Auburn student shows off Birmingham style in Vogue feature

As the United States approaches its 250th birthday next month, American fashion and lifestyle magazine Vogue asked the question: What defines American style now? To answer the question, Vogue tasked writer Biz Sherbert with finding 50 young people across the country who best represent modern American style—and found one of them right here in Birmingham.

We caught up with Birmingham fashionista Chelsi Banks to learn more about her recent feature in Vogue.

Birmingham native + Auburn student Chelsi Banks featured in Vogue

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In March, Vogue opened applications to American Style x Vogue, a forthcoming project that scoured the country looking for the most stylish young Americans in every state. Based on the submissions (which included photos, a short video and answers to four brief questions) writer Biz Sherbert identified 50 young persons who best represented modern American style—and that’s not all.

Of the 50 young people surveyed, only two were selected to meet face-to-face with Sherbert: Owen Peters of Shakopee, Minnesota and Chelsi Banks of Birmingham, Alabama.

“Biz told me she liked how different and individual my style was compared to everyone else, but I don’t fully know what made me stand out—I’m honestly still wondering. I do think it has a lot to do with my inspirations and how I let them show up in my style. A lot of my inspiration comes from the 1960s; I don’t think that look is as popular right now, so I think that helped set me apart.”

Chelsi Banks

Meet Chelsi Banks

Born and raised in Birmingham, Chelsi Banks has always had a passion for fashion. In the opening of her Vogue feature, “Chelsi Banks Is Alabama Born, Fashion Twitter Raised,” Sherbert shares that Banks staged an “Instagram coup” of several modeling-related group chats—all at the age of 13.

For Banks—now a rising Junior at Auburn University—the feature in Vogue is a major milestone in her blossoming fashion career.

“It feels amazing and really validating, because I’ve been so into fashion for so long. Being recognized at this level feels surreal, and I’m so grateful for it.

When you study fashion, people often say, ‘What are you going to do with that? You don’t know if you’ll be successful; it’s hard to get your foot in the door.’ Being featured in Vogue feels like a leg up, and I want to use that momentum to move forward in the industry.”

Chelsi Banks

According to Banks, the authenticity that caught Vogue’s attention was forged by her experience growing up in Birmingham.

“Growing up in Birmingham has been really integral to my style, because what I wore was so different from the majority. That motivated me to keep dressing the way I did—I liked how different it was, and I enjoyed the reaction I’d get at school when I showed up in outfits people didn’t expect. If I’d grown up in a big city, I don’t think I would’ve had that same feeling, because more people would probably dress like that—what my style is today is almost entirely because I grew up in Alabama and had to figure it out completely on my own.”

Chelsi Banks

What’s next for Chelsi Banks?

Since the article’s publication on Monday, June 8, Banks has recieved praise and commendation from her classmates and peers at SWATCH, the official fashion and lifestyle publication created by the Apparel Merchandising & Design Association (AMDA) at Auburn.

“My dream is to have a career writing for magazines, so the feature in Vogue feels almost like something I manifested. I’m the managing editor of SWATCH this year, so I want focus on making it the best magazine it can be and connect it more with the wider Auburn community.

Right now, most of our readers and contributors are fashion majors, but plenty of students—like engineering majors—might not even know it exists. I want to reach them and get them involved, because fashion is for everybody.”

Chelsi Banks

So how does one of Vogue’s chosen representatives of modern American style define it?

“I would define American style as very individual to the person. America is so large and has so many different regions that you can even boil it down to different towns having distinct styles. For example, in Birmingham and much of the South, people dress very casually, with a lot of athleisure. In somewhere like Seattle, the style is more jeans, a T-shirt, and Converse. Overall, I’d say American style is very casual and laid-back.”

Chelsi Banks

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