Fashion can say a lot about a person’s identity, whether it be through bright colors, unique shoe choices, or inspiration from a different era of fashion. An outfit can express a message about an individual, and here at Akins, there’s people with a lot to say.

The Eagle’s Eye interviewed two students and a teacher who we believe expressed themselves with a unique  taste in fashion. We asked them about their inspirations and stories about their clothing, as well as what they would like their fashion to say about them. John Rodriguez Senior and Danna Coronado Junior and Natalie Fontenot Government teacher.

EE: Who or what are your fashion inspirations?

NF: I love the 1960s-70s trends. I think I’ve loved that vibe since I was in middle school. No matter how hard I try, I cannot get away from it. I guess a lot of that inspiration came from looking at images of bands on vinyl records or just looking at old ads in magazines. I love shoes and accessories, I really think you can put together any look with changing a few things here and there.

JR: I don’t really have any inspiration for my outfits in particular. I just enjoy wearing unique and fun things that match the rest of the outfit.

DC: My style or the style I’m trying to be is called ‘’Jojifuku.” I don’t know really where it comes from, pretty sure [it’s] from Japan but [it] is part of the big wave ‘Harajuku.” Most of my inspirations [are from] Sanrio, Mezzo piano, Mother garden, Angel blue, etc. Probably the person that has given me the most inspo is a guy called Sharkpawsu on Pinterest and a girl called Glo2sick on TikTok. I also don’t wear any pants, jeans, shorts or leggings.

EE: Where do you get your clothes?

NF: I honestly get a lot of my clothes at thrift or re-sale shops. Every now and then when I find something that I really love, I’ll buy it brand-new. When I buy things I know they’re going to last. (I still have clothes from high school and college, my style has not really changed.)

JR: My hoodie I got from Kicking It a local Austin shoe shop, my pants are from Macy’s, and I get my shoes mostly from Goat and StockX.

DC: Hot Topic, Aliexpress, Depop, Thrifted, Amazon are the places I got most of my clothes from, sometimes places like H&M in the kids section, forever 21 have stuff that i’ve been getting for my collection style. Also some of my clothes, I’ve been keeping since i was 11 so that’s why I have the childish old look.

EE: What aspects of your identity have influenced how you dress?

NF: I HAVE to feel like myself in what I wear. I have finally admitted that there are certain fabrics that I just will not wear because I’m not comfortable in them, so now I try very hard to stick to those fabrics.

I come from a family of artists… I would not really consider myself an artist, but I’m creative in a lot of ways. Selecting clothes and accessories is definitely a way that I can express who I am and in a lot of ways distinguish myself from blending in all the time. When people express themselves and take time to put their heart into what they wear, it shows.

I love to see people wearing whatever they want and breaking the rules when it comes to fashion and trends. I love to see people feeling good about themselves.

JR: I’m a generally laid back person and I just unapologetically enjoy being myself. I like to wear things that you won’t normally see every day when it comes to my hoodies and shoes. When I think about the rest of my outfits, I wear clothes that are comfortable and don’t take away from the main features.

DC: I just think getting attention seems pretty cool, getting compliments and stuff like that has been part of me for a long time. I still enjoy that. I really like dressing the way I do because it makes me feel like Sakura Carpcapthor. I also have a bit of an addiction to hairclips, which have also been part of my style, and some outfits can’t go without it.

EE: What 3 words would you use to label your style?

NF: Care-free, timeless, and hippie with a little ‘h.

JR: Loud, unique, comfort.

DC: Curious, very pink and childish.

EE: How has your style evolved over time?

NF: I’ll adapt my style to meet a few trends, but I really like what I like. I haven’t really changed that much. I like flare jeans/ bell bottoms, T-shirts and cool boots. Sometimes in life, it’s difficult to find direction or even to know exactly ‘who you are.’ For me, I feel like I’ve always had a firm grasp of who I am when it comes to choosing what I wear even if I feel like I’m floating around in other areas of my life.

JR: Over the years I’ve become more confident and comfortable in everything I do and I would say my outfits reflect that. Before I used to wear clothes that didn’t stand out so I would fit the crowd better, so I would wear jeans and a standard T-shirt. Nowadays I just do whatever I feel like and wear sweatpants and bright shoes.

DC: When I was 12 I started to get into interested in Sanrio world, and when the pandemic happened I started to dress “differently” as I used to before. When I turned 15 I began to dress more pink until the last few weeks when I was 16, when I got more into this style called “Jojifuku.” But during my teenage years, I began to get into new things about dressing. Now that I’m 18 I think the way how I dress is kinda funny because everyone sees you as the pinkie pie person.