Style that Evades Categorization
Tomasso Konzen explains how he thinks about his fashion
Tomasso Konzen '25 Credit:Lily Jandrisevits '25
Most observations of Gen Z style are seen as some enigmatic reaction to climate change, COVID or an overall disillusionment manifested in chaotic patterns and trend revitalization.
However, Tomasso Konzen ‘25 just wears what he wants.
Konzen can usually be seen around Marist College’s campus in a variation of the outfit I interviewed him in: wide-leg pants and a nice crew neck. The day we spoke, he was wearing a pair of jeans he purchased in Italy from a brand called PeppinoPeppino.
“This woman takes World War II pants and remakes them in denim,” he said. This entails the jeans also being outfitted with many pockets where magazines were meant to be.
He also wore a navy blue crewneck modeled after a wetsuit and featured a small JAWS logo, a piece from the SS19 Calvin Klein collection.
This unification between Italian and American influences feels essential to Konzen’s fashion and evokes an overall sense that he does not just stick to one style.
Konzen further explained that although his style is not particularly Italian, living in Italy for five years and then coming to America definitely shaped the way he dresses.
“Coming to the US was like coming into a world of fashion I was not used to. I always kind of felt like the odd one out, so I was never really scared to dress how I wanted to and I never feared judgment because I already felt different,” Konzen said.
He further credits his mom, who he said was always into fashion, as an inspiration. “We would bond by going shopping together,” Konzen said. When he got into fashion himself, he recalled being surprised his mom knew who Rick Owens was. “Now we bond over high fashion stuff.”
Being from Seattle and the lofty prices that come with shipping items from there to here, Konzen noted that most of his wardrobe stays home. Instead, he picks pieces that he knows will go well together.
This works with his more innate sense of style he described as currently being “Basic, not too many patterns. More focused on the silhouette and texture of the clothing.”
“I like relaxed and wide silhouettes and kind of comfier clothing,” Konzen said. He prefers not wearing anything particularly branded but takes inspiration from “cool but effortless” contemporary Japanese menswear accounts he comes across on social media, like Nanamica and Eyecmag.
Konzen’s amalgamation of influences that defy a certain label creates a style that is uniquely put together, yet nonchalant. He evades simple categorization, instead using his natural influences and instincts to dress in a way that fits him.