Styling a graphic-studded jacket and white jersey with orange accents, Azzaam Abdur-Rahman ’27 completes his look with bright orange cargo pants, curating a distinct, colorful outfit. Abdur-Rahman possesses a style that is impossible to miss. Bold, spontaneous, and totally his own, Abdur-Rahman mixes 90s aesthetics with his own unique twist which he dubs “Azzaam pizzazz.”
Abdur-Raman’s style started out with childhood hand-me-downs and school uniforms, but the real spark came from his dad’s fashion in a boy band. His dad’s iconic outfits inspired his love for 90s fashion, which Abdur-Rahman blends with childhood influences such as Batman and Spiderman to create his signature bold look.
“My style is very spontaneous but there are of course some things that influence it like the media I expose myself to, like how could I not copy Batman and Spiderman? I take inspiration from my dad too. When I first started being fashionable, it was his Perfect Gentleman jacket from when he was in a boy band that became my staple clothing item. His fits in that band were so tough, if I could get my hands on those then that would be my whole look of the week. He’s definitely where my 90s inspiration comes from,” said Abdur-Rahman.
Previously attending a school with a uniform, Abdur-Rahman’s wardrobe was limited to simple and repetitious items. However, once he became unrestricted, he embraced bright colors and bold outfits, earning him nicknames and making him stand out in the halls.
“I went to a uniform school for a while, and my uniform was basically the only clothes I had that whole time. My best fit at the time was my gym clothes, which was a blue button-up short sleeve shirt and black sweatpants. Once I gained consciousness though, I started to wear clothes like I do now, bright colors, neon jackets, [and] ripped jeans,” said Abdur-Rahman.
He continued, “I became known for my color-coded outfits, people would call me a Minion or Banana Boy, a Snowman, or whatever else matched the color of my fit. Because my style is so spontaneous and I only go shopping for clothes once a year, I’ll find myself carrying the best parts of last year’s style into the next year. Like the colorfulness, that never went away.”
Abdur-Rahman’s distinct wardrobe refreshes every year. Every time he buys clothes, he shops with intention, following a specific formula.
“The ideal formula is an eye-popping jacket, matching pants, a shirt with a unique design, and shoes with all the colors of the fit included. Most of my outfits fit that formula, because I subconsciously only buy clothes that match it,” said Abdur-Rahman.
However, Abdur-Rahman is careful to not put too much consideration into his outfits. Rather, his personality inherently encourages him to gravitate to the unique clothes in his wardrobe.
“I don’t really put together fits. I just put on something comfortable for the weather and I step outside and it happens to be fine every time. It’s more common for me to be wearing something unique than not. Sometimes I’ll wear regular clothes, because I ran out of unique ones. It’s not even intentional, I just barely own anything regular, “ said Abdur-Rahman.
Abdur-Rahman’s clothing picks may be subconscious choices, but his jewelry choices are filled with intention. Whether it’s his ring, chains, or signature headphones, they all seem to have some story as to how they were chosen.
“I only have three pieces that I wear every day, which are my ring and two chains. I only wear these because they actually have meaning to me. I don’t like to get jewelry just for the look of it, [but] they just so happen to add the perfect touch to every outfit … I only wear [these headphones] because my old ones broke, but now they’ve become a big part of my style for this year, and they’ll probably be gone by next year,” said Abdur-Rahman.
Abdur-Rahman lets each year reshape his look, from color-coded signature looks to broken headphones turned into accessories. That restless energy, his “Azzaam pizazz,” means his outfits are never static but always a reflection of where he is in life.
