Quad Style: Ife Fariyike

Ife is a fourth year Sociology and Global Studies double major also minoring in Spanish. Ife is a mentor in WYSE (Women and Youth Supporting Each Other) and is co-president of SSHMoC (Social Science and Humanities Majors of Color). In her free time, Ife mindlessly plays games on her phone while listening to one of her many curated Spotify playlists. You can find her taking a nap in literally any location at any time of day or aggressively doing Zumba like she is a middle-aged mother of three. Right now, she's trying (and failing) at learning to roller-skate, so if you see her bumbling around campus, don't say anything.

When did you start wearing less-traditional earrings?

I think it was around the summer after my 1st year. I stayed in Hyde Park that summer and went to several street festivals and block parties with friends where vendors were selling their hand-crafted earrings. I bought my first pairs at the Bantu Festival. One set is a wooden hair pik with the continent of Africa carved in the middle, and the other set is a glass encasing of the tree of life.

How do you feel when people mention your earrings?

Honestly it’s a really nice feeling! I’m not super good at receiving compliments, so sometimes I feel very caught off guard, but it makes me happy to know that other people feel compelled enough to acknowledge the things that I enjoy wearing.

What is your favorite pair?

Oof it’s hard to choose which is my favorite, but I think right now I’m really attached to the mushroom earrings that my best friend from home made for me. Wearing the mushrooms always reminds me of them. :)

Do you feel pressured to maintain a particular style (of earring)?

Not at all! While I love wearing less-traditional earrings, I still enjoy wearing all of my simpler earrings like hoops and studs. Certain outfits call for a particular type of earring, so I don’t think I could get away with not having a standard hoop or stud. I think now if anything it’s just extremely validating to know that I can in essence wear the most absurd earrings possible and not be shunned!

What is your favorite get-ready song?

It really depends on the mood I’m in and also whatever song I have stuck in my head on a day-to-day basis, but lately I cannot stop singing “Dreaming of You” by Selena. If I had to choose an all-time favorite, Flo Milli always makes me feel like a bad bitch and really gives me a pep in my step.

What is your favorite building/spot on campus?

I know this is perhaps controversial, but I do miss the absolute beauty that is I-House. It’s like a giant old-timey hotel and there’s a piano in the lobby that people would play sometimes that really was just the ultimate comfort vibe. Otherwise, I really like Harper Cafe because it gets a lot of natural light and I can alternate between spending too much of my money on either a vanilla latte or a London fog.

How would you describe your personal style?

I like to think of it as ~grandparent chic~. I really like collared shirts, baggy jeans, and lots of patterns. I’m also really into the big pants, small top aesthetic as of late.

Where do you find style inspiration?

In a lot of places! I don’t think there’s anyone in particular that I look up to when it comes to fashion, but if I see someone wearing something that I think is cool and would go with my style, I will probably obsessively search for it for a while.

Where do you like to shop?

I mostly shop at thrift stores. I like that each store is unique and has its own array of clothes to choose from. On the occasion, I also buy clothes from Depop and I get most of my accessories from Etsy. I also love a good pair of American Eagle jeans because they last for so long.

Do you have any fashion regrets?

There are certainly some things I wish I wouldn’t have worn in my youth, but knowing that fashion tends to be cyclical makes me feel a lot better about most of the more cringy things. I will say, though, that the gray American Eagle hoodie and light wash skinny jeans that I wore every day of 7th grade does tend to haunt me.

What is your relationship to fashion? Has it changed over time?

I used to not put a lot of thought into what I wear. I treated wearing clothes more as an obligation as opposed to an opportunity to showcase who I am and what I am about. For a good portion of my adolescent life, that led me to having lower self-confidence and honestly made me a bit envious of other people who knew what kind of clothes made them feel the most comfortable and the most confident. Once I finally started to understand the kind of clothes I like to wear, I think I started to begrudge choosing clothes a bit less. Also, once I really settled into my style, I felt like I understood myself a bit more.

Why is fashion important to you?

For me, fashion is a form of expression, especially self-expression. I think it’s cool that we can express so many different emotions, aspects of life, and traits of ourselves just through fashion. For me, I don’t consider myself very good at expressing myself with words, so getting to show parts of who I am in a way that people can very easily see is immensely helpful for me. It’s also just so cool to see the products of people’s creative minds come to life. For the past year I’ve been stuck in an endless “America’s Next Top Model” phase and once you look past Tyra’s borderline criminal behavior, it’s lovely to see how the contestants bring hair, makeup, clothes, and scenery to life.