Clothing fads have evolved and developed ever since Adam tried to cover himself with a fig leaf. Classic, punk, rock, prep, urban, retro and country; you name it and someone is strutting one of these various trends around the Prairie View A&M campus.
Fashion currently rules the world’s thoughts. Everyone seems to want to fit into the latest trends, but there are still a few who try to step out and beyond the box of trendy fashion.
“A tie is like a statement, if I have a tie on and it doesn’t say something to you, then I’m not doing my job,” says Nelson, a junior communications major, smiling with a nod.
Matt Nelson and his Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity brother Rashad Morgan, for example, find it within their civic duty to rock their own voice through their clothing. On any given day on the yard, one can see either Nelson or Morgan sport their own genre of gear that simply illustrates each of their individual unique personalities. “It’s variety,” says Nelson, “you just have to be able to switch it up. One day, I might come in some skinny jeans and a V-neck, next day [it] might be a sick shirt and tie.”
Morgan interjects with a chuckle, “The key is consistency. You can’t wear the same Bathing Ape tee for two weeks in a row and [you can’t] spend your OP on 10 $100 shirts and wear them for the rest of the semester. You have to keep constantly changing.”
Both Nelson and Morgan find the spontaneity of their wardrobes mean distinguishing themselves from modern day fads and fashion trends. Ironically, Nelson obtains inspiration for his distinctive look in “everybody, because everybody looks the same, and I just can’t understand why you would like to look like everybody else.”
For example, says Morgan with a laugh, “everybody has Forces, stud belts, and the True Religion Jeans, but what you don’t see really counts like the fresh underwear, socks, and jewelry.” He pauses, then adds, “You can never go wrong with some clean, fresh underwear.”
“I don’t think I’m better than the next guy, but I pay attention to detail; every little thing, every piece counts,” says Morgan.
Nelson said that he prefers to wear things “that are not, overly expensive but of good quality and taste.” The two fraternity brothers go on to swap laughs on their favorite shopping spots: Hot Topic, Urban Outfitters, the Ralph Lauren Store, Aldo, and Zara are a few stores that support the creativity of their styles.
Nevertheless, if the goal is to not conform to fashion fads and their style becomes a trend would the guys be more inclined to transform their personal appearance to be different once again? Nelson pauses before he responds, “To me, style is 35 percent clothes and 65 percent swagger, and swagger is something you just can’t steal.