What do students wear to class?
Written by Lu Pan, Photos by Lu Pan
Ever wondered why students in certain majors dress a certain way or what influenced a particular student’s fashion choices? Have you ever worked up the courage to ask?
Posing such personal questions to a total stranger is not for everyone; it can be nerve-racking and uncomfortable. We totally get it! That’s why we asked these questions for you—so you can learn the reasons behind your peers’ style choices without going through all the awkwardness. You’re welcome.
It goes without saying that SCAD is host to a very diverse, inclusive, and creative student community. As we attend our classes and explore the city of Savannah, it’s clear that this creativity extends beyond the classroom and into students’ wardrobes. Just as the work we do in our SCAD classrooms is a form of self-expression, for many of us, so too are our fashion and accessory choices. The things we wear to class can tell a story about our background, our values, and the things that make us happy.
Here we introduce six SCAD students with unique creative backgrounds as they share how they choose what to wear to class.
Molly Polehna (Mich., US)
Pronouns: She/Her
Major: BFA Interior Design
Minor: Themed Entertainment Design and Design for Sustainability
Expected graduation year: 2022
Follow Polehna on Instagram: @beeanartist
Polehna uses fashion as a way to prepare for her career: “I should be dressing as professional as I can. That’s what I want to communicate in my design and when I am presenting. That’s who I want to be seen as: a professional, nothing less.”
Gracie Smith (Ga., US)
Pronouns: She/Her
Major: BFA Graphic Design
Expected graduation year: 2023
Follow Smith on Instagram: @graciesmithdesign
“Being a graphic designer, I am always immediately attracted to patterns and shapes and colors,” Smith said. According to Smith, she loves to dress in something fun and loud to celebrate the end of the workweek: “I like to congratulate myself and give myself a pat on the back.”
Murtadha Sami (Saudi Arabia)
Pronouns: He/Him
Major: BFA Interior Design
Expected graduation year: 2021
Follow Sami on Instagram: @murtadhasamidesign
Sami chooses his outfit to reflect how he feels, but always wears something from his collection of hats and glasses to reflect his identity and personality: “I feel this way today, I want to dress like that. I don’t always dress formally, there’s always a twist, like a signature that is personal.”
Shreya Dhar (India)
Pronouns: She/Her
Major: BFA Fashion Design
Expected graduation year: 2023
Follow Dhar on Instagram: @shreya.dhar23
“My style varies from day to day, mood to mood. I haven’t really found my style yet—I am still exploring. Because I’m in the fashion industry, there are a lot of areas to explore.” For now though, Dhar’s go-to outfit is one that is simple with a pop of color.
Turtle Solomon (Ill., US)
Pronouns: It/He
Major: BFA Sequential Art
Minor: Production Design
Expected graduation year: 2024
Follow Solomon on Instagram: @tunateef
Somebody once told Solomon that his fashion aesthetic and energy is a cross between Monster Energy drink and Hello Kitty: “It’s a little bit of everything. The best way to describe it in technical terms is alternative fashion, a bit of inspiration from décor fashion,” he said. “I like a lot of things and a lot of color. I like color too much, so it just evolved into what it is now.”
Vanessa Reilly (Cali., US)
Pronouns: She/Her
Major: MFA Accessory Design
Expected graduation year: 2022
Follow Reilly on Instagram: @v.n.reilly
Reilly’s fashion choices reflect how she’s feeling that day: “Style has always been a way of expressing myself, and something that I don’t necessarily feel like I have to say out loud. I have to pick my outfit the day of because it absolutely depends on my mood.”
