Within every community, there are individuals that stand out. That continues to apply for our very own Oliver Ames High School.
Ava Schwarz is a senior at OA with a defined and noticeable style. But having a unique style is not the only thing that sets her apart from the rest. Ava has evolved her own wardrobe with self-taught tailoring and utilizing reselling apps to perfectly curate her own style which she kindly explains in detail.
“I would describe my style as a modern twist of off a lot of goth or “emo” subculture styles, with my own modern twist. I like to DIY a lot of stuff. I always just kinda really thought that that style was really beautiful and admirable. So I thought why not do it myself?”
Expressing one’s self and branching out from the norm style is already a difficult thing to do. Now doing that in a small suburb can not help. Many feel a sense of uncertainty or question whether exploring their own style is still what they want to do regardless of any risk of being judged.
“I think definitely people sometimes have their judgments but I think that you have to learn to not let it get to you because if you worry about what other people think all the time then you can’t worry about what’s good for you. Then it’s not really a fun way to live. It’s so much better to just not care and be happy with yourself.”
And although Ava recognizes that even she herself struggles with following what she says she does mention that if she could give any advice to others who also have a harder time feeling comfortable expressing their style would be to just “go for it” because as it turns out most of the time people are so worried about themselves to care about how other people are dressing.
“I wasn’t like a kid dressing up a lot but once I got on the internet and was able to find different subcultures there I started following their fashion trends and then I made my own thing out of it. Not technically always but for a long time in my life.”
Now typically when people have one very defined sense of style it usually means that it is because they prefer their style to other styles. However, with Ava, she states that she doesn’t necessarily prefer her own style over others.
“I just think that it’s what fits me the most and what makes me the happiest. I just think people should wear what they think expresses themselves and that’s just what represents me.”
While Ava typically sticks to one main style she continues to dabble in other styles through the details of her style. She explains that the one she most wears is the one she prefers the most although she still admires different aspects of other fashion styles and incorporates them into her own look.
“I like the contrast of the softer girl like laces and flowy dresses with something more edgier like a choker or like platform boots. So I like combining and making my own thing out of it” Ava says she does this because “it’s a way that people express themselves. I feel like if you let yourself be defined by one subculture then it gets restrictive then what’s the point of being you if you’re just following what other people do.”
Ava is so quick to try out different things and not conform herself to one certain label it can make people wonder how and why she is like that. She answers with:
“I think it’s important to take inspiration from a lot of different ideas. You should never try to follow one person or one thing. You should be your own person.”