Hawaiin student’s industrialist, naturalist style reflects environments

Mali Tribune uses fashion as a means to express his individual sense of self.

Our campus is jam-packed with a variety of people from different backgrounds and with different ways of expressing their fashion. Jamal Tribune is one of these distinctive people.

Originally from Hawaii, the second year student majors in graphic design. Tribune has a unique nature-inspired style and a relaxed yet charismatic way of carrying himself, which speaks volumes about who he is. It hints at his confident, fierce and and proud personality.

The sophomore said that his sense of fashion definitely derived from a lot of his experiences. Coming from such a beautiful island to an industrialized inland, impacts what he wears because it is a mix between naturalist and industrialist.

Tribune appreciates things that are suited for nature. At the same time, the new city environment of Austin “has really inspired and encouraged me to appreciate the ways in which industrialism is beautiful in its own sense,” Tribune said.

When he first arrived on the St. Edward’s campus, Tribune sported a regular pair of jeans with a basic shirt, but now there is more character to what he wears. He is not afraid of layering different materials, such as a mesh shirt with baggy shorts or even tighter pants with dangling chains and Heaven shoes up to the calves.

Conscious of the unique way he dresses, Tribune is committed to being true to himself as much as possible. If that makes him different, then “so be it,” he said.

“I feel like I receive a lot of respect for being out there, and people understand that it’s my own sense of expression and that I take it seriously,” Tribune said.

Tribune feels he has room to express himself because he knows that he doesn’t have to worry about what others will think about him. He dresses according to his surroundings and mood to reflect the environment he finds himself in.

“I feel like my life is going in a certain direction,” Tribune said. “It almost feels cinematic to me, and so I think about the way I am as a character. I dress [based on] my emotions.”