Walking into your first-period class you pass a gaggle of wild teen boys standing in a circle, all wearing different variations of the same brown Michael Kors belt. The one that seems to be the leader is holding a small black device you recognize as a diamond tester. The boy wearing a lime-green pair of Adidas track pants and Gucci bandana asks for his chunky diamond chain to be tested, obviously prepared to impress his friends. 

The idea of “drip” has been a dark cloud over the fashion community. When used in reference to clothing, drip is the so-called swag or great fashion sense gained from an “outfit” consisting of layers of brand name clothing. To give props where props are due, having expensive clothing is cool. Buying that Gucci belt after a month of saving is understandable; of course, you would want to show it off.  It becomes an issue, however, when that is all you wear.

 In an effort to show off all their drip at once, people end up looking stupid. You would think that anyone with a fashion sense would avoid trying to pair a red Supreme hoodie with a blue Polo Ralph Lauren top, but they do, and will match it all with a pair of green Adidas track pants and, for some reason, a brown Louis Vuitton leather belt. The names itself are not what make an outfit look good, and it never will.

What “hypebeasts”, those that claim to have drip, really wish they had, was style, or the ability to put pieces together in a unique and creative way. Having a sense of style is something that is personal to you but can take influence from others. Labels and brands are never shown, forcing the outfit to be solely reliant on how well someone wears the clothes.

There have been many male fashion influencers with amazing style that do not force brands and labels into their outfits. A prime example of this is Wisdom Kaye. He definitely collects expensive items from various brands, with outfits costing thousands of dollars. However, his style outweighs his drip, with his looks always being cohesive and original. 

A sense of style is something anyone can develop, despite feeling like they do not have enough money to constantly keep up with trends. There is another aspect of what people wear, and it is typically referred to as the general term of “fashion”. 

Fashion is what you take directly from runways and magazines. It is not often you will see a look straight from the Versace catwalk in public unless you are surrounded by influencers. However, being fashionable in itself does not require any real work, as the brand has decided the look for you. The clothes are expensive, but that is all there is to it. Of course, anything is better than those who flex their uncoordinated yet try-hard and expensive outfits.

The issue is that people mislabel themselves and take away from people that have worked hard to build their own style. After I spend an hour every day crafting the perfect outfit, I have to walk into school and see someone in a tracksuit and chain talk about how much his “fire” fit costs. We get it, your mom bought you new clothes for your birthday, but the fit? Not it.