The first day of class, my professor said, “You took the initiative to come to college, that means you should be the people who take the initiative to be leaders.”
If you’re like me, you came to college to avoid the real world and honestly, because you thought you had to. We do the same with our fashion choices. We don’t always realize it, but we typically dress ourselves how we think we have to.
We conform to society’s fashion standards all the time, without thinking about it.
In college, especially in a liberal arts school, the skill of critical thinking is stressed – which is something we should use to inform our fashion choices. The graduation from high school and college should affect our fashion choices. In high school, a plaid button down + Abercrombie and Fitch Jeans + Sperrys = Fashionable. But we’re in college now, we should be getting a higher education in fashion, and that means being a fashion leader.
Here’s how to be a fashion leader.
First you need innovation. No one ever became a CEO by sticking to the status quo. Breaking “rules” or “standards” is key. Creativity and the ability to think for ourselves are what make us college kids leader material.
Second, you need grasp social responsibility. Dress yourself under the assumption that someone is going to be influenced by your choices. Wear things that will make you admired as well as respected.
Leadership also means taking responsibility for your actions. For example, if you wear a meat dress to the MTV video music awards, what message does that convey? Likewise, if you are a Caucasian woman who wears a hijab, what implications does that have? I’m not saying don’t do it, but I am saying wear your statements with purpose and the ability to respond to their consequences.
Lastly, study your craft. Like any professional, you should take time to read up on what’s happening in the industry. I’m not saying you should dedicate your life to Givenchy, but subscribing to a blog or two could provide some inspiration for your fashion leadership.
It’s a new year. Resolve to be a fashion leader.
BRIANNA WOODS
