Meet Jian Qiang Yao ‘16, Brandeis’ very own style metamorphagus, akin to Nymphadora Tonks in Harry Potter, he has the magical power to change his appearance at will.
Why does he feel the need to change his appearance so often? He explains, “I know when I get out of college I can’t dye my hair green. I can’t wear a floral shirt to a work at a bank or something. I just want to try it out before I die.” It’s all about experimentation.
Take his hair for example. At the moment it’s bleached blonde with faded bits of green. At different points of his life, his naturally black hair has been blue, green, white, blonde, red and brown. He has established his very own salon in his dorm in Usen with the help of his hall mate, who may not the most experienced of hairdressers. “That’s why my hair looks like this right now,” he sheepishly explains.
In high school, he was a walking billboard for his friend who taught barber school, who used Jian’s hair as a canvas to display his artistic cuts achieved with a razor blade. His only request, “No stars.”
Currently he sports short hair, but in the past, it was long enough to tie in a ponytail. What’s next on his wish list? Cornrows.
While he would like to think of his style as “dapper,” swag is a more fitting term. Sitting cross-legged at Einsteins Café, he is dressed in grey shrunken blazer, pinstriped white-button down, and grey cotton pants. His bold outfits are reminiscent of those worn by a K-pop star (think Psy).
While he’s brushing his teeth after waking up at ten minutes before class, he thinks about what to wear. He throws his outfit on and then runs to class. How does he know what looks good together? “It’s built in.”
“Everybody can be fashionable. It’s all about the little stuff that you do. Things that are interesting and catches people’s eye.” He points to his handcuff keychain carrying his dorm keys, three wooden beaded bracelets worn on his left wrist, a bright pink silk handkerchief peeking out from the pocket of a pinstriped white button down, and two diamond studs on his left ear.
Street Etiquette, his favorite fashion blog, is where he derives much of his inspiration. His favorite store is Zara and pocket squares are his favorite accessory.
He frequents the Garment District and loves taking advantage of the one dollar a pound policy. While some may hate the disorganization, he enjoys sifting through piles of clothes. “It’s like finding treasure. It’s fun.” Once he even fought with a girl over a shirt. “Some are for women…I don’t give a…” insert expletive.
He’s not so much concerned about fashion, but rather about way that fashion makes him feel. He says, “…it gives me some confidence and it feel(s) good.” When asked why it gives him confidence, he says “yo cuz I look dapper.”
When asked if people ever given him strange looks, and say to him “What are you wearing?!” he says, “Yes all the time,” he smiles, “but I don’t hate.”