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On a typical school day at Syracuse University, junior Jamison Brown graces the campus with an eclectic ensemble. Today, he’s donned faux fur Balenciaga snow boots, knee-length jean shorts, a silver-studded belt and a holiday-inspired crewneck, detailed with wrapped gifts and kittens.

His style – anything but subtle – shows unbounded self-expression.

“I (style clothes) with a bit of comedy in my mind,” said Brown, a psychology major and women’s and gender studies minor. “I want to be that guy that’s every time you see him walking to class, you just got to think to yourself, ‘Woah, woah, what’s going on in his head?’”

SU is Brown’s personal runway, yet his fashion sense developed long before his first semester in fall 2022. Brown hails from Liberty City, Florida, a neighborhood located in northwest Miami. During his childhood, his cousins sometimes sported complete Nike looks with Jordan sneakers, socks and matching shorts sets. Today, he credits them for introducing him to styling.

Nike eventually became essential to Brown’s wardrobe. His affinity for the brand heightened when he discovered 23isBack, a website devoted to sneaker drop schedules, the convergence of sports and streetwear and everything Jordan-related. Brown said 23isBack provided updates on new styles and colorways “every single day, top to bottom, front to back.”

He then transitioned his style inspiration search to YouTube, where he found another entry point into this world he valued. He watched creators like Paul Cantu, ToNYD2WiLD and Scoop 208 who filmed videos reviewing rare thrift finds, limited edition pieces and new sneaker releases.

After a while, though, Brown retired his efforts to track down every pair of Jordans, slowly taking the pedal off being a sneakerhead. Intentionality in clothing purchases and creating looks became his standard.

Calysta Lee | Staff Photographer

From head to toe, Syracuse University junior Jamison Brown has curated his look. He has a bleached blond head of hair with a line down the side.

“Especially during current day and times, I think a lot of Nike shoes and Jordans cost just as much as designer shoes, if not more,” Brown said. “So I’m like, ‘Alright, I did all that Nike stuff, Jordan stuff, before, why not upgrade it?’”

Brown is now adamant about avoiding fast fashion and instead prefers to spend money on long-lasting pieces. One of his most worn items is the first genuine leather jacket he ever owned. He purchased it for about $50 the summer before his first year at SU. As a Floridian, he said he hadn’t seen snow and wasn’t familiar with the Syracuse cold, but didn’t want to wear puffer jackets all the time because they weren’t his ideal style of outerwear. He still carries the jacket around with him everywhere, especially in the fall and winter.

Junior Jada Williams, a close friend of Brown, shared a similar perspective on meaningful styling. For fashion-forward people, like herself and Brown, creating a wardrobe that speaks to their identity brings them happiness.

Williams, who is originally from Dallas, Texas, remembers first meeting Brown and a group of his friends during one of the school’s annual Welcome Week events.

“He had lime green hair and neon pink nails,” they said. “His style was something that drew me in because I was like ‘Oh my god, he looks like he loves fashion and that’s something that I love too, so I’m just gonna stick around with him.’”

The two find inspiration in one another. As a self-described “alternative girly” with a “90% black closet,” Williams said her personal fashion choices foster self-confidence. They’ve enjoyed observing Brown flourish into his true self and experiment with more black and neutral tones over the years.

Brown said his versatile expression comes from immersing himself in various environments and interacting with different media. These experiences dovetail with learning how to sew, which he said is another inspiration for his style.

Calysta Lee | Staff Photographer

Syracuse University junior Jamison Brown takes style and fashion to the next level in all of his looks. He reciprocates the kindness he receives from other students which helps him stay passionate about his craft.

Brown created two looks for SU’s Fashion and Design Society’s fall/winter 2023 runway show, “Dreamscapes.” The first was a set with a black feathered design based on “Black Swan,” one of Brown’s favorite films.

The film has a theme of chasing perfection, as ballerina Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) idolizes the role of the Black Swan throughout the movie, he said.

“As many times as she failed, she just still kept on going,” Brown said. “From the end of the movie, she went out with a bang and I felt that so profoundly.”

For the second look, Brown tapped into his love of abstract clothing. He took scraps, placed them together without a pattern and sewed until he produced a white top and skirt. He asked Emmet Kobasa, another friend, to “just go crazy on it” and make it into a personal journal.

Kobasa, a junior majoring in illustration and minoring in LGBTQ studies, said he always tries to convey stories from his life and the lives of his friends. So, when Brown gave him the garments, Kobasa doodled and wrote a few poems to document what he was feeling at that moment.

Kobasa said he was stunned at how the final look came out, and recognized Brown’s skill in tailoring outfits to models’ bodies.

Kobasa, a Syracuse native, said it’s been interesting seeing the diverse senses of aesthetics present on campus that stem from people’s different backgrounds.

For Brown, aesthetics are limitless. From his own personal style to designing bold looks for others, Brown said he cherishes the support he receives from his peers. In return, he tries to provide them with similar words of encouragement — communication he wishes he had more of growing up.

“Throughout my years of being here, I’ve had interactions where people always gave me my flowers,” Brown said. “It was always ‘I wish I could dress like this, I wish I had the confidence to do this,’ and I always say to people, you have the confidence, it’s there. All you really got to do is just try it.”

Published on October 3, 2024 at 1:05 am