WORCESTER, Mass. — Clark University seniors Hannah L. Martin, of Auburn, Maine, and Patricia DeCarvalho, of Worcester — both LEEP Fellows at Clark University — have refreshed and branded “The Fashion Cookbook,” a fashion and lifestyle blog featuring an image consulting service. The two presented their LEEP Project, “Launching and Branding a Small Business: The Fashion Cookbook,” at Clark’s annual Fall Fest academic showcase on Oct. 24.
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Martin, who majors in communication and culture, and DeCarvalho, who majors in management, were among 90 Clark students selected as LEEP Fellows. These students worked closely with faculty mentors as well as Clark alumni and organizational partners on projects of shared interest or leading edge research and analysis. The LEEP Projects span a wide range of academic studies and allow undergraduates to creatively solve problems and apply their knowledge in authentic workplace settings.
Martin started a blog, The Fashion Cookbook, when she was a junior at Edward Little High School. It began as a venue to document her developing personal style and be able to combine her two interests, cooking and fashion. During her senior year, she was invited to Teen Vogue’s Fashion University in Manhattan because of her blogging efforts. This spring, Martin brought DeCarvalho to another such gathering, Lucky magazine’s Fashion and Beauty Blogger Conference in Los Angeles, as the two were in the midst of rebranding the blog and incorporating their image consulting business.
With funding from Clark’s LEEP Program, the students were able to retain a graphic designer to redesign The Fashion Cookbook website. They also won third place, and $1,000, through an annual contest, Clark’s “U-reka: Big Idea Contest,” to put toward improving their product.
“We wanted to also take it a step further to make our blog seem more attainable in terms of the clothing we wear,” said Martin. The Fashion Cookbook website shares fashion and beauty “recipes” made up of “ingredients” that are a mix of expensive and lower-priced items.
DeCarvalho and Martin model regularly for the site; however, the two occasionally feature others on their blog. On Dec. 6, Martin featured the men in her family (brother Camden and father Paul) and descriptions of their personal style.
The Fashion Cookbook also promotes an image consulting service for the fashion-challenged. Packages vary from $250 for “special occasion” or “career styling” to $800 for a “total transformation.” Shari Worthington, the students’ mentor who is also an Entrepreneur-In-Residence in Clark’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Program, served as their first client and took advantage of the “developing your personal style” package to refresh her wardrobe.
The Fashion Cookbook is designed “to make fashion accessible and empowering to all.” The blog can be found at www.thefashioncookbook.com. It also has a presence on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Twitter and soon, YouTube.
Martin is a member of Clark’s class of 2015. She is currently enrolled in Clark’s accelerated B.A./Master’s program, where she is pursuing her degree in professional communications with a focus in marketing.
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