Student Spotlight: Henry Kozloff

If you don’t know Henry, I’m sure you’d recognize him from his extravagant style. You can usually spot him in the crowd wearing either his famous all-orange fit or his reflective trench coat. If you are interested in what or who inspires his style or want insight on some of his favorite and least favorite designer brands, read below:

What inspires your style?

What inspires my fashion style and sense is both the stories behind each of my clothing pieces and the people around me. Most people say that spending outlandish amounts of money on a piece of clothing is materialistic or immature, which is true. I’m not going to lie. I love materialistic items. We all do to a certain degree, but just like any thousand-dollar painting, every thousand-dollar pant or t-shirt has a story behind it. Designer clothing is just art you wear; even the basic Gucci logo tee, which I find ugly and pretentious.

Who’s your fashion icon? Why?

I do not have a fashion icon. The person I get compared to the most is Kanye West. I know people mean this as a compliment, but I prefer not to be compared to an antisemite. Although, he does make some stellar music. I think I get compared to Kanye because of our similar baggy black clothes style or our shared love for Balenciaga. I wear a lot of baggy clothes because I have a bigger build. I need baggy clothes so my thighs don’t look like they’re getting suffocated by my pants.

Is fashion important to you? If so, when did this become a priority to you?

I started to get into fashion two years ago when I found interest in sneakers like Jordans and Nike Dunks.  I used to have some of the most atrocious outfits, and in some people’s eyes, I still do. My old thought process was to wear a $20 t-shirt, $40 hoodie, $1 pants, and $3000 dollar shoes. I soon realized that putting all my money into one clothing category was a waste. That was when the iconic all-orange fit came to be. If you don’t know about this picture, just ask Ben O’Brien for it. The fit was an orange Moncler puffer, orange Balenciaga shirt, orange Zara pants, and last but not least orange Yeezys. The outfit was terrible, but it did not deter me from trying again until I found my own style. If somebody asks what my style is, I don’t know. Sometimes I’ll wear an all-black goth-like outfit, other times I am more vibrant like a flower; it depends on my feelings.