Is it just fashion, or is it a subtle way of saying ‘I belong here’?
Our clothes tell our story, and offer insight into our lives, showing our age, personality and even financial and social status – or better put, class signalling. Is it just fashion, or is it a subtle way of saying ‘I belong here’?
Think about the initial scene of Durham fashion. Long coat, baggy jeans, sambas, longchamp, maybe a quarter zip. Did everyone dress this way before they came to Durham? Is it just fashion, or is it a subtle way of saying “I belong here”? People bother over what to wear for the first day of class, a job interview, or maybe a first date. This is because we all subconsciously understand that others’ first impressions of us matter, as the meaning behind our clothes is heavily culturally dependent.
Defining class signalling
Our clothes tell our story, and offer insight into our lives, showing our age, personality and even financial and social status – or better put, class signalling. Class signalling is the use of cultural consumption by individuals that signal their social class identity, often influencing our behaviour. For instance, you may unknowingly not go up to someone and talk to them on the first day of class depending on how they dress, as you perceive them to have a different livelihood compared to you.
‘Looking the part’
Looking at it in the microcosm of Durham, there is a sense of “perceived privilege” from the private school pipeline to college culture, with a pressure to fit into your surroundings despite not being from that background. The most common “Durham brands” are pricey but coded as “not flashy”, as people wish to be more “understated” about their look. Once you start dressing to fit in, you notice a larger acceptance into some communities and groups that would have otherwise not given you a second thought, all because you look the part.
Now this is not to say everyone is doing it consciously, many of these trends spread naturally through general student culture (i.e seeing people around campus) or though TikTok or Pinterest in which people fund most of their outfit inspiration. Some students may genuinely like the look of that aesthetic and aren’t doing it to signal class, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that many people do. Thrifting clothes and buying off Vinted is a ritual that can help blur the class lines, especially as second-hand clothes culture is currently “trending.”
Fashion and social standing
So in all, is it class signalling or is it just general fashion? These things may not be intentional, but are definitely still meaningful in understanding how fashion plays a large role in social standings, because even looking like you don’t care, might mean you understand the rules perfectly.
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