Do I have to dress up to go to Fashion School?

In-person teaching, social events and actually leaving the house on a daily basis as opposed to the computer-screen-sweatpants-wearing-nightmare all students have been stuck in for the past year and a half. Yes, it’s exciting and yes, you want to blow everyone out of the water with your outfit and establish yourself as someone to watch. But the prospect of having to get up every morning, choosing a fashionable outfit yet whilst also juggling crits, deadlines, and masses of work can be anxiety-inducing for everyone, not to mention tiring.

When you’ve impressed on your first few days with a series of perfect looks you’re then under a personal pressure to sustain that level for the long term. No one tells you this, but you will get to a point – whether it’s halfway through your first year or at your second – that you will wake up one morning feeling so tired, overworked, and stressed that your outfit of the day is the last thing on your mind. When you’re leaning over a cutting table all day, furiously weaving at a knitting machine or hare tearing around your campus preparing for a deadline, wearing uncomfortable clothes will just make you even more miserable.

For some creatives, the way they dress is an essential part of their process. Others find the place to fully express their styles during art school, as they find like-minded people and a safe space to be their selves. What happens though, to the ones that feel more comfortable in a toned-down look and can’t afford for it to be head to toe Ann Demeulemeester?

Many people still won’t admit it,  but your ‘look’ (or lack thereof) is an essential part of any creative’s identity –  it’s how people recognise you and in some cases how your personality and taste level are judged. We are after all in an industry where everything is entrenched in aesthetics – we may have distanced ourselves from the stereotypical Devil Wears Prada-esque bitchiness in favour of kindness, positivity, and inclusivity but scratch beneath the surface and you’ll see those old school attitudes are still very much alive. For some creatives, the way they dress is an essential part of their process. Others find the place to fully express their styles during art school, as they find like-minded people and a safe space to be their selves. What happens though, to the ones that feel more comfortable in a toned-down look and can’t afford for it to be head to toe Ann Demeulemeester?

I once dressed as a nun for a crit because I thought that would distract from my terrible work. Spoiler alert – it didn’t.

There was always an unspoken judgement amongst students in my year that the people who dress up every day in the most extravagant looks are usually the ones who do the least amount of work – which obviously is (mostly) untrue, but there are definitely occasions where you can use your look and personality to elevate or even prop up parts of your work and make it look like you know your stuff, but relying on that method can be a dangerous game and only takes you so far. I once dressed as a nun for a crit because I thought that would distract from my terrible work. Spoiler alert – it didn’t, running to the toilets to cry after getting humiliated in front of your whole class whilst in a makeshift nun’s habit still remains one of the most humbling experiences of my life.

Truth is, that pressuring yourself to fit in the art school kid mold in order to feel you belong can take away a lot from your university experience. At the end of the day, it is our peers’ words, opinions, and jokes we remember, rather than their Margiela tabi boots.

Don’t get too caught up with what everyone else is doing or wearing – the unique and non-conformist fashion school ‘look’ has almost become a singular definable look in itself. Think about it, there’s the classic meme-able fashion-kid ensemble; oversized charity shop men’s suit, a dangly earring, gogo boots, and one of those key clip carabiner belt loops for example – you can picture it in your head right?

Comparing your work with everyone else’s is already a mentally draining experience, especially if you feel that the way you look is up for criticism. Truth is, that pressuring yourself to fit in the art school kid mold in order to feel you belong can take away a lot from your university experience. At the end of the day, it is our peers’ words, opinions, and jokes we remember, rather than their Margiela tabi boots. Making your personal look a part of your identity is a choice any creator makes when they’re first carving out their place in the industry, if it’s not for you then find your niche in being an enigma; if it is for you then be unapologetic about it. But it’s true that the real art in dressing yourself for fashion school and subsequently working in the industry, becoming a brand or a name is learning how to step back, take ego out of the equation and let your work speak for itself. So work hard, know your shit, don’t do anything you don’t want to do, and most importantly have fun! The classmates, tutors, or industry professionals that link your lack of eyeshadow to what you can create might make it easier for you to choose which part of the industry you really want to belong in.