In an effort to create something meaningful through her several interests, Rumaysa Iqbal, a student from Habib University, is using her love for fashion and photography to document her experience with trends prevalent in Habib’s diverse atmosphere. Her newly formed Instagram account Habibstreetstyle, showcases the various ways in which students are using fashion to express their identities and creativity. For Rumaysa, the concept of “Habib street-wear” is more than just the outward appearance, it is a testament to the unique individuals in Habib and how they are transforming trends to be more adaptive to their individual taste and culture. Rumaysa shares how her account came into existence and how she is using the platform to spark a new movement at Habib.
“I was having a bad couple of months, they were very stagnant. But then I decided to go on a very spontaneous trip to a small village and it was an amazing experience. That place was very inspiring and all of a sudden I had an idea for a video, and a story, and other creative things. I started thinking about my time at Habib and it felt like I hadn’t done anything and I started thinking about all the things that made me happy like fashion and photography. I love expressing myself through the clothes I wear and how I wear them and I love analyzing what is happening through fashion. So I decided I will document everything I wear to Habib but I wouldn’t make it into a blogger or influencer type thing. It is purely for me and if people like it, then they can follow but it is primarily for me.”
With this initial idea in mind, Rumaysa decided to expand the scope of her account and started including the observations she made centered around the fashion trends at Habib. With her account, she aims to explore the complexities of fashion trends and why they emerge and look beyond just the superficial image of clothing.
“The account made me extremely happy because it was me merging the things that I love and it also has a little ethnographic aspect because I love looking at what people are wearing and the complexity behind that. I like exploring emerging trends and why they are gaining popularity and how The West influences our clothing choices but also how we adopt our own culture into the clothes we wear and give them a unique spin. I also love looking at pre-loved clothes and how we buy them and transform them to suit our preferences and individual taste. For example, everyone has a special way of wearing clothes, so, even if everyone is following a certain trend, the outcome usually varies from person to person.”
“Fashion is such an important thing for me because it allows me to look at the context and observe new things. For example, I saw a girl who was wearing something very interesting, it wasn’t fashionable but it was so unique that it really stood out for me and it was lovely to observe. And people can be so uniquely themselves with fashion, it is an amazing thing to explore. On the first day, I was taking pictures, I felt very purposeful and it was an amazing feeling.
However, the account is not merely a demonstration of the type of clothes people wear at Habib, it is also a celebration of the freedom that Habib allows its students and how this freedom is utilized by the students to express their creativity. Rumaysa sees her time in Habib as an opportunity to experiment with her outfits and to make more conscious choices about what she wears and why. And while doing this, she also tries to challenge the mindset that comes with free expressions of the self.
“I have been thinking about the way I dress at Habib and that I cannot dress that way anywhere else because there is a lot of freedom at Habib and I have the option to explore my choices and really experiment with my outfits. What people wear at Habib says so much about their personalities because there is so much freedom to express our individuality. I’ve also noticed different trends or categories emerging in Habib fashion. For example, the desi element is really popular right now and that is reflective of the entire city as well. Wearing Jhumkas and block print Kurtis is trending and people have been incorporating the desi element with their own style.”
“For me, fashion is definitely revolutionary because it allows women to express themselves freely and give meaning to their fashion choices. This is why my Instagram bio states: Liberal Larki, Liberal Kapre, it’s a call out towards that entire mindset but also taking it back and redefining it. I had a lot of inhibitions about the account because I knew a lot of men would follow the account because they have a specific image of Habib and I have been afraid of people like that. But regardless of that fear, I want to do this because I want people to recognize that they should hold onto their unique taste in fashion and, in a way, cherish it. People have really liked the idea and people tell me that it’s an interesting endeavor and that is why I continue to do this because it provides a new perspective about Habib.”
With such a simple idea, Rumaysa has managed to create something unique. Especially because her main purpose is not to gain popularity but to call attention to a subtle phenomenon occurring not only in Habib but all over the city. Through fashion, Rumaysa is able to observe how trends are adapted to suit different individuals, her observations allow her to make broader connections with fashion and cultural/societal changes in attitudes. As her account grows, she hopes to introduce new elements to her posts and make them more immersive.
“I am not trying to sell anything, this is just as much documentation I can have on this topic and my interests. I have a lot of mixed media ideas for the posts. I have been too busy to add anything right now but I want to incorporate new graphics. I also want to add a musical element to it in the future. But I don’t want to force anything, if it feels good then it will be there.”
The mission and the purpose behind the account is simple, yet, Rumaysa hopes that the account encourages people to take more risks, not just with their clothing, but with any creative endeavors. Even though the pandemic has limited her unique fashion discoveries, she hopes that as people slowly return to campus, she can document more new and bold fashion choices.
“Right now, life at Habib is not really there. In normal times there are more people and there are so many outfits to document. Recently I took only six pictures but once we are all on-campus I’ll probably be taking so many more pictures and I hope things can go back to normal so that I can experience that. I love the expression and the creativity and I hope I can continue with this in the future.”
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