Liberty Students Express Their Love For Style, Using Campus As Their Runway

Austin Farmerie walked across campus in a head-to-toe monochromatic outfit—a quality brown turtleneck with a zip-up hoodie overtop of it, paired with Stüssy track pants and chunky nude sneakers. 

“Clothes are my art and campus is my runway,” Farmerie said.

Farmerie, a junior studying entertainment journalism, is part of a small but increasingly distinguished group of students at Liberty who dress to express in an eye-catching way.

Fashion beholds a unique way of uniting, challenging, inspiring, distinguishing and cultivating students who take the leap of faith in expressing who they are through their style. Liberty’s campus is now a place to show off a style sense that is derived from the rich community within the student body.

“At Liberty there is a sense of utilizing fashion to express a sense of your personality, so you stand out in the crowd,” AJ Salamy, a senior, said. “I think that fashion is a celebration of differences and what distinguishes us as individuals.”

According to Matalie Howard, the program director for the fashion merchandising and fashion design programs, Liberty has a strong fashion culture on campus. Howard believes students who wear their creativity are those who can truly impact the world with their craft. 

“What you wear is an extension of you,” Howard said. “More importantly, it is an extension of the artistic design of Christ. I think believers in Christ know that there is freedom in him, and we have the wonderful freedom to express ourselves through fashion.”

Whether students’ tastes draw them to an urban, preppy collection of skirts, blazers, flowered dresses and heels, or to a cutting-edge blend of long loose-fitting sweaters, platform boots and an array of color, their absorption with stylistic expression points to change on the horizon. 

“The stereotype that college students live in sweatpants and don’t care about fashion is not prominent at Liberty,” Esther Bridwell, a sophomore who is passionate about her charismatic wardrobe, said. “I think people feel safe to dress eclectic here because students are so openly okay with pushing the limits and looking bold and different.”

Students, however, do not only source their stylistic inspiration from one another. Due to the democratizing influence of the web, trends are circulated at warp speed, crossing borders and, paradoxically, encouraging a more individual approach to fashion expression.

“I am always inspired by Gucci,” Salamy said. “I love the mixed patterns, the mixed textures, and I love just piling on clothing and accessories until it becomes something amazing that somehow all blends together.”

Bridwell, who also draws her inspiration from Gucci, recently drew influence from the glam of Marc Jacobs and the edge of Alexander McQueen.

“My favorite outfit is one that I haven’t worn yet,” Bridwell said. “It’s my pink and white slip dress, a sequin pencil skirt and a hot pink blazer topped off with a chunky sneaker.”

Farmerie, with a love for muted colors, puts a heavy emphasis on his choice of pants, trying to incorporate basics while styling them effectively. 

“Recently, I’ve been really into the idea of taking some basic, boring pieces and elevating them with accessories and layers,” Farmerie said. “And I love pants. You will always find me in some flashy pants.”

Farmerie explained that he was never truly confident in who he was, which prohibited him from fully expressing himself. Fashion has been a way for Farmerie to not only discover more about his love for style but to discover more about himself as an artist. 

Students like Farmerie, Salamy and Bridwell are only a few out of many students that incorporate personality into their everyday looks. Students who express their style boldly look to express their personalities with the clothing they wear. 

“Fearlessness is the defining factor of my style,” Salamy said. “I don’t have any qualms about wearing something maybe other people wouldn’t wear. I don’t have any fear or shame associated with what I choose to wear, and that is so freeing.”

Students wearing bold colors, patterns and textures walking down the campus sidewalks continue to cultivate an opportunity for their artful expression. 

“Students will never stop inspiring me with their stylistic expression,” Howard said. “These students make fashion more daring than ever.”

Jessi Green is the Asst. Feature Editor. Follow her on Twitter at @jessigreen0.