THE 'CAT COLLECTIVE: ALUMNI RELATIONS
With Wildcat Welcome up and running, we're trying something new. Welcome to the 'Cat Collective, a compilation of STITCH's quintessential NU articles. Fear not, baby wildcats, we've got you covered--from Chicago's best brunch spots to inter-cat marriage. Next on the roster, alumni relations.
Originally Published in the 2016 Anniversary Issue by Rachel Lefferts.
What better way to celebrate STITCH’s 10th anniversary than catching up with some of its integral past members? No matter which positions they held on staff or which careers they pursued after graduation, these STITCH alumni all made significant contributions to the evolution of the magazine and share fond memories of their experiences. Pursuing fashion journalism or not, they each cite STITCH as an integral component of their career and personal development. Considering the success they have achieved post-STITCH, it is safe to say these alumni have made the magazine (and its readers) proud.
1. ALYSSA CLOUGH (class of 2014)
Former Editor-in-Chief Alyssa Clough may currently serve as the Assistant Digital and Social Media Editor at Domino magazine, but printing the largest issue of STITCH remains one of her proudest accomplishments. From her time on staff, Clough learned what it takes to conceptualize, create and run both a website and print publication, skills she has applied to her role at Domino and previously as the Assistant Editor at MIMI, a beauty startup within Time Inc.! Admitting that the “STITCH staff continues to blow [her] away,” Clough claims that the complete trust and faith she invested in the team has inspired her to seek out equally amazing, hardworking and creative people beyond the collegiate level. As for her advice for Northwestern students hoping to pursue careers in fashion? Clough said it’s all about believing in the path you are on. “If you continually put out your resume, network, and really put yourself and your work out there, you’re going to connect with someone who gets you and your writing, styling, or designs,” Clough said. “Once you land that perfect, or even not so ideal opportunity, take advantage of it and make sure you’re learning all you can.”
2. JESSICA KANE (class of 2013)
Current lifestyle editor Jessica Kane, the The Huffington Post’s expert on” all things Taste, Style, Home, Travel, Healthy Living, Weddings and Divorce,” made her editorial debut as the Design Editor of STITCH. Though one of her favorite STITCH moments-- modeling in a shoot with her friend and eventual Editor-in-Chief Nadina Gerlach-- occurred prior to her time on staff, Kane honed her passion for graphics and multimedia as Design Editor, even crediting her skills in these areas as one of the reasons she landed her current job. In her work on the distributed content side of The Huffington Post, Kane strives to maximize the number of eyes that sees its content through social platforms, newsletters and partners’ sites. When she’s not contributing to The Huffington Post, this New York City foodie is “on a hunt to eat anything and everything delicious” she sees on Instagram, which comes as no surprise upon following her mouthwatering food Instagram account, @jessicankane. She encourages those interested in pursuing careers in fashion to “meet as many people in the industry as possible and ask them what they wish they could tell themselves if they were to start over.”
3. JOYCE LEE (class of 2010)
Though she did not pursue a career fashion, co-founder and former Editor-in-Chief of STITCH Joyce Lee continues to value the importance of surrounding herself with inspiring people, a lesson she learned while on staff. A decade later, Lee lives in London, England, where she does investigations at FTI Consulting. Hoping to “break down the cardboard walls that encase campus fashion,” Lee set forth a vision in her editor’s letter of STITCH’s first issue that persists to this day: to “inspire all of you not to conform nor to compete, but to create.” Reflecting this passion for creativity, Lee expressed an affinity for STITCH’s photo shoots,“from the papier mâché flowers we put on the models at Lincoln Park Conservatory to the projection screen we set up in a forbidden, unnamed part of Northwestern's campus.”
4. CHRISTOPHER ADAMSON (class of 2010)
Chris Adamson, co-founder of STITCH, worked side-by-side with Joyce Lee to lay the aesthetic groundwork for the magazine. As Creative Director, he did everything from design the print magazine and edit copy to brainstorm concepts for and direct photoshoots. Post-STITCH, Adamson pursued his MFA in creative writing from Vanderbilt University and currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he teaches college literature and writes essays and poems. Although he has left the realm of fashion journalism for more literary forms of writing-- he has a forthcoming piece creative nonfiction in the Southwest Review and is working on a book of essays-- Adamson retains an appreciation for the “energy and strange beauty” that fashion magazines like STITCH can unleash. From the “exhilaration of the first photoshoot” and staying up late “bickering and laughing over layout designs or shoot concepts” to watching the “perfectly surprised looks on [people’s] faces when they started flipping through” the latest issue, Adamson reminisces on STITCH with palpable pride, his feeling of “brilliant accomplishment” as strong know as it was 10 years ago. Although he now channels the creativity he applied to STITCH photoshoots into words, he sees a connection between forms of artistic expression and believes that the lessons he learned while on STITCH are useful for any life or career. “I try to embody that STITCH spirit all the time in my work,” Adamson said.
5. NATHAN ADDKISON (class of 2010)
When Nathan Adkisson co-founded STITCH 10 years ago, he noticed that many Northwestern students were interested in fashion and photography but did not have a platform on which to pursue these interests. “When we started STITCH, not only did we not know what we were doing, we didn’t know what we didn’t know,” Adkisson said. “What kept us going was we loved working together, we enjoyed the ride and we saw all the mistakes as a learning experience.” For Adkisson, everything from the 3 a.m. editorial meetings in the basement of Willard to the walks to Norris to deposit checks from advertisers served to confirm the value of the ideas the STITCH staff was capable of generating. As the current director of strategy at Local Projects, a design firm in New York that creates exhibitions and installations for museums, Adkisson has applied the same passion and willingness to experiment that allowed him and his co-founders to launch STITCH. Though impressed by the interesting and unexpected career pursuits of his Northwestern peers, Adkisson acknowledges the inevitable drifting-- both geographic and existential-- that early twenty-somethings will inevitably experience. “Embrace that, work hard and follow your heart,” Adkisson said. “It will all work out, but just don’t expect it to be perfect immediately.”
6. SIERRA TISHGART (class of 2012)
Before landing her current role as senior editor at New York Magazine, Sierra Tishgart served as senior editor of STITCH. While on staff, she edited content and wrote several stories, from a political piece about women across the world fighting for the right to wear pants to a more light-hearted “Last Word” on drawing style inspiration from fictional television characters. Tishgart thanks STITCH for providing her with “on-the-ground experience writing, editing, and producing a magazine,” and even used her STITCH writing samples in her application to TeenVogue.com, where she worked as the features editor. Though she acknowledges the value of her experience on STITCH, she encourages aspiring fashion journalists to “intern, intern, intern” and to take advantage of the STITCH alumni community. During her time at Northwestern, Tishgart did not hesitate to step out into the real world, covering Chicago fashion news for Refinery29 and interning at Vogue, Elle, Teen Vogue and Rolling Stone during her college summers. In addition to editing New York Magazine’s food-related content as the publication’s senior editor, Tishgart also writes for magazines like Elle and Cherry Bombe, hosts a podcast and interviews chefs for CBS.