The Preppy Revival's Dark Side: How Fashion's Obsession with Academia Masks a More Sinister Trend The fashion world's fascination with the collegiate aesthetic has reached new heights.
But beneath the surface of designer collaborations and nostalgia tinged "smash hits" like Off Campus and The Shards lies a more insidious trend: the appropriation of academic culture as a marketing gimmick.
Recent menswear collections from Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Clarks, and Awearness Kenneth Cole are replete with nods to preppy academia.