Fashion exchange students voice opinions on style at Buffalo State

By Amber Bivins

As you gaze across a Buffalo State College classroom, one of the first things you may notice is the amount of diversity. Students from a range of different ethnicities and backgrounds are all under one roof.

In the Fashion Textile Technologies program, there are many foreign exchange students who have traveled thousand of miles to further their education.  Fashion students from major world capitals and small towns alike, are here in Buffalo; but what do they think of our American fashion?

Wang Xiu Lan Liang, who prefers to be called Amy, is a 22 year old student from Hong Kong.  She has been in the United States for almost a year now and plans to return to her native country this summer. Her unique style, trendy shoes, and knowledge of brands allow her stand out among the fashion students here at Buffalo State.

“I am from a huge world city, in a city as busy as Hong Kong people feel more comfortable expressing themselves. Here people seem to be focused more on comfort, and I am beginning to understand why with this freezing weather!” says Amy.

            Here in Buffalo, many students can be spotted wearing name brands such as Abercrombie and Fitch and Nike, yet the popularity of these well known brands are not the same in all countries.

“In China, the fashion is very different. Brands like Super Dry and Fred Perry are really popular and I almost never see them here. I see some fashionable students with interesting style but I see a lot of “American” brands. Students I see are wearing North Face and Uggs, that is not so popular back home. Especially in Hong Kong, people are always pushing the limits,” she says.

In a metropolitan area, it is easy to see how fashion could be trendier than  here in the Queen City, but when it come to smaller towns, this is not the case.

Andres Peralta is a Textile Design major at Buffalo State. As an exchange student from the small town of Apucarana, Brazil, he identifies Buffalo State as a fashion forward community.

“ My town is not very large, I have to travel many miles to get to the nearest retail shopping area. I even have traveled to Uruguay so I can visit some of my favorite stores” he says.

Malls and shopping areas, like the Walden Galleria, are a mecca for popular fashion stores, stores that are not so easily found in South America.

“ The first Forever 21 just opened in a neighboring city, this has been very exciting for me and my friends. We love American style and it is exciting to be able to purchase the clothes from stores that are in the U.S. Zara also opened recently in Rio, there is not one here in Buffalo but I did visit the store in New York! Its so awesome!” he says.

The style at Buffalo State College ranges drastically from innovative to casual. One’s background, country of origin, and personal style all have an affect on opinions, especially for fashion students, who can be particularly critical.  Foreign exchange students who voice opinions, in class or around campus, can influence their peers and allow for a better global understanding of retail trends.