Founded in 2019, A-Line Magazine is the first student-run fashion editorial and website created by Aggies for Aggies. The professional organization has issued six magazines since its start and continues to grow in size, audience and recognition.
A-Line president and marketing junior Mary Trantham discovered A-Line after receiving a mass email from the organization. Trantham said the organization checked off all of her boxes when looking for a group that centered around her passions.
“The email listed off photography, writing, social media— all these things I’m so passionate about,” Trantham said. “I knew this was going to be something I loved instantly. I felt at home after experiencing the positive, creative energy.”
Over 50 Aggies make up the different teams responsible for magazine content and online articles. A-Line’s team structure creates lateral communication between various team members and the executive board, a group comprised of different team heads according to their website. Trantham said the organization emphasizes the importance of creating a relaxed environment where members can work together on content of their choice.
“For one online article, we’re going to have a writer, a photographer, videographer and social media team member,” Trantham said. “Members sign up to work on different article content, so you’re always changing up team members of your online article team. Most people report to their own team heads, but we always want it to feel like you can come talk to [any executive].”
A-Line’s primary mission is to excel beyond social norms, Trantham said, with content featuring the latest fashion trends, as well as subjects that branch from typical discussions heard on campus. Editor-in-chief and international studies senior Gretchen Evans depicted this as something that separates A-Line from other media outlets at Texas A&M.
“I’d say that our target audience would be people interested in fashion-forward and more liberal topics,” Evans said. “While we are a conservative campus, A-Line allows people a space to understand a different perspective than what we’re used to.”
A-Line is a unique opportunity for students involved to develop personally and professionally, photography chief and marketing senior Abbi Roane said.
“In the beginning, we were trying to find talent and photographers,” Roane said. “Now, we have that, a really passionate group of photographers perfecting their skills and trying to be unique with their work. It’s been a fun transition to see how much my photography team has improved.”
The organization’s growth has attracted many more students to apply and Roane said the most important traits of a competitive applicant are passion and the desire to improve.
“We expect you to put in time,” Roane said. “We expect that this is something you love to do and may be something you want to do in the future. A-Line is something we are all very passionate about because we want to make it the best it can be.”
With A-Line’s continuous growth come goals that aim high. Design chief and mechanical engineering senior Madelyn Okruhlik said she’d like to distribute more print issues to their increasing audience.
“In the past we were a smaller organization, but now we are growing,” Okruhlik said. “We are growing in our social media audience and campus awareness. I’d love to see more wide-scale sales and distribution of our print issues. As we are growing, I’d also like to have more than one print issue a semester.”
To view A-Line’s previous print issues, visit their website.
