Crystal Lee

Introduced to fashion through social media, sophomore Crystal Lee began making her own fashion pieces in seventh grade and has significantly grown her fashion-based Instagram account @_elinamei. She has created a variety of remarkable outfits for Lynbrook’s Indesign Fashion Club ever since. 

To Lee, fashion is a means through which she can destress, especially after returning to school following quarantine. She is fascinated with learning about fashion history, various styles and issues within the fashion world, such as lack of sustainability and use of child labor.

“With fashion, there’s so much to explore and to unpack, so it never feels like you’re running out of material or stagnated,” Lee said.

Lee started her fashion social media account last year and posts both her own projects and fashion inspiration outfits. Her account not only showcases pieces she makes for herself, but pushes for sustainability, encouraging thrifting and upcycling by posting thrift hauls and numerous handmade dresses and tops.

“When you make your own clothing, you wear it with more love and take better care of it, because of how much hard work you put into creating the piece,” Lee said.

In the future, Lee hopes to continue expanding her social media account by posting more consistently and interacting more with followers, putting aside time for fashion each day. She views fashion as a powerful outlet for self-expression and an opportunity for her to constantly grow as a designer.

“I keep going because I still think I have a long way to grow as a person within the fashion world,” Lee said. “If I start something, I’m going to continue until I can master it, and each project I get better at motivates me to do the next project.”