Photo by Neidy Gutierrez / SOC Images.
Hopping in the car, driving along to Downtown, which could be uncharted territory for the average young non-Downtown resident. Staring at the buildings and stores, you notice long, fuzzy, brown trench coats, neatly done ties on tuxedos and purses with initials you don’t know the name of; all of which might even make you think: “This place is too fancy for me.”
Just like certain styles seen in Downtown Jersey City, these differences in fashion can be seen in all parts of the world where each region has their own fashion sense. Just like culture, fashion could also be defined by time and trends.
Today, near the tail end of the 2020s, it could be described as a time like the 70s or the 2000s, which were eras that had its own trends that could make the average person say, “Monster high platformer high heels, and a glittery oversized shirt? That’s definitely the 2000s.”
Walking around Jersey City you might not expect to find fashion designers out in the wild, but sometimes, the most fashionable people may surprise you.
29-year-old Stefan, the creator of the brand Virtue New York, and 25-year-old Kyree Parker, who owns the brand MoneyMaker, were strolling side-by-side the Downtown streets showcasing their colorful streetwear.
The two designers shared their views on today’s Jersey City fashion where Stefan described it as a “rockstar” aesthetic, mixed with streetwear, where people wear baggy tops, studs on their jeans and big graphics on their tee shirts.
Besides styling themselves through their own clothing brands, they shop at local Jersey City store Trial and Error—located at 720 Grand Street—and try to support Black-owned businesses.
“We try to support a lot of Black-owned businesses and everything, you know, we try to support our brothers and sisters for the most part, rock their stuff instead of going to the people who charge $500 for t-shirts and everything like that,” said Parker.
“So yeah, we just try to support our loved ones, friends, family, Black-owned businesses, things like that.”
The cousins and Jersey City residents also shared how the rising prices in today’s age affects the way they dress. Stefan claimed that when he was younger the most expensive jeans people bought were around $200, but now some people wear jeans over $1,000.
“If you wanna dress like them, it’s gonna cost a lot. So people definitely have to make decisions based on what they wanna wear economically.”
– Stefan, who also goes by “Young”
18-year old Allison and 17-year-old Rhiannon, who are newfound friends, shared their experience with finding sustainable outfits to compensate for the rising prices of today. The New Jersey residents often go thrifting and shopping at stores, like TJMaxx, Hollister and Plato’s Closet.
Photo by Neidy Gutierrez / SOC Images.
According to Allison, she said that it’s harder to get new clothes, forcing her to be more resourceful, which she thinks might be a plus, but also doesn’t allow her style to upgrade as much as she wants it too.
“Whenever I go shopping, I used to buy—I feel like—a lot more things in one shopping trip and now it’s like, I kind of go into a place that I can only really get one or two things. And it’s like $60.”
Allison said that 2020s fashion all depends on age groups. For people around her age, she’s noticed that they dress in the early 2000s aesthetic like mini skirts, low rise pants and shorts, paired with sequins and beaded tops.
25-year-old Caitlin D’Souza, a New Jersey resident, also likes thrifting and shopping in places like Primark. She believes that modern New Jersey fashion is “comfortable, chic and cute.”
When it comes down to her personal style, she said her outfits all depend on the vibes and weather. And when it comes down to her trying to wear sustainable clothes she said, “I find myself thrifting more and learning how to sew so I can tailor things to my liking.”
From different age groups to different styles, it seems that Jersey City fashion as of 2020 doesn’t have a defining look; just walking around the Grove Street area, you can see people’s different styles, displaying different definitions of what 2020s Jersey City fashion is.
33-year-old Martina, a vintage enthusiast and worker at nearby shop Another Man’s Treasure, said that it’s all about personality and individuality.
She loves to shop on online vintage stores like The RealReal, and invests in high quality pieces if she can, no matter the budget .
From streetwear, to laid back 2000’s aesthetic, vintage and a minimalist like style, you’ll find it all while walking through the streets of Jersey City, but each with its own twist and personality. So no, there isn’t any defining style in Jersey City as of now, but there are people defining themselves.
So the question that needs to be answered is: what’s your outfit style and where do you get it from? Tell us here!
