Fashion is such an important part of our lives and has changed over the years with the trendiest clothing style,s such as Y2K, but what is the trend today? What are the students of ‘Iolani interested in? According to Lofficiel, fashion has been influenced by MTV in the 1990s, Y2K aesthetics in the 2000s, and now TikTok in the 2020s. In the past year, we’ve turned from a quiet luxury aesthetic to TikTok-influenced styles. This style of fashion has definitely changed students’ way of expressing themselves. Rita Templeton explained on sheknows that parents are going into debt because of their teenagers’ shopping sprees to find the right clothes for the first day of school. This allows boys and girls to express who they are without telling their peers. She writes, “That might sound extreme, but it only underscores just how central fashion and accessories have become to teens’ sense of identity and belonging.”
Since styles for all genders have changed so rapidly, ‘Iolani’s fashionistas give their perspective about fashion and advice to those who are struggling to buy what represents them. “I feel like fashion is just a way for me to really show [what] I’m interested in, in a way or how to express myself,” said Chase M. ’27. Adding on, he describes the style that he wears, but also the journey he took to where he is today. Starting in 6th grade, he has been on a fashion journey of finding his own style and what works best on him. A fashion journey can be a struggle of figuring out who you are. He addressed that, “I feel like we generally have a good community. And like you should just let people dress how they want. But like I said, like staying within some sort of protocol.” What he meant by protocol is the dress code. The dress code may put a restriction on how you want to dress, but it does not mean it will stop you from trying newer styles.
Sarah D. ’28 has been on a similar journey. She stated that when on your next shopping spree, you should “definitely keep dress code in mind, but don’t be afraid to step outside your comfort zone or express who you are and what you just like, wear what you want. But to an extent.” When asked the question, what would you call this year’s styles, Sarah answered, “I feel like this TikTok style. It’s nice. I mean, I’m on it too. It’s nice. But I feel like sometimes people might be losing their own sense of identity by following this trend.” Social media has grown to become one of the most relied upon platforms for advice on what clothes to wear or what to do with friends, but “they’re all wearing the same thing because it’s cool and it’s trendy. But if that’s not actually what they like, do they actually like it? Or are they liking it because that’s what’s trendy,” said Sarah. In the end, fashion is a way to express yourself and to show what kind of person you are. TikTok outfits today are inspiring or influential, but they sometimes cause you to lose your identity when copying other outfits. Stepping outside of your comfort zone and dressing the way that you want to dress allows the person to express yourself.
Fashion is a sense of identity, and a big factor that plays into this is knowing what kind of person you want to be. Figuring out who you are allows you to buy the stuff that represents you. Of course, us students have to keep the dress code in mind, but there are many other ways to express our own individual identity. Both Sarah and Chase suggest that if you are stuck and do not know what kind of clothes there are or do not know what you like, social media like TikTok, Instagram and Pinterest are great for finding inspiration that will feed your creativity. You can of course, find your own style by taking your time and getting to really know yourself like activities, hobbies or interests. You could be a rockstar with blacked out clothes and spikes, or you might have a kawaii style of all pink and charms. Whatever activity or interest you like, the best way to express it without the action is through clothes.
