At Abington Friends School in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, students in grades K-12 express themselves in various ways. They can choose to express themselves through sports, body language, music, or fashion.
Fashion helps you express your emotions and show your true identity. You can create a signature look, dress up for different occasions, and experiment with new designs or colors.
Recently, fashion trends have changed quickly with the influx of social media. However, there are a few timeless staples in every teen’s wardrobe. According to Chain Store Age, “The top clothing brands are Nike (34%), American Eagle (6%), Lululemon (5%), Shein (3%), and Hollister (3%).”
I interviewed two AFS students, Amaya Manigault ‘26 and Adyen Austin ‘26 to see which brands they prefer.
What is your favorite fashion brand, and why?
Manigault said, “I like Zara because they have a modest selection of clothes. The brand lets me experiment with different styles and be versatile.”
Austin said , “I like Nike because it is simple yet efficient! They have a good winter and summer selection and they have stylish outfits for sports.”
What are your favorite fashion trends, and why?
Austin said, “My favorite fashion trends right now are work wear and bold color combinations. For example, pink and green, or mixing gold and silver jewelry together.”
Manigault said , “I agree, because I like outfits where the top and bottom contrast to complement each other. Also, I like linen pants and the off-the-shoulder look.”
What are your least favorite fashion trends, and why?
Both Austin and Manigault said, , “Our least favorite fashion trend is when people wear two items of clothes that are in two different seasons. For instance, jean shorts, or jorts, and uggs.”
According to Wonderopolis, “Over time, the new [fashion] replaces the old. People are influenced by pop culture, including athletes, musicians, movie stars, and royalty. They also pay attention to what people wear in popular films, television shows, online videos, books, and music. We are influenced by the fashion industry’s advertising.”
Fashion is important to our society because clothes play a role in how you look at someone and they help frame the idea of what we think of their personality. Overall, fashion helps bond people together in any environment.
Paige • Apr 17, 2025 at 1:10 pm
I read, “Word on the Street: Fashion at AFS.”, and they provided personal perspectives and opinions on clothing instead of just stating the percentages on who wheres what the most, they asked actual students to get a first hand look. This immediately made the article more interesting as a whole, and allowed me to see my fellow peers take on modern fashion trends. One of my favorite trends would be the common style of sweatpants or everyday flowy pants, mainly because that is what I wear to school everyday, and I love the way people are normalizing it being classy and casual rather than “lazy”, depending on what pants you wear. My least favorite trend would be micro-trends, fashion pieces that are only in style for a very short amount of time, and then everyone moves onto the next, it’s a huge waste. I believe in timeless and simple pieces that never go out of style, because you can always do more with them and add on, not take away.
Muhammad • Apr 17, 2025 at 8:54 am
This is a cool, honest article expressing opinions on fashion in a neutral way, I agree with what Aidan and Amaya said about wearing clothes that are in two different seasons. I also noticed that a lot of people tend to wear black more than any other color, why is that? It’s not a bad color but I feel like sometimes the way we dress influences our attitudes during the day, usually when I’m hanging out with someone who’s wearing black they’re serious, quiet, and have a tense energy around them. When I hang out around people who wear colors like green, blue, yellow, white, and even brown, they usually have a calm and happy energy and don’t seem quite as serious. My hypothesis may be backwards though, the people that wear black could be dealing with things that make them sad, angry, quiet, or serious. Since black is a simple but noticeable dark color that expresses their feelings well that might be why they choose it for their clothes, as a way to say “hey, I’m not doing too well on the inside”. And maybe the people who wear brighter clothes like the other colors listed above have something going on that makes them feel good, so they wear colors like that to represent how they feel.
NJ'28 • Apr 17, 2025 at 8:53 am
In reading this article, it reminded me of how grateful I am to go to a school that does not require uniforms. One of the things I love most is thinking about what I’m going to wear. I especially enjoy going out and getting new outfits and changing things up. As said in the article, getting to choose what you wear is a sign of self-expression and creativity; this is why I’m grateful not to have to wear uniforms. I was talking to a friend who currently wears a uniform at her school. She will soon get a chance not to wear the uniform for a while. While we were talking about uniforms, she was telling me how excited she was to get to choose what she was going to wear. I wonder what it would be like if AFS went back to uniforms? How would that affect the student body? Would that make things worse or better?
Anais • Apr 17, 2025 at 8:52 am
I agree I think Fashion can really let your express yourself in a way that words can’t. People will make assumptions about you depending on your style wether they are good or bad. They might look at you a certain way and understand what kind of person you are. Especially if you don’t like to be social and get to know people clothes are a way for you to stand out and feel good in how you look. If you don’t want to follow trends and wear what everyone else is wearing then you don’t have to. The different types of clothing are endless. I am very glad that we don’t have a uniform here at AFS because it is so limiting. Being able to wear what you want it freeing and also very informative. You learn so much about yourself just based on what you like to wear. Clothes you like will also boost your confidence and maybe even make you less insecure. Having that choice and freedom to chose your clothes is really important to me and I’m glad we don’t have a uniform.
Molly • Apr 17, 2025 at 8:50 am
I really enjoyed reading this article and learning more about the students of AFS’s perception of fashion in this day and age! Although I would not necessarily consider myself someone who is totally invested in fashion, I do like picking out nice outfits and trying out different styles. Similarly to Amaya and Adyen, I have loved seeing bold combinations and loud colors in fashion lately. I think it is really cool to make a statement with your clothing, and use it as a tool to express yourself. I think that clothing is such a great way to make connections with others as well, as it can be starting points of conversations, or turn into activities like going shopping for a new outfit, or going thrifting with peers. Honestly, I don’t know what my least favorite fashion trend is at the moment, but I do know that I do not like when people focus too hard basing their sense of style off of what the media is blowing up. I think that it is totally fine to hop on to a new trend, but it is important to stay true to what you like to wear, not what the media wants you to be wearing.