SARTORIAL AUTOBIOGRAPHY - EDMOND ASANTE

Edmond Asante, Senior Folklorist and High School Senior

The Dr. Beverly J. Robinson Community Folk Culture Program

Mind-Builders Creative Arts Center - Bronx, NY

I would say that the style in which I dress is urban but with a downtown city life inspiration. Even though I am born and raised in the Bronx, I’ve been going back and forth between Manhattan and the Bronx on my own since fifth grade. My attire expresses that I’m a young kid with a lot of ideas on my mind. It tells the story of where my life is right now. I’m a teen who has a little too much fun and is waiting to bust out and be mature and independent. It shows that I put a lot of thought into what I’m wearing and that distinguishing myself and my individuality is very important to me.

I mainly dress the way I do because I hate completely blending in. Monotony is rarely present in my life and so there’s no reason why it should show up in my sartorial choices. I am a very vibrant person and that is reflected in the colors that I choose to wear. Fashion is something that I have taken a special liking to because it’s like wearing art and since I am horrible at painting picture with my hands on a piece of paper, I find it much more pleasurable and exciting to make my body the canvas. I value my ideas and that is shown by what I wear because I never just “throw something on”, it’s always a process, however brief or lengthy it may be. I also dress the way I do because anything else I might want to wear would be rejected by my parents. Because of this, there is a limit to how creative and expressive I can be in my outfit choices.

One group I belong to is my church. There, I tend to be more reserved and less eccentric with what I wear. What I’m wearing shouldn’t take away attention from the reason that we all congregated at the church and so I just wear slacks, a dress shirt, and loafers.

At school, because of our dress code I must dress formally. However, our lack of a full on uniform allows for me to play around a bit with what I’m wearing. Every now and then though, my friends and I will break a rule over what we want to wear and try and see how long we can go through the day without getting caught.

The circle of friends I have is usually the ones who I am always in Manhattan going to museums, shows, and theatres with. Because of this, I’m more individualistic and get a bit crazy with what I’m wearing because in Manhattan you’re bound to be one of many in eye catching attire.

With the friends that I am with in the Bronx, I am more subtle because they’re not used to how I’d dress with my other friends and the last thing I need is someone else’s harsh criticism.

When I’m around family and older people, I tend to make sure that my outfits won’t cause too much of a stir with them.

When I’m with my friends, other people’s comments and opinions on my fashion choices are not considered as much, and then it’s more about what I like and feel happy in.