Despite being a smaller school, Slippery Rock University has a vibrant fashion scene among its 6,815 undergraduate students and 1,547 graduate students. Each day, students on campus sport a variety of different styles and clothing, adding a vibrant personality to campus life.
With so many different universities across the United States, our focus turned to the fashion scene at SRU, seeking to examine the distinctive style choices of its students.
We distributed a survey through social media for all Slippery Rock University students. The goal of the survey was to gather more insight on students’ opinion on fashion, trends and their own sense of personal style. We reported 52 responses.
When asked whether they stayed up to date with current fashion trends, 33.3% of students said they always do and 33.3% said they stay up to date most of the time. Only one respondent voted that they never paid attention or followed trends and current fashion.
Numerous respondents noted that flare leggings and cargo pants were all the rage on campus when asked what item they see other students wearing often. Following closely behind were baggy jeans and chunky shoes, with bows being an honorable mention. Oversized hoodies, puffer vests and neutral basics were also all mentioned.
When discussing personal style, 53.1% of students said they do have a set personal style while 46.9% of students said they do not. According to the survey, some of the students’ favorite items in their closet included body suits, cowboy boots, jeans, sneakers and of course, cargo pants. Some students also noted that their thrifted items were their ultimate favorite.
One participant noted that their personal style is “all over the place. It depends on my mood. I like clean girl aesthetic some days and sweats some days. I really just wear what I want because it’s so hard to keep up with all of the trends.” Another respondent said their personal style is “influenced by Pinterest and influencer Lauren Tiby”, who is known for emphasizing the importance of building a closet with reliable staple pieces.
With fast fashion on the rise through social media platforms like TikTok, 66.7% of students said they shop fast fashion sometimes, 15.2% said they shopped fashion fast a lot of the time and 18.2% said they never do.
With a campus full of diverse styles and personalities, 84.8% of students said they feel comfortable expressing themselves through fashion at SRU. Only 15.2% said they do not.
