Illustration by Anais Herrera

As junior Sean Doran gets ready for school in the mornings, he opens his closet, asking himself ‘what should I wear today?’ Doran sees this moment as a vital outlet for creative expression — so much so that he has created his own clothing brand: Chronological.
“I like to throw in some things that relate to time so my clothes can have a message behind them and a general theme,” he said. “I would probably describe the style as a street-wear look, a lot of baggy clothing, oversized T-shirts and oversized pants. I worked over the summer, saved up and bought most of the supplies to start my brand.”
Doran said his push into fashion is fueled by the expression it provides to students.
“It’s a way for people to show who they are, what they like and their dislikes,” Doran said. “People can learn about themselves, express themselves creatively, try new clothing on and even explore new cultures through clothing.”
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the fashion industry’s global revenue was estimated between $1.7 trillion and $2.5 trillion, according to research reports by Euromonitor and McKinsey. On top of creative expression, fashion could also provide students with a viable career choice, according to senior Terianne Quach.
“I want to major in marketing and have a minor in design or art, so I can work in the [fashion industry] as a designer or stylist,” Quach said. “It’s a little harder to get into the fashion industry living here, just because there are a limited number of schools here that offer fashion or design as a major. I’m also applying to schools up in New York, like the Fashion Institute of Technology.”
According to Zippia.com, the average fashion designer is 37 years old, twice the age of most students.
“We need more students in the fashion industry because the fashion industry now is too traditional,” Quach said. “Teenagers are more accepting of what people wear. We don’t have a lot of the same views on styles that people in the fashion industry now have, as we’re better at being welcoming towards any style people feel comfortable in.”
Quach said the college-prep environment at West Shore leans more into academics than creative courses, such as fashion.
“A lot of students start West Shore in seventh grade, and at that point in your life, you don’t know what you want to do,” Quach said. “It’s important to incorporate some self-expressive classes in school rather than academics. I know a lot of people here who aren’t pursuing a STEM major. It’s important to cater to these students who don’t want to pursue just academics outside of West Shore.”
Quach’s solution to not being able to explore her passion through her classes was starting a fashion club on campus.
“My goal with the fashion club is to create an environment that allows students to focus on designing and creating their own clothes,” Quach said. “The academics here are tough, so most of the stuff we do is relaxing. There’s a project I’m working on about designing bags, and at every meeting, we analyze current fashion trends, like rating celebrities’ outfits.”
Digital arts teacher James Finch said he supports his students’ artistic interests
“If that’s your thing, go into fashion,” Finch said. “I try to encourage those who are passionate. In my class, we talked about Coco Chanel and Pierre Kardan. We went through the top 10 fashion designers in history, and kids can come up with styles and fashions that they think are neat.”
Flowing through the halls on campus is a sea of student styles and outfits, with each student valuing their own creative choices, according to junior Laith Zavala.
“I just wear what I’m comfortable with and what I think looks cool,” Zavala said. “It’s something that stays in the back of my head. The next day I’m going to forget about what I wore, and so will everybody else. In that way, it doesn’t matter what outfit you wear, as long as you’re happy.”
People putting effort into what they wear could provide them with greater self-esteem, according to LinkedIn.com
“It’s more about confidence than anything,” Quach said. “If you wear what you like, you’ll feel nicer, and that can help a lot of students with mental health. A lot of people don’t realize how your appearance can affect how you feel.”