For some, back to school means another year to redeem themselves from their previous year, and for others, it means a time to show off their new fashions from a summers worth of shopping.
On the first week of school, kimonos, Birckenstocks, buckets hats, tropical prints, white Air Force One sneakers, Roshe Run sneakers, jellies, and joggers were just some of the trends that surfaced.
Many of these clothing articles are not relatively new – kimonos, for instance, originate from Japanese culture, and though the kimonos students are currently sporting are not the same as the traditional Japanese culture, the original style dates back hundreds of years.
So why are these trends surfacing now?
Junior Erica Gibbs said that “It must’ve been used in a fashion show somewhere as a theme of Japanese culture, and when it reached America, it caught on like a wildfire.”
To get to the root of these trends, students were asked what inspires their style, and many students said they draw their school style from fashion figures they see.
Sophomore Morgan Ottley admitted “I’m really inspired by the 90s era and the whole acid wash, high waisted, patterns, crop top scheme. Patterns really capture my attention as well as detailing and different textures of materials. And I really like boho, and the shoes Zendaya Coleman wears. I love her style too.”
Ashton Akinrimisi, a junior, said that he models his style from Pharell, Kanye West, Alexander Wang, Japan, and simple street fashion.
“What captivates my attention is their innovation, influence on the fashion world, and their confidence” he said.
Another junior, Sadia Alao, said that the internet provides ideas for her.
“My fashion inspiration would be random people from Tumblr,” she said, “because many of their styles are so eclectic and bold, so I guess I get some fashion clues from them.”
The diversity of fashion influences on style is evident, but most students said they felt style was a form of expression.
“It’s one of the first things that people see about you” said junior Ganiyat Balogun. “It’s the most blatant and open forms of expression”.
