GETTING CRAFTY
Art by Addison Pavone
Syracuse University students are known for their school spirit. Games in the JMA Wireless Dome are swarmed with a sea of orange and blue merchandise that was probably bought from the campus store. However, all of this school spirit comes with a hefty price tag. The average price of Syracuse merch is way out of most college students’ budgets. One of the most popular items in the official Syracuse Orange store—a women’s navy crewneck—is priced at $44.99 without a discount code and $35.99 with one. A men’s football jersey costs $129 without a code, and a unisex basketball jersey costs $62.39 with a code. Not wanting to drain their wallets on overpriced jerseys and shirts, many SU students are making their own merch.
Catherine Farrell, or @catherineontour on TikTok, is a freshman at SU and an avid merch maker. In a TikTok from this past February, Farrell showed off a D.I.Y embroidered navy crewneck. Using orange and white fabric scraps and white lace, Farrell effortlessly sewed a “44,” “Cuse” pennant, and hearts onto the sweater with orange and white thread. The caption of the TikTok reads, “i love her sm i’m gonna make another.”
Other students flex their D.I.Y muscles for SU themed room decor. Grace Vickner is a sophomore with a TikTok following of over 130,000 people, and mainly makes content focused on college life and fashion. Before moving into her dorm, Vickner painstakingly bedazzled a photo of a Sonny Angel with the word “Syracuse” written underneath to use as wall art.
While D.I.Y clothing projects like merch may seem like just a simple way to spice up an otherwise boring item of clothing, the history of D.I.Y fashion goes all the way back to the 1970s punk movement. Originating in the United Kingdom, punk was an anti-establishment movement in response to institutional classism. According to the European Fashion Heritage Association, punks wore purposely torn or ripped clothes and pierced them together with safety pins to differentiate themselves from the middle class. Designers, such as Vivienne Westwood later capitalized on this style and brought punk fashion to the runway. With young people at the forefront, the punk movement embodied the spirit of D.I.Y.
SU even has on-campus resources for students to create game day-worthy merch. The Information Technology Services MakerSpace in Marshall Square Mall is a space where SU students, faculty and staff can use technology like 3D printers and laser engravers to bring any idea to life for free. Students can take advantage of embroidery and sewing machines, as well as a direct-to-garment printer to customize textiles they bring in.
D.I.Y clothing is also more environmentally friendly. Upcycling—the process of altering already made clothes to improve upon them or make a new item—prevents old clothing from ending up in landfills. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, over 11 million tons of textiles were landfilled in 2018—and that’s just in the U.S. Upcycling clothing to make merch is one way to cut down on textile waste.
Merch prices aren’t becoming more affordable any time soon. So, the next time you go into the campus bookstore, check the price of a T-shirt and let out a sigh of defeat, grab the Welcome Week shirt you got freshman year that is two sizes too big, a pair of scissors and get creative.