A new fashion-forward Facebook page has emerged: Silvia Danaj, a 19-year-old, first-year IBA student from Albania, is the creator of ‘Erasmus Street Style’. She goes around campus, takes pictures of interesting outfits, and puts the most fashionable EUR students in a ‘Facebook spotlight’.
Silvia says she started with Erasmus Street Style because the attention for fashion on campus was missing: “There are these big, professional websites about street fashion, but I think a street style page for the university is more personal, and can show how we, as university students, like to dress.” She says her love for fashion and photography makes her happy, and balances the hard work she has to do for her study programme. The positive reactions she gets also motivate her to keep going. Students seem to like the initiative, and the number of page likes is growing, now almost reaching 400.
The search for ‘something unique’
Silvia tries to take some pictures of EUR students every day, and mostly spends about an hour finding and photographing people with original outfits. This can be difficult, as according to Silvia, fashionable people can be difficult to find. So what does she look for? “I look for something unique, something that catches my eye. Personally, I love to wear colours, which also look great on pictures.”
We ask Silvia what she personally thinks of the on-campus level of fashion. “I really noticed that guys at Erasmus are more fashionable than girls. Girls here generally just wear jeans, or something simple. Most pictures I took so far are from guys, as they seem to put more effort into their outfits.” Comparing different nationalities, Silvia says Italian guys stand out the most, especially when it comes to shoes.
Smart people are fashionable?
We follow Silvia with her camera to see her in action. She begins her search in L-building. Until now, she has found the most interesting outfits in the library: “Maybe the smartest people are also the most fashionable”, she smiles.
Xiaoshi Shi
We proceed towards T-building, and go up the escalator. An Asian guy, casually reading in the main hall, immediately catches Silvia’s eye. She walks over to him, asks if she can take a picture, to which he agrees. Xiaoshi Shi, a Chinese, 24-year-old Master student at RSM, tells us that he already knew Silvia’s page before she took his picture: “I really like the initiative, but I do think Erasmus students could be a bit more fashion-forward.”
In the same hall, Selin Capkin also captures Silvia’s attention. She is a 21-year-old, third-year IBA student of Turkish origin, but was born and raised in the Netherlands. She says she didn’t know the page yet, but likes the idea of an ‘EUR Sartorialist’. Selin: “I think it’s important to dress well, even when I just go to school. I feel that many people at Erasmus just grab something and put it on before they go to class.” IS
