We see it everyday. The rags given to children as trousers and a mysterious flame-font insignia painfully branded into their chest. Signs of corporate ownership. (Just kidding) However, a big corporation has been influencing kids in the name of “fashion” – if that’s what you want to call it.  All jokes aside, no one can attempt to argue that the Thrasher Magazine urban attire and ripped jeans trend has not been ravaging schools across the nation. It has been all but struggling to thrive off the green bread of children who have chosen to feed its addiction over the past year. It’s everywhere: shirts, shoes, skateboards, backpacks, bottles, blankets knitted by your grandmother (because she’s radical like that), military grade drones, etc. Not to mention the appeal of ripped jeans towards all 16 genders (animals not included).  

The not-so-exclusive skater brand gone-viral is unsure how to deal with this predicament so they continue to do what every business knows how to do: keep selling their products. This improvised approach seems to be working for them. Alas, as happens to all trends, this one is going to be put to rest and and quickly forgotten.

Thus, I took to the streets to ask freshman and upperclassmen alike what they think about the urban renegades on campus. Sophomore Nicholas Smith had an honest assessment of the trendy brand: “ The [Thrasher] trend isn’t all it’s made up to be. Thrasher makes some good clothes, but I don’t get the over-hype.” When asked about ripped jeans, he ridicules their overrated nature as he did with the other apparel, saying, “Why would you purposely buy jeans with holes. I could easily make those with scissors.”  A well spoken statement foreshadowing the death of profit for Thrasher as we know it.

Not all people feel the same way about the trend. A majority of those wearing the attire are freshmen. I did my best to select a prime choice cut of freshman to interview on the topic. My aimed demographic: lanky, swimmer, lack of the attire, first name starts with an A and ends with an N. I found my perfect specimen. Aidan Sidikpramana has a more optimistic view of the topic, stating, “Our generation is going through an amazing age in fashion with brand items such as ripped jeans and Thrasher shirts. These clothing attires have allowed us to express our own sense of style. Thrasher shirts are also very nice, not only is the fabric they use to make the clothing really nice and soft on your skin, [but also] the colors that are used produce an aesthetically pleasing look that really attracts some looks.” He also added, “The new age of visibly branded clothing and ripped jeans is the new look in fashion and it doesn’t seem like this hype train will fall anytime soon.” It’s acceptable if people enjoy the trend for more than popularity, and for this guy, it’s all for the  A E S T H E T I C.

My last interviewee is a junior who, in my opinion, has the best perspective on the topic, which is the approach of “Why are you wearing it?” Eileen McGregor rightly believes that no matter how wacky and outlandish, “the best style is always your own.” She also added her own personal opinion, saying, ”If people are wearing what they genuinely enjoy, then I can dig it, but there’s some who are just following the trends instead of wearing what they really want.” Well said, Eileen. In the end, it’s all your choice. It isn’t important if we all dislike each others’ clothing. Life is meaningless anyways.