By Emily Guajardo | Contributor
Buttoned Bears brings high-end student fashionistas and writers together to discuss the latest trends in the modern world of fashion — or at least in and around Waco.
Buttoned Bears, an online publication platform focusing on fashion, decor and lifestyle, has allowed style enthusiasts to write and feature some of their favorite outfits, thrifting finds and style icons, as well as provide the latest news on what’s walking on the runway today.
While their website reads “Waco’s premium source for fashion and lifestyle,” Buttoned Bears is predominantly student operated and focused on the who, what and more importantly, the wear.
Fort Worth junior Avery Owens said she first began writing for Buttoned Bears because of the freedom it provided students interested in writing about fashion, clothing and unique Waco-inspired stories.
“What made me want to [write for Buttoned Bears] is because there is no one source for fashion in Waco,” Owens said. “We write about what’s trending, people’s creative style choices and small boutiques around Waco and that’s what I want to do.”
Started in 2014, Buttoned Bears has grown from a blogging website with a couple of beginning writers to a team of 16 weekly contributors homed-in on their artistic craft. Gaining momentum through their sleek website featuring reoccurring series like “So Hot Right Now,” which features selected student fashion gurus among the Waco community, and Businesses, which highlights entrepreneurial boutiques, Buttoned Bears is blazing through with fresh content and updates on the new glamorous looks from across the nation.
Serving as head writer this year, Owens said she one day would like to work for a magazine like Vogue and hopes to gain some experience on pitching ideas, writing on deadline and finding her voice within her writing.
“One of my favorite articles was when I wrote about international fashion,” Owens said. “I interviewed a couple of international students interested in fashion at Baylor. It really just made me think about how materialistic American fashion is and how we just wear things one or two times, and then throw it away. It really made me appreciate international fashion and how others see use their fashion sense.”
Buttoned Bears also believes in its philanthropic efforts and provides a space for small boutiques and local designers to showcase their work. Known to bring some classic thrifting businesses like Second Time’s the Charm and local embroiderers, their annual “Buttoned Pop-Up Shop” allows for attendees to see some rare finds Waco has to offer.
Jakarta, Indonesia, junior and Editor-in-Chief Carissa Setiawan said she hopes events like the pop-up will bring a new awareness and increase their presence among the Waco community.
“Other than the basic stuff, I’m really trying to think of ways we can grow our presence on campus and in the community,” Setiawan said. “Our pop-up is just a great way and one of our main events for our presence, but also allows for businesses to show off their stuff.”
Wanting to continue to grow as a more reputable platform, Setiawan said she hopes to grow other aspects of the publication, specifically the lifestyle portions of their website.
“I just feel like we have been really heavy on fashion, and that’s great, but I think we need to be more consistent on our lifestyle and showcasing those aspects as well,” Setiawan said. “We have so much more to write about and I don’t want to be heavy on just one aspect.”
With their next pop-up event scheduled for Nov. 2 at Pinewood Coffee Bar, the staff is excited to see new faces and potential readers.
Hoping to make headlines and turn heads, the architects of Buttoned Bears are already cranking up their daily feed with the confidence to return mightier — and trendier — than ever before.
