The first time I heard of UChicago was through a college brochure. You know the one, with the diverse group of friends walking across the Quad. I remember flipping through the pages and thinking, “This school seems cool and all, but why are so many of these people wearing UChicago hoodies? They already go there.”
I’d dismissed it as a promotional strategy––maroon really is an attractive color––but imagine my surprise when I started Zoom University this year, and every second person was in a UChicago hoodie or t-shirt.
In high school, this obsession with college-logo-wear makes sense; the hoodies act as aspirational items, proud reminders of where we want to go, a way of manifesting our futures. If decision season is over, maybe it’s a flex, or a way to retain some individuality, or even an act of loyalty to the institutions we’ll soon be heading to.
In college though, this makes less sense. It’s not a flex anymore––we all go to the same elite school––and neither is it a mark of distinction––we all go to the same school. Then, maybe, it’s a show of school pride––a mark of loyalty, but I’ll say this: I don’t think it’s as intrinsically psychological as that.
Do most of us like UChicago? Probably.
Do we truly believe that we, as individuals, embody the spirit of the institution and will carry its teachings with us like badges of honor for the rest of our lives? I’d wager not.
Highlights from my “UChicago clothes” Google Search
So why do so many UChicago students look like everything they own is from the Bookstore? The answer is (kind of) in the question. The bookstore is conveniently located; there’s no need to go anywhere else to shop, and they seem to have enough variations of the same logo-based designs. The apparel itself isn’t particularly flashy: minimal graphics, solid colors––maroons, black, grey, white––and comfortably-loose styles are inconspicuous and easy to pair with anything. You don’t have to put too much thought into your outfit––unless, of course, you want to––which is perfect for our busy schedules.
Similarly, college merchandise is discounted for students. Now, this argument applies to most schools, but at least at UChicago––and maybe this is just me––the prices are still through the roof. But, consider this: When you have nowhere to spend your nonrefundable $100 deposit, you might as well invest in something you can flex when you head back home or venture off campus.
Plus, when you’re at the airport and you see someone else in that classic maroon hoodie, you feel an immediate kinship with them; we subliminally build connections through what we wear. But, will you go up to them and ask them whether they went to UChicago, or whether it was their sibling/parent/best friend? Absolutely not.
This is perfect, because then even if you aren’t a college student, you can wear college apparel without worrying that you’ll be questioned about it! We know this better than most schools, universities are status symbols. Wearing an institution’s logo––even if you don’t go there––makes you seem a certain way; in our case, it makes you seem smarter. For as little as $5 in the case of certain universities, you can change the image you project.
Did you hear that? Yeah, those are the gears of capitalism turning.
Knowing fully well that people who didn’t go to these schools (for whatsoever reasons) want to occasionally either feel or look like they did, colleges launch apparel collections in collaboration with clothing brands––especially those with a large youth clientele. The Rue 21 x Harvard collection, American Eagle’s Tailgate UCLA collection, Old Navy’s University of Michigan sweatshirts; no need to even look outside Cobb Gate, UChicago’s merch is designed and associated with Nike and Under Armour. This is easy profit for brands, they’re selling cheap status symbols to young people that want to buy them. For colleges, on the other hand, this is even better because it saves them money; free advertising, anyone? Brands are businesses, and so are universities.
With these expansions, college apparel has blown up into its own trend. A manifestation of logomania, even traditionally collegiate-wear silhouettes have been incorporated into mainstream fashion cultures. Varsity jackets and t-shirts, baseball tees, basketball jerseys have various origins in the fashion industry, but their collegiate influence is undeniable; how many fellow students own items like those, if not those exactly?
But, college apparel isn’t just a trend relegated to those of us tight on cash we can spend on clothes; this logomania has become a high-brow accessory. Summer 2018 saw a league of celebrities subscribing to this trend; Hailey Bieber in a Stony Brook sweatshirt-dress, Drake in a “Tennessee” sweatshirt, Beyoncé’s collaboration with Balmain to raise money for HBCs.
The question still remains, other than for image-related purposes, why do fully-grown adults want to dress like they’re in college? Well, because they’re not. Nostalgia-fueled fashion is definitely not a new concept. For one, Hailey Bieber cites Princess Diana as one of her biggest style inspirations; and what was one of Princess Di’s most classic looks? Her biker shorts–Harvard sweatshirt combo!
Dressing like you’re in college, or reminding yourself and people around you that you were once in college, seems to be a way of preserving a long-gone youth. Life in college is hard, sure, but there’s a reason these are supposed to be “the best years of our lives.” In a media culture that glamorizes youthfulness oh-so-much, maybe a trip down memory lane isn’t a bad thing.
And for those of us still living out our primes, may we continue to spend atrocious amounts of money on those UChicago hoodies; I know I will.
