A student’s take on Braswell’s fashion
April 17, 2023
With nearly 62 percent of its student population coming from minority backgrounds, Braswell High School has become synonymous with diversity. This unique composition of demographics is reflected in the fashion and style of each student throughout campus. Social media apps such as Tik Tok, Instagram, and Snapchat allow students to further distinguish their style and aesthetic.
Marcus Sherare, 12, like other Bengals, has developed an “aesthetic”, or an overarching theme that each of his outfits tie into. Typically wearing chunky black shoes, Sherare takes great inspiration from his favorite rappers.
“I go for more neutral tones,” Sherare said. “Another thing that sets my style apart from other students would be who I take my fashion inspo from. My main fashion icons are Rick Owens and Destroy Lonely (American Rapper). It is unique and mysterious to many people.”
Y2K style has made a new comeback in 2022-2023 from the 2000s, a decade that Sherare takes some inspiration from.
“I feel like there is a huge change from the ‘90s to the 2000s,” Sherare said. “That’s when the internet started popping off, and so many people were able to provide multiple types of inspiration to people online and change fashion.”
No matter how “on trend” a student’s style may be, negative comments are unavoidable. Sherare was not an exception to this rule.
“I receive negative opinions on the way I dress every day, from stares to people coming up to me in the hallway,” Sherare said “I have seen myself on people’s Snapchats that people send me, but to be honest it is not a big deal to me because I am out there, you know?”
Though his love for fashion runs deep, Sherare still had to develop ways to work around and through his insecurities.
“To be honest, sometimes I will be getting dressed in the morning and have an outfit in my head that I will think is kind of too much,” Sherare said. “I need to stop being like that and just wear what I feel like wearing because this is what I love to do. I love fashion.”
Sherare and his good friend Jaiden Broom, 10, are united in their love for fashion. However, the two young men dress very differently from one another. While Sherare opts for more eccentric, American rap culture-inspired clothing, Broom prefers more coordinated, streamlined fits a book that Broom wishes other students took a few pages out of.
“All these people here cannot dress,” Broom said. “They wear the same clothes. Nothing matches.’’
Unlike Sherare, who looks to popular culture to inform his style, Broom said he doesn’t need to find inspiration from anyone else but himself.
“I am just different, I do not wear everything that everybody else wears,” Broom said. “Everyone else is wearing Jordan 4s. I’m unique.”