Junior Blake Silva walks around with a permanent smile on his face and has enough self-confidence to wear clothing items that others might not feel comfortable in.

“People sometimes do a double-take of me; not a bad one! I mean the other day I wore a sweatshirt with a panda bear on it… Just because, why not!”

Blake is an independent young man who doesn’t let his friends or peers influence his decisions; he’s his own unique person and he doesn’t try and “make himself like others.” Not only does this show in his personality, but in the clothes he wears as well.

He likes wearing clothes that he, or someone else, has altered; sometimes he cuts and dyes his clothes or draws designs on them. These clothes allow him to be different and express himself in any way he feels fit, and no one else can have the same thing as him. Sometimes he finds these at his favorite place to shop, Buffalo Exchange.

Blake said that everyday he wakes up and thinks about his motto when he picks out his outfit for the day: “pants with a t-shirt, or shorts with a long-sleeve.”

Of course he doesn’t always stick to this, especially on swelteringly hot or freezing cold days. While picking out his outfit, he doesn’t always match his clothes according to color – he just thinks of what would look good together and gives it a shot.

Blake gets some of the inspiration for his style from his youth leaders at Reality Church.

“When I started going back to youth group I noticed how they all cared about how they look and presented themselves. This made me care more, so I started dressing like it was important to me,” Silva said.

One of Blake’s key pieces in his wardrobe are his greenish-blue skinny jeans.

“They go with anything and everything,” Silva said.

Another one of Blake’s favorite accessories are his Toms.

“I don’t like wearing socks and that’s why I love wearing my Toms,” Silva said.

Blake’s classmates have also noticed his originality in style.

“Blake has a hipster style and doesn’t really go with what everyone else does… He likes being original. I admire him and think he has great style for a dude,” junior Holly Guzman said.

Editor’s note: If you’ve noticed any students at Foothill with an amazing and unique style that you think deserves recognition and a feature article, send us an email with your suggestion! Please include the full name of the student and their grade, along with yours! Send the emails to: [email protected]

Credit: Lauren Pedersen/The Foothill Dragon Press