The new StyleYouWEC Instagram blog team encourages self-expression by featuring students’ style, providing trend tips and promoting local businesses through giveaways.

“I think it is cool for students to see their peers being showcased for style and expressing themselves,” blog member Zoe Gaspar said.

The idea to have an Instagram account to showcase Eau Claire style was created in 2014 by Brianna Noeldner and Adam Bergman in their senior year at UW-Eau Claire. With her graduation right around the corner, Noeldner posted on Instagram looking for someone to take it over when she leaves.

Four of the current five members expressed their interest for the account upon seeing the post: Zoe Gaspar, Alyssa Styczynski, Katie Beard and SoYoung Lim. After meeting with Noeldner to discuss the account’s future, the four became a team. Their fifth and final member, Jordan Munson, joined last week.

This year-round account needs all hands on deck. Gaspar said the group runs on a divide and conquer system by splitting up the work amongst the members to get the job done. Because styles are continually changing, the members are constantly snapping photographs of what they see everyday.

The students who are featured in the blog are visual examples of people being individualistic and having their own style, Gaspar said.

“If students are interested in what they wear and how to express themselves through fashion this is a great account to follow,” Gaspar said.

The blog offers decor and fashion tips for followers to stay connected. With a variety of posts every week, students get to see local trends throughout Eau Claire on and off campus. Gaspar said it shows the student parts of the city they might not normally see.

“Most of these shops on our blog aren’t from Water Street,” Gaspar said. “We spread out.”

In posts to come, the team plans to emphasize body positivity and the importance of loving oneself. Additionally, Gaspar said the blog will become more gender neutral because it is important for men to show that they can be fashionable too.

“We are making it a goal to showcase men and women more equally,” Gaspar said.

Adapting to what the students want to see, Gaspar said the account informs followers on what is happening around them. Having an Instagram account highlighting Eau Claire and gives followers a way to interact with the city on a new level.

StyleYouWEC is a blog that allows the students of UW-Eau Claire to keep up with dynamic trends and access helpful tips to plan their next style move. The goal of the account is to encourage students to show their true colors in a medium of their choosing.

“We hope the students will get inspiration on how they can express themselves,” Gaspar said. “Through fashion or how they style their environment.”