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_Photo by Gabriel Levi_
David Bihomora is an up-and-coming fashionista in the MU community whose style is best described as “out of the box.” Taking inspiration from Pinterest and popular social media platforms such as TikTok, Bihomora prides himself on using popular ideas to make them his own.
“I really do like to just wear what I want to wear and be proud about it even if some people might not like it,” Bihomora said. “[Because] it’s me. It’s expressionism through an art.”
Bihomora said he isn’t great at expressing himself through words, so he likes to make statements through fashion.
“Anytime you see me in an outfit, I might stand out or give off a certain persona and that itself speaks words that I just don’t have to say,” Bihomora said.
Growing up in Columbia, standing out has always been a part of Bihomora’s life. From the color of his skin to the way he chooses to express himself, Bihomora said he has never been a part of the crowd.
“I’ve always stood out. I’ve always been the only Black person at a white school, so if I’m going to stand out, why not stand out the way I want to be portrayed,” Bihomora said.
After standing out so much in his classrooms growing up, Bihomora came to enjoy the spotlight, and even embrace it.
“It’s been second-nature for me to act how I want,” Bihomora said, “I’ve realized I’m in control of what people see of me, so why not be in control of my own image.”
Though it may seem as though fashion has always been a part of Bihomora’s identity, he did not come to love fashion until his sophomore year of high school.
During Bihomora’s sophomore year, all of his classmates began mapping out the rest of their lives, so he figured he would do the same.
“I was looking for colleges, and I was going to college to be a chiropractor,” Bihomora said. “Then I was just like, man, I don’t know, this way of living is not me.”
At that point, he realized that a life dedicated to physical therapy was not for him and decided to chase his true passion: fashion.
“I really wanted to have some creative outlet, so I started thinking about making a clothing brand and it just led me down that route,” Bihomora said.
Here at MU, Bihomora has created a fashion clothing line called “Blade Clothing.”
“My whole statement behind my brand would be to inspire others to create and be creative, because a world of creativity is beautiful,” Bihomora said.
The clothing line consists of statement pieces that stand out to Bihomora. For instance, the line’s primary item is a hoodie that reads, ‘When I grow up I wanna be weird’ on the front and has a kitchen knife on the back. Although he is taking a break from the brand right now, he plans to expand it in the future.
Besides creating a fashion clothing line, Bihomora has also surrounded himself with creatives that he can work alongside. One of Bihomora’s best friends, photographer Eden Harriss, said that he is one of her favorites to shoot because he is a, “great person to be around” and always brings a bit of humor to it.
“He has a sarcastic, ‘dad’ sense of humor where he can basically make a joke of anything. [It’s awkward] when he tells the joke, but it’s really, really funny,” Harriss said. “You never really know what you’re going to get.”
Bihomora often models with his close friend, Manny Ochepa. Ochepa said that working with him always elevates the experience of photo shoots.
Ochepa said that Bihomora is not afraid to experiment with new angles or camera settings to make the pictures more creative.
When it comes to photo shoots, Ochepa said, “it’s all vibes.” He said that the majority of the shoots they do are spur of the moment activities now that Bihomora is busier with school.
“When [I’m feeling extra creative,] I tell David a crazy idea for an outfit,” Ochepa said. “Then, he and I search out a spot, take some test photos and, if it’s good, then we stay.”
Both Ochepa and Harriss expressed their admiration for Bihomora’s uniqueness, with Harriss saying his style is, “really out there, and he doesn’t care what people think.”
Once, Harriss recalls, she left some of her clothing at Bihomora’s place accidentally, and he had no problem trying some of it on and making it his own style.
“David can show up to a shoot in a grandma jacket or the ugliest piece you can think of, but he still manages to pull it off,” Harris said. “His confidence that borderlines on cockiness only makes his outfits ten times better.”
Though Bihomora is used to showing up and showing out, he does feel disconnected from the MU community at times.
“You walk out with a tight-ass fit and everyone stares,” he said.
Over time, Bihomora has learned to come to embrace those stares and flip the narrative to his advantage.
“[They] must be looking at me in a positive aspect, ‘cause I only see this situation as positive,” he said.
Getting to this point took lots of putting himself out there and not being afraid of the outcome, Bihomora said. To challenge himself to broadcast to a wider audience, he began to post more pictures on Instagram as a part of his “Thrifted Thursday” event.
On “Thrifted Thursday,” Bihomora would shop at a local thrift store to make an entire outfit out of thrifted clothing and do a photo shoot with the outfit. He said that since he takes most of his pictures outside, he was forced to get comfortable with people watching him.
Ochepa claims that one of Bihomora’s ultimate goals is to be a creative director, but Bihomora doesn’t necessarily know if college is the route for him to achieve that.
“One of the most important lessons I have learned from my time at MU is the power of connection,” Bihomora said, and he believes he is ready to spread his wings out further than MU can reach.
In the near future, Bihomora plans to drop out of school and move in with his sister to build up his fashion brand and “live a little.”
To keep up with Bihomora and his journey through the fashion world, find him and his fashion brand on Instagram @david.bihomora.
_Edited by Angelina Edwards | aedwards@themaneater.com_