Workwear: More than just a trend

BY RILEY RUNNELLS PHOTOS BY PROVIDED

As a rule, fashion differs from region to region – especially when it comes to city fashion versus rural fashion. Though some styles overlap, every area is influenced in a different way by what is trendy, comfortable, or utility-based.

Athens has a very specific style influenced by Appalachian trends, but it differs from other Appalachian areas in that Ohio University students make up a lot of the population, flooding the area with different types of fashion.

“We're a little skewed here with the university to compare to what [clothing items] people out in the county might be using and wearing,” Lisa Williams, associate professor of instruction in retail and fashion merchandising, said. “We see a lot of more young,

“WE SEE A LOT OF MORE YOUNG, TREND-TYPE OF FASHION IN THE UNIVERSITY SETTING. BUT I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE OUT IN THE COUNTY AREN’T NECESSARILY ASSOCIATED WITH THE UNIVERSITY.”

WILLIAMS searching for clothing that will last to avoid the hassle of constantly buying new clothes. It is also, in part, because of residents avoiding the financial strain of constantly buying new clothes, Williams said.

According to Williams, logic plays a lot into clothing purchases. Aside from workwear, people will typically purchase clothing for church and special functions, like weddings and funerals.

“I think, especially if money is tight, utility is going to be a huge part, [along with] things that are going to last a while and can be reused by other family members,” Williams said.

Because of deep tradition and emphasis, workwear is a heavy focus in many clothing

trend-type of fashion in the university setting. But I think a lot of people out in the county aren't necessarily associated with the university.”

Putting OHIO students aside, many Athens residents put more of an emphasis on workwear — a subsection of fashion involving types of clothing worn for work, especially work that involves manual labor. Pieces in this style of clothing emphasize durability and utility, with some of the most common workwear items being leather and rubber boots, overalls, jeans, beanies, and other Carhartt-based items. Generally, workwear is not considered “fashion” or a trend in Appalachian regions because it is for utility – it means, literally, clothes one wears to work.

Williams believes utility and comfort are more valued than trends in both Athens and Appalachia in general. This is, in part, attributed to residents

“I THINK, ESPECIALLY IF MONEY IS TIGHT, UTILITY IS GOING TO BE A HUGE PART, [ALONG WITH] THINGS THAT ARE GOING TO LAST A WHILE AND CAN BE REUSED BY OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS.”

WILLIAMS

store options in Athens and Appalachian regions. One such store is Mac’s Work Wear, 940 E. State St., which even specifically advertises Carhartt. A family affair, Jim McLaren and his sister currently run Mac’s, but it was originally opened by his father in 1950.

“Back then we had suits and work clothes both,” McLaren said. “But as things have evolved over the years, you just don't see as many people anymore in suits. When I was in college in the early ’80s, most all the professors wore a suit back then. And now you're not going to go to class and see a professor with a suit and tie on. The way things changed over the years got us away from more of the dressier clothes.”

Though McLaren’s store has been a huge part of Athens shopping since 1950, retail itself has changed greatly over the years in town. Trina Gannon Blair, an assistant professor of

instruction in retail and fashion merchandising, said 30 years ago there were many more stores in Athens, including a K-Mart and a Forever 21, but that just because some of the stores have left does not mean there are not many other options in town. She specifically mentioned some of the boutiques uptown that provide some alternative options for people who are not as invested in the workwear culture. She even mentions the mall in Parkersburg, W.Va., where people can drive around 45 minutes from town and discover more options. Gannon Blair feels people do not have many limitations to just the workwear trend of the region when shopping in Athens. She also knows that with online shopping, foregoing potential financial barriers, no one in any region has many limitations anymore. “These stores might be closing and there might be less access, but there's more access online for people to shop,” Gannon Blair said.

McLaren credits the workwear necessity to a great deal of outdoor activity readily available in Appalachia. However, he sees a large mix of clientele seeking out the workwear style, including Appalachian residents looking for durability and OHIO students emulating the trend.

“It’s just another one of those fads where it comes and goes,” McLaren said. “Years ago, way back in the ’90s, there were a lot of the Carhartt coats that we couldn’t even get when you tried to order. And my salesman, I was asking him why it was so hard to get it, and he said, ‘Do you watch MTV?’ And I’m like, ‘No.’ And he said, ‘Well, turn that on some time.’ And so I turned it on, and every other rap band that was in there was wearing Carhartt coats. So then, of course, when they’re doing it, now you've got everybody in the big cities and everywhere wanting to look like them and wear the same stuff.”

Williams and Gannon Blair believe buying workwear as

a trend can sometimes be detrimental to those who wear the clothing out of necessity when trend-followers are buying up all the items from thrift stores and other stores specifically designed to be more affordable to those with lower income – even though both recognize there is often an environmentally conscious motive behind buying workwear pieces.

“It does take away the availability for the people who need that price point versus the ones who are trying to be ecologically sound of mind and not encouraging more production,” Williams said.

However, in terms of the appropriation nature of emulating workwear style, they both don’t see an issue with honoring the trend. “I don’t think it’s wrong because it’s a part of our Ohio culture,” Gannon Blair said.

“It’s just kind of ironic,” Williams said. “The people who buy it because it’s functional for them and their lifestyle, that somebody would find that trendy. When it’s just basic, functional fashion that provides warmth, that provides protection, that's durable. But that somebody would want to emulate that they are from a rural environment when they're not, it's just kind of interesting, and that's how fashion is, too. It can be absurd sometimes.”

Both professors acknowledge the fact that workwear has more than one meaning: though it applies to the subsection of fashion that has to do with durability and functionality, it also means clothing that one wears to work. For some people, the Carhartt-overallsboots style is workwear, but for others, workwear means suits and dresses. For the people of Appalachia with limited retail options, and those with lower income on top of that, obtaining suits and dresses can prove to be an obstacle in professional environments.

“I think we're seeing that relax a bit; the work environment seems to be a little less rigid on professional wear, and people are able to wear things that they feel comfortable in,” Williams said. “So I would hope that employers would understand that not every person that's interviewing has the ability to go out and buy a suit and a tie or a woman's dress suit or anything like that. I would hope that wouldn't be a reason to exclude this person from their interview, because they can't afford it. It is definitely a form of privilege, that not everybody's going to have that opportunity or even desire to own a professional garment – maybe they don't want to work in a professional office setting. But they're expected to wear professional clothing to interview, so that makes it difficult on the people who don't necessarily want to put the money into that kind of a product.”

Gannon Blair said there are outlets like the Salvation Army or the Career Closet through OHIO’s Career Network, where students are provided with business professional and business casual clothes for interviews, career fairs, formal events, or any careerrelated function, both on and off campus.

But, if there is one aspect of workwear and fashion in general Williams and Gannon Blair agree upon, it is the convoluted nature. Fashion, in general, is hard to pin down into words, let alone workwear fashion mixed with the complexities that come with it like thrifting, low-income buyers, and the Appalachian region itself. Fashion is subjective, and no one area completely dresses the same because of an emphasis on individualization.

“Fashion is very interesting and individualistic,” Gannon Blair said. “I really do hate to stereotype it. It’s hard to generalize; to inform people without stepping on someone’s toes.”