Welcome back! After making our rounds around the campus grounds, Fashion Pass has come across some new and interesting faces. In our last issue, we introduced you to some faces around campus and gave you a glimpse of what the semester will hold. Today we will go a bit more under the surface and get to know some of UTSA’s most dapper and snazzy dressers.
Male Spotlight of the Week
Say hello to Mr. Jordan Mkwanaz (if you just so happen to see him on campus)
Age: 21
Major: Communications
Est. Graduation Date: December 2015
Out of the crowd, I noticed Jordan’s ensemble and immediately had to get a picture of his outfit. What was even more interesting than his outfit were his thoughts on fashion and his favorite generational trends. According to Jordan, “Fashion is art. It [fashion] is a way to express yourself. It symbolizes freedom of expression.” That’s something we can all agree with on some level. It would explain the variety of stylistic choices we see around us on campus everyday. He also added that his favorite trends were from the 60s and 90s era. I don’t know if any of you have checked into those time periods, but a huge majority of our culture today has practically revived the entire style craze. From the 1990’s bucket hats, Coolio haircuts, and A Tribe Called Quest Hipster vibe we are definitely experiencing a time loop of some sort. Before wrapping up our short interview I asked Jordan what he had on, along with how he was feeling that day. He replied “I have on a pair of Dr. Martens and a denim jacket today because I was feeling like a rock star!” he said while beginning to laugh.
Jordan has definitely got the Black Panther vibe going on with his outfit. From his “Freedom” snapback embellished with peace sign pins to his solid fist in the air. Don’t forget to take a peep at his leather backpack in hand. He and his outfit are definitely making a statement. Keep on keeping on Jordan!
Stylebook Section
In other news ,we have a brand new contributing writer in our midst: Ms. Mariam Adamjee! Since starting this blog, it is amazing to see that we have passionate writers who love promoting fashion and are interested in sharing that with everyone here on campus. Check out the flicks below from Mariam’s walk around campus and the amazing people she got to meet her Stylebook.
Ghaida Ali
“I love to wear glasses every time, and sometimes I love to wear colorful clothes”
Toe Udegbue
“For me, fashion is a means of expressing myself. I feel that people should always represent themselves the way they want to be looked at. I try to incorporate a lot of things into my style, like vintage and prints. I try to be really original, but not too crazy. I wouldn’t put my style under a name. I just do whatever I’m feeling that day, and I try to make my closet full of different types of styles so I can be really versatile.
Jayda Bennett
“I feel like fashion is something to express yourself and everyone has different styles. It’s cool to see how other people put things together, and that inspires you to try new looks. I don’t really have a style. One day I could be edgy, or the next, something completely different.”
Lulley Waliyow
“We just wear this for our culture. This is what our tradition is back in Kenya. They send the clothes from Somalia. We’re used to wearing these kind of clothes—we’re not used to wearing pants and all those things. It feels comfortable. My parents are from Somalia, but I was born in Kenya because there was things going on [in Somalia] – there was a war. So they ran away from Somalia and came to Kenya, and they lived in refugee camp, and that’s where I lived. So most of our families are in Somalia, so they sent the stuff from there to us.”
Garrett Kai McGough
“I have the boom box, not because of fashion- I tell you what though, it does help with a look, in a general sense. My sense of fashion is kind of strange though. I’ve lived in so many different places; I went to three different high-schools, I’ve lived in ten different cities—I’ve been moving all my life so I’m picking up little tid-bits here and there.”
As we say our farewell this week it is important to note that we all have different backgrounds, perspectives, and cultures but a common denominator in our method of thinking narrows down to how we feel about ourselves and how we express that. The most amazing thing about the world we live in today is that we are not bound to one thing, but have millions, if not billions, of options to choose from. We see faces, but we don’t know the stories behind them and if we here at UTSA can break that mold and get to know one another beyond how we look, we can be the change we want to see in the world. My fellow fashion lovers, it has been a pleasure. Be sure to be on the look out for a fashion pass.
See you all next week. ☺
