We’ve finally escaped from the school uniform! College students who have gotten out of their middle and high school days of having to wear school uniforms can now enjoy the freedom of fashion, and in doing so, tend to pay attention to trending styles. But style trends constantly change. Let's take a look at the nostalgic fashion history by looking at the college students of different generations who have filled the campus, and find out how beautiful youths from different times expressed their individuality together with CAH.

1990s: Generation X Comes into College

Unlike in the 1980s, when there was strong pressure that students should dress like students, college students after the 1990s developed their own style, with the social atmosphere becoming more open and de-ideologicalized with the end of the Cold War and the appearance of stars such as Seo Taiji and Boys. For ‘Generation X’, those who spent their 20s in the 1990s, the most important values were ‘individuality’ and ‘personality’. Even called the ‘new mankind’, they preferred free-spirited and unbalanced fashion, and also enjoyed wearing heels, regardless of gender.

“People wore sunglasses a lot on the road, and there were black shoes with heels called ‘horse shoes,’ and I wore them a lot. Friends who enjoyed resistance culture or rock usually wore skinny leather pants, leather jumpers, and horse shoes, while friends who liked the music styles of Seo Taiji and hip-hop liked to wear baggy clothes, big pants, and unique hats.” Gallagher Y (pseudonym, born in 1975, short-haired drummer in the 90s. Source: Kyunghyang Shinmun)

Popular culture also faced a big change, starting with Seo Taiji and Boys, many college students at that time copied the fashion of famous singers or celebrities. There were many people who followed the fashion of SES, the first-generation girl group that debuted in the 1990s, who wore a tight-fitting tee and wide pants, or the group ‘Lula’, who wore hoods over their heads. As ‘neutral beauty’ became a fashion trend, unisex fashion with no distinction of gender became popular. Men wore ponytails or bought women's clothes, while short cuts and 'tomboy style' were especially popular among women.

“The androgynous tomboy style was also popular. Lee Sang-eun, Shin Eun-kyung, Park Sun-young···. When Lee Sang-eun first appeared, there was a controversy over whether she was a man or a woman because of her androgynous appearance. On the other hand, lots of women had short hair cuts. In the case of students, I think they chose to style the hair short because of hair restrictions that ban growing hair too long.” Apeach J (pseudonym, born in 1979, Theku 1st generation Seo Taiji fan. Source: Kyunghyang Shinmun)

Representative accessories of the unisex style include sunglasses of unique shapes that do not discriminate between men and women. Confidence and individuality stand out when looking at the photos of college students of Generation X who pursued uniqueness rather than ordinary colors and shapes. Popular brands at the time included Guess, Nautica, and GV2.

2000s, What Should I Post on My Cyworld Page?

In the 2000s, the proportion of media increased significantly compared to the 90s, and new fashions began to become popular. In the 2004 KBS drama ‘I’m Sorry, I Love You,” the rainbow-colored knitwear and ugg boots worn by Im Soo-jung, the female lead, became popular, while Japanese hairstyles also were in style due to the opening of Japanese pop culture. Among them, the ‘shaggy cut[1]’ started with a number of celebrities such as TVXQ, an idol group that was at the peak of its popularity at the time, and gained sensational popularity among male students. Since the mid-2000s, the fashion of Ulzzang[2] has been in full swing. Through Cyworld, Korea's primary social network at the time, the general public, who became famous despite being ordinary people, started to be spotlighted, and many female students followed the style of matching XL-size hoodies or T-shirts with cargo pants and flared skirts popularized by these Ulzzangs. Taking pictures with bangs cut short above the eyebrows and hair in a shaggy cut while covering the mouth with one’s hand was also popular among many students. Later, layered fashion that expresses the free spirit of hippies also became popular, and people created their own style by wearing wide skirts with pants or wearing several necklaces of different lengths.

What Do Students These Days Wear?

College life dominated by non-face-to-face classes due to COVID-19 is gradually coming to an end. Now that face-to-face classes have resumed, universities are regaining their vitality with the appearance of new freshmen students. Let's take a look at what fashion is trending among college students these days! From 2022, ‘Y2K fashion’, which added sophistication to the end-of-the-century style of the 1990s and early 2000s, emerged as a trend. In addition, more and more people are showing off the “preppy style”, which is derived from the uniforms of students at prestigious American private schools. These preppy looks, which usually refer to outfits reminiscent of school uniforms, matching warm colored shirts with knitwear, cardigans, pleated skirts, or check pants, show off a classic look and individuality by matching colors or adding unique items. Young people nowadays can also be seen wearing a training look in a snatched way, often looking for a track set. Windbreakers and anoraks are now targeting younger customers by introducing more diverse styles and colors than before. The velvet track suit choosing beauty over practicality, which was worn by Hollywood stars in the past, is also in vogue again, confirming that track suits are no longer only for sportswear.

Focusing on the looks of college students, we looked into the changes in fashion trends over a long period of time. It was found that while fashion style changes under the influence of social atmosphere and popular culture, fashion also influences the formation of a new culture. The fashion trends covered today are only a very small part, so I hope the readers don’t feel limited or burdened to your own style. Fashion is always about personal satisfaction, so finding and wearing something you like is the most important thing, and that is what will make you happy!