’s an amazing night, it just brings together everything that the society is about: sustainability, having fun, self-expression, just having a good group of people to be around. And, so I would say that, but I won’t say much about that, cos we’re going to release more information about charity and location later. If I was going to pick something else, it would have to be our charity cocktail night at the end of this semester. It’s ‘Sex And The City’ themed, and it will be in aid of a sexual health and reproductive rights charity. So, I’m super excited about that one, its super topical and I think that a lot of light has been shed on it at the moment and its going to be, not as big as our fashion show, but it’s definitely going to be a big thing, a big, fun event, in partnership with Femsoc: feminist society, which we’re really excited about! So, keep an eye out for that. It’s going to be great

Lily: Thank you so much! *laughing*.

Mackenzie: No, thank you *laughing*.

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