North has a number of wonderfully talented and creative students, but an often overlooked aspect within our creative community are those who have an outstanding interest in fashion & design. One such member of this community is sophomore Nina Zar. Every day, Zar turns heads with their colorful and completely original outfits and it’s exciting to get a window into their creative process and how it impacts the broader community at school.

Zar has always been interested in fashion. Even from a young age, they would experiment with colors and patterns, and would look for “the most randomly mismatched clothing [they] could pair.” They further remarked on the subject, joking that it was still quite evident in the way they dressed in the present day! 

For Zar, there is a really interesting process to choosing an outfit. They self describe their style as a “hodgepodge of a lot of different aesthetics”, which is evident in the creative choices made everyday. When Zar gets attached to a certain style or aesthetic, they typically tend to incorporate it into their outfits whenever possible. As a result, they tend to have a wide variety of trends seen, adding a fun element of surprise to their wardrobe for both themself and all those around them. This often includes many different accessories, especially homemade earrings and many rings, and even includes their creatively colored hair!

Zar is also well known for their art inspired ties, which have added quite a bit of excitement to their AP Art History course.  Zar touched on this, saying “ I’ve learned about so many amazing pieces of art through taking AP art history. I’ve even matched my outfits to some of the pieces we talk about in class!” This is a wonderful example of how what students learn in the classroom can have a direct impact on their broader life.  Zar’s sense of fashion in this arena, while typically inspired by the world of art, is not just limited to well known works!

Zar is well known not only for their fashion choices, but also for their creative and often handmade accessories. They are a frequent knitter, and wear the things they’ve made often. Zar finds deep meaning and purpose in wearing items they created, noting they “love[s] wearing things [they’ve] knit or crocheted, because people always give such nice compliments on them!” One of their most interesting and creative projects was a bag that they made a few years ago out of empty Capri Sun pouches, as they saw someone do something similar on Tiktok. They will frequently reuse and incorporate everyday objects that the average person would never think of using, demonstrating their creativity as well as a sense of connection to the environment.

Zar provided advice to North’s budding fashionistas, saying that “Fashion isn’t just the way you dress, but it’s an extension of your self expression!” They often use fashion to express themself to the world, as they believe that one “can tell a lot about someone’s personality based on how they present themself, which is a great indication of who they are, how they view themself, and how they want the world to see them.”