Colder weather allows students to express their fashion with sweaters
By AMBER WARNKE — features@theaggie.org
As the beginning of winter brings a chill to Davis, students have taken the colder season as a chance to express their sense of fashion through sweaters. Long seen as the classic winter clothing choice, sweaters come in all sorts of styles, with countless variations in knit, color and fit.
Anna Gunderson, a fourth-year psychology major, described her love for vintage sweaters and the ways in which they allow her to connect with fashion trends of the past. She noted that thrifted finds help her assemble a unique wardrobe.
“I love bright ’80s sweaters, just the vividness of that era — all the bold prints and colors really feel like me,” Gunderson said. “I like to thrift my sweaters on Depop, or I go to some Goodwills in Sacramento. You have to find the thrift stores that are a little out of the way, less popular, to really find the gems.”
Rowan Pritchard, a third-year wildlife, fish and conservation biology major, also uses sweaters as a way to express creativity through his fashion, crocheting sweaters himself to have full control over how his pieces look.
“I’ve done patterns and stuff, but the sleeves and the ribbing on the bottom and top is more fun to play around with, so usually I just decide last minute [how it will look],” Pritchard said.
Making his own sweaters has not only given Pritchard more control over the creative process, but has also helped him find confidence in his skills.
“With a sweater, because it’s such a big piece, I’m very proud of myself for making it,” Pritchard said. “I’ll draw up what I want it to look like before I make it, so being able to see that I actually replicated what I was going for is also really rewarding.”
A psychological phenomenon known as the IKEA effect describes how people place more value on things they make themselves — and this can be true of sweaters just as much as Swedish furniture. Making clothing from scratch can be an empowering way to express oneself, as well as being a creative outlet. Additionally, knitting has been shown to decrease anxiety, have a calming effect and provide a sense of accomplishment.
Pritchard, a self-taught crocheter, said that students don’t need formal training to take up the craft and that many people can benefit from starting the hobby.
“Get yourself a pair of needles, a crochet hook and a thing of yarn, and just practice while watching YouTube — it’s a really good stress reliever,” Pritchard said. “Even teaching yourself how to do it is fun, and then working up to being like ‘I really want to make this pattern’ and having the passion to do that — when you get it back, it makes you really happy because you’re like, ‘oh my God, I’ve put all this effort in, and I actually like [it]. It looks really good, [and] I’m really proud of it.’”
Joining the UC Davis Fiber Arts club was also a large part of Pritchard’s journey into crocheting, as it allowed him to connect with others aspiring to learn the same skills as him.
“There’s a community around it, and we all have each other’s backs,” Prichard said. “If tfyou have questions like, ‘Okay guys, I think I messed up on this, how do I fix it?’ someone’s always gonna help you.”
Tianrun Yang, a fourth-year biological sciences major, is also in the Fiber Arts club, but is still working her way up to knitting a sweater. In the meantime, Yang finds comfort in a sweater she received from her grandmother; as an international student, she values connections to her home.
“I feel like having something with you from your homeland, from your family, [let’s] you know that they will always be with you, even though you’re far away,” Yang said.
Yang is also passionate about educating others on the correct way to care for and maintain sweaters, and has ample advice on the topic to share.
“If you had 100% wool, I just suggest that you either hand wash or dry clean them,” Yang said. “Generally, you should wash your wool sweaters with cold water and do not dry them in the dryer — it will completely ruin the fabrics, and then the wool just completely turns matted.”
However, one of the most important aspects of sweaters is not necessarily how they look on the outside, but how they make the wearer feel on the inside.
“Wear whatever makes you happy,” Gunderson said. “I wear this because it brings me joy. People shouldn’t care what others say; just wear what makes you feel good.”
Written by: Amber Warnke — features@theaggie.org
