Combining street wear and athletic aesthetics, Hunter Peabody ’27 and Kachi Ikekpeazu ’27 bounce their styles off of each other to enhance their outfits and expand their fashion palette. The two don complementary outfits that each still retain unique pieces.
Both Peabody and Ikekpeazu utilize fashion as an external reflection of their emotions and attitudes. For Peabody, fashion is a way to express his daily feelings without having to vocalize them. He also sees fashion as something unique to him, which he can indulge in without others’ opinions or judgements.
“[Fashion] gives me a way of expression on the day-to-day basis when I can’t necessarily talk to everyone. It just allows me to express whether it’s my emotions during that day, or my level of wanting to feel comfortable, or kind of getting out of my comfort zone. [Fashion] just shows how my brain is working that day based on what I’m wearing. People say, ‘Oh, when you’re sad, a lot of people wear all black,’ and they don’t even know it. But it’s just subconsciously how we feel. [Fashion] can be just a form of expression and also I feel good that I’m doing something that is unique to me and something that I enjoy doing no matter what people think,” said Peabody.
Ikekpeazu comments on how fashion is instrumental to his sense of self. By dressing in a way that feels representative of his true self, he is able to feel more confident throughout the day. Moreover, he enjoys seeing others’ reactions to his outfits, which supply him with an extra spark of energy for the day ahead.
“[Fashion] kind of helps me with my confidence and how I walk around. Say I like my outfit of the day or people compliment me on it, it boosts my confidence and I like that boost in confidence because throughout the day, whether I have a test or something, it’s good to have that,” says Ikekpeazu.
Peabody and Ikekpeazu started an Instagram account called “Fitty Fridays,” posting a variety of different outfits from the Andover community each Friday. Peabody feels the account gives him an obligation to invest in his outfit and develop his creativity in style. His friendship with Ikekpeazu also challenges him to enhance his style, as the two challenge each other to don more interesting and versatile outfits.
“A big part of [keeping my style creative and interesting] is me and Kachi kind of challenging each other to wear interesting things, like with our ‘Fitty Friday’ idea. As people who are trying to make a space where people can dress up and be [posted] on an account, we almost feel a duty to wear [outfits] that are different and at least show that we’re trying and appreciate style for what it is, as a subjective thing. So with [Kachi and me], pushing each other as well as me just wanting to look presentable and interesting, I think those are two factors,” says Peabody.
Peabody and Ikekpeazu’s friends highlighted how they both are heavily inspired by current street style trends. They also often combine different colors and textures to make their outfits more unique. An important element of their personal style is experimenting and adapting these images on social media to reflect their individuality. Kwezi Besiimire ’26 highlights some of his favorite outfits of the duo.
Besiimire said, “It’s very influenced by streetwear style and trends on TikTok. They have their own aura with it. They have the best fits in the school. When Kachi has the jeans on and the green sweater, I just think it’s a really chill fit. Hunter’s [best outfit] is the Andover sweater and the shirt showing under with the cargoes. They wear a lot of outfits based on what the vibe is of that day now. [Their style] has evolved in the sense that they’re more experimental with what they wear.”
Mads Hugo ’25, another one of their friends, shares one of her favorite outfits of Peabody’s. Her chosen outfit stood out for its uncommon use of dark denim against light stitching. Moreover, the overall coordination between the outfit’s elements served to make it irrefutably harmonious.
“My personal favorite [outfit] was the all-denim day where [Hunter] wore a denim jean jacket with white stitching and jeans. That was my favorite because I feel like not many people think to do that typically, and I liked the contrast with the white stitching against the dark denim. He might as well have sewn denim onto the shoes while he was up planning his outfit the night before to tie everything together. Also, I really like his hats, like his brown hat. Hunter does a really great job layering the parts of his outfits together. You never see him just wearing a shirt. It can never just be a shirt. It has to be a shirt, a vest, and an accessory. He uses the sandwich method a bit, too,” said Hugo.
