As of 2021, Free daily press Opinion columnist Sujena Soumyanath has written War Me This, a column that explores trends related to fashion, style and social politics. Sustainability, cultural appropriation and fashion activism are just some of the goals she aims for. It’s not hard to connect fashion with political consciousness, she says—in fact, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to avoid.
In June, the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) named international affairs chair Soumyanath (Pardee’25) a finalist for the Mark of Excellence for her column. The SPJ Awards honor the “best in student journalism” at the collegiate level and Soumyanath is placed in the Art/Fashion Journalism category.
BU Today caught up with Soumyanath about the origins of War Me This, its future, and how a new generation is using fashion as a space for social change.
P&or
Sujena Soumyanath
BU today: Congratulations on being named a Mark of Excellence finalist. How did you react when you found out?
Sujena Soumyanath: I didn’t even know I had been submitted for the award, so I was totally surprised. One of [Free Press] The board members messaged me on Slack one day, saying, ‘I put you up for this SPJ award… and you’re a finalist.’ It’s really cool; I am really grateful for Free Press for helping me do this and for nominating my work.
BU today: “War Me This” has such a strong sense of time. What is the connection between your degree and what you write?
Sujena Soumyanath: Originally, I wanted to write a column about social and political issues, but then I began to think that this could become an echo chamber, especially in a place like BU – it’s just preaching to the choir. Then I thought, okay, let me just write about fashion then, because that’s something I care about. As I began to write about the trends I noticed, I began to notice that they were connected to political issues that I cared about. The connection between the two happened very organically.
BU today: Why use style and fashion as a lens to see the world?
Sujena Soumyanath: In a way, I feel like fashion works outside of the way we’re told to act, or talk, or consume things. I think sometimes the fashion industry can bring out the worst in society because it’s seen as so superficial that people don’t feel the need to enforce a rigorous set of ethics. But I think it’s actually good that fashion is a space so much outside the norm, or outside of where the politically correct or ethical things happen, because then it allows us to comment on it.
BU today: Can you give an example of a time when fashion challenged our code of ethics?
Sujena Soumyanath: I think a good example would be the Y2K fashion comeback: early 2000s trends like low-rise jeans and tiny mini tops and things like that. She applies this idea that lean bodies are more desirable, albeit in [present] society, we’ve come to this idea that certain body types shouldn’t be “trendy”.
BU today: What about on a larger scale? What are the biggest issues facing the fashion industry?
Sujena Soumyanath: I think one of the biggest issues is elitism, and I think that’s the umbrella over all the other issues…. There is a mechanism that makes it so that the richest and most elite fashion people – and their designs and their views on trends – are supported, or what we perceive as the norm. This makes things unattainable, even if we are trying to be more inclusive in other ways.
BU today: Speaking of accessibility, there’s an interesting balance of high fashion and street style in your column. What are some elements that unite the two ends of the spectrum?
Sujena Soumyanath: I think, more than ever, people are realizing that fashion can’t be isolated from what’s going on in the world. Whether it’s a designer making a new collection or just someone on the street who’s really into fashion, I think both should be in harmony with the world. More and more, there is this pressure to make what you wear reflect your political beliefs. I don’t know if that’s necessarily good or bad, but I’d say it’s something that brings fashion together on both sides of the spectrum.
BU today: And who are some of your personal style icons?
Sujena Soumyanath: I really like Jean Paul Gaultier; His designs are so weird and quirky… I don’t even think of them as elegant or stylish, but I really admire his strong sense of self. I also really like Iris van Herpen, how her designs push your idea of what fabric can do—it’s kind of like an optical illusion. Outside of high fashion, I really like it [YouTuber] Emma Chamberlain. Her style has evolved a lot, but is still very accessible. She’s actually working with Louis Vuitton now, but she still maintains a really approachable vibe.
BU today: Will we see more War Me This features in the future?
Sujena Soumyanath: I don’t know – I’m really interested in doing more reporting now. But I can’t deny that writing the column was so enjoyable for me…. Fashion is simply endlessly inspiring; there’s always someone or something to be inspired by, and that’s what I love about it. So we’ll see. It’s always there for me to come back to, but it might be time to pursue new horizons with my writing. Really, I think I just want experience.
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