By Aleen Crispino, Special Writer
“One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight …” As Quaker Bridge Mall shoppers crisscross the mall searching for bargains, inside the windowless mall conference room, Emily Schiel, 17, and Amy Soucek, 16, perform runway choreography as a boom box blasts out “Supermassive Black Hole” by the group Muse.
“We think this song is really cool and we think Delia’s is really cool,” says Ms. Schiel, explaining why they matched the song from the popular movie “Twilight” to fashions from the mall store that caters to teens and young women. Ms. Schiel and Ms. Soucek are planning the music and choreography they will use while modeling clothes from Delia’s in the mall’s center court April 18 for the Spring Fashion Show, sponsored by WPST 94.5 and planned and executed by Quaker Bridge Mall’s newly formed Teen Board.
The 2009 Teen Board is made up of 17 girls and one boy ages 13 to 18 from public and private schools in Ewing, Lawrence, Princeton, Trenton, Hamilton, West Windsor and Robbinsville. They are the first group to volunteer to participate in what Quaker Bridge Mall marketing director Marian Ibarra Kapp hopes will be a continuing program for teens to experience the worlds of fashion, public relations and marketing through a 12-month series of meetings, events and community service projects.
“The mall is not just a place to shop,” says Ms. Kapp, “it’s experiential.” She had heard of teen boards at other malls managed by Kravco Simon Co., such as Oxford Valley, Lehigh Valley and Montgomery malls in Pennsylvania, and when she began as marketing director a year ago, she reached out to Steven Weisz, president of Rainbow Promotions, a special events company in Drexel Hill, Pa., who is responsible for running the other teen boards.
Mr. Weisz, like the teens he coaches with enthusiasm and gentle humor, is involved in a multitude of activities, including teaching social psychology at Widener University. He says, while “the fashion shows are a hook,” teens have the opportunity to learn a variety of skills, both from guest speakers and by working with teens from different schools.
“They have to present within a group,” he says, and also learn both leadership skills and how to come to a consensus, “a tough thing, but it’s a critical skill.”
Letters were sent last fall to principals and guidance counselors. Students applied in November and were chosen after an interview. They began meeting in January.
“I looked for something they can contribute to the group and something they can get from the group,” says Mr. Weisz. While “first years are usually rocky, everyone’s getting along really well,” he reports. “Some of them form friendships outside of Teen Board.” They can apply to return next year, and “those who repeat are expected to be in a mentoring role,” he says.
A time commitment of four-to-six hours per month is required. In addition to the Spring Fashion Show, Teen Board members help with Easter Bunny photos as well as planning a food drive to aid local area food banks and a Fall fashion show.
At their March meeting, students broke up into three groups to practice their routines to overlapping theme music, pausing often to discuss their choices. They reported a variety of reasons for volunteering. Some hope to learn skills to prepare for future careers.
Aisha Lopez, 17, of Fountayne Lane, a Notre Dame High School senior smartly attired in black blouse and leggings and flowing, lemon yellow vest, has applied to the Fashion Institute of Technology. “I’ve taken their classes before and I want to major in fashion design,” she says.
Ruchi Vora, 17, of Drewes Court, a junior at Lawrence High School, said, “I just saw that they had public relations, which is something I’m into and what I’m going to major in.”
Ms. Schiel, a Lawrence resident who attends the Lawrenceville School, commented that although “at 5’ 5” I’m too short to be a runway model,” she is “interested in acting and it kind of has something to do with the whole runway aspect.”
“I’m into the performing arts,” says Ms. Soucek of Franklin Corner Road, a junior at Lawrence High. “I want to go to Berklee (College of Music) for music therapy, and I’m also interested in the community service aspects.”
Nakul Agrawal, 16, of Canoe Road, also a Lawrence High junior, is currently the only male member of the group (though another young man attended the meeting with a friend reportedly trying to recruit him).
Mr. Agrawal hopes to major in computer science. “In general, people go to the mall so often — I wanted to see what goes on behind the scenes, how it works,” he says. He has a specific interest in the “technology and business” aspects of mall management, as well as a desire to participate in community service.
He stood with a group of five other teens, discussing the music they will pair with fashions from Spencer’s. They have 2½ minutes to model clothes from each retailer. The Spring Fashion Show has a prom theme and participating retailers include Macy’s, Sears, JC Penney, The Gap, Men’s Wearhouse and Tux, Old Navy and New York & Co.
“We try to match the store to the music,” says fellow group member Catherine Clemens, 15, a junior at Hamilton High School West, adding they chose dance music by Lady Gaga for Spencer’s based “on the mood of the store,” which, like the artist, is more edgy than traditional.
Besides the community service and public relations aspects, the mall benefits from two-way communication with teens, who represent one of its prime consumer demographics.
“They give us feedback on what stores they like,” says Ms. Kapp and also identify fashion trends, adds Mr. Weisz. In turn, retailers help by providing clothes, helping with fittings and donating prizes for the QB King or QB Queen for a Day Sweepstakes, with two grand prizes that include gift cards, a photo package and frame from The Picture People, dinner for two at The Lawrence Grill and a “pamper package” from Regis Salon.
All in all, it’s a win-win situation for teens and the mall. “Putting themselves out there in public is a huge boost to self esteem,” says Mr. Weisz.
Quaker Bridge Mall’s Spring Fashion Show will take place at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. at the mall’s center court on Saturday, April 18.
