As graduation nears, one detail remains — what to wear. For many students, a cap and gown is an opportunity to express their craft.
Colbey Reid, director of the School of Fashion, said that throughout the numerous graduations she has attended at other schools, either as a teacher or student, Columbia’s is the most expressive and celebratory.
“Graduation ceremonies tend to be pretty similar and pretty staid affairs,” Reid said. “I’ve been teaching for 25 years, and attended a lot of graduation ceremonies at that time, and none of them are like Columbia.”
Reid said a lot of students, namely those studying fashion, tend to unzip their robes to display their outfits right before they reach the stage. In addition to the outfit, shoes tend to be a foundational aspect due to their maintained visibility throughout the entire ceremony.
In addition to their best, said Reid, almost three-quarters of the students wear a decorated cap.
“I really have seen the gamut in terms of cap customization,” she said.
With origins as far back as the 12th century, the cap and gown have been an intrinsic part of graduation ceremonies across the world. Some schools forbid altering the regalia, and in some cultures, it’s not as common for students to alter their caps or gowns.
The mortarboard, often cast in rhinestones and glitter, can be home to more than creativity. Students have used their caps to bring awareness to issues of all kinds, including the cost of higher education, student debt, social justice and the rights of Palestinians.
Some schools have tried to restrict Indigenous students from wearing eagle feathers or other traditional garments. California, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, Oklahoma, Colorado and New Mexico have laws or legal precedents that protect students’ right to wear tribal regalia and other cultural or religious items at graduation ceremonies.
Even though Columbia is a private institution, Reid said the college encourages students to express themselves at graduation.
“The stance of Columbia has always been an equal opportunities, free speech, space.” said Reid.
Senior arts management major Eli Passmore said that they regret not decorating their cap in high school and definitely plan to do so for this graduation.
“I went to a religious private school, so I felt like they were going to be upset with me, and I didn’t realize it was a thing,” he said. “Now I want to take advantage of it.”
Passmore said he feels as if Columbia’s community will be more accepting.
“I feel like so much of the education system is really uniform. While there’s a prestigiousness to the cap and gown, I don’t like the uniformity,” he said. “I’m going to keep it forever, so I may as well make it mine.”
Eliot Indigo Lusero, senior comedy major, cited her love for glitter as one of the leading factors in her design.
In high school her cap was embellished with rainbow rhinestones. This year, it’s her zodiac sign. In addition to a new theme, Lusero thought it best to go for a more streamlined design in wake of graduation.
“I feel like I’m much older now, so I’ve got to tone it down a little bit and be a little bit classier,” she said.
As far as to why, Lusero said the glitter and bold color choice best represents them and their “big mouth.” Whether it be through brighter patterns or unique embellishments, fashion can be a way to express outward facets of ourselves we want to highlight.
“I just have a big personality, and I want it to be expressed outwardly,” Lusero said. Manifested through a competitive spirit and a potential 3-D element, Lusero promises to be the best decorated cap at graduation this year.
Senior fine arts major Joshua Means said that he has so many ideas he wants to try and doesn’t know which to commit to.
“It’s like how your parents talk about prom and everything like that –- you get one shot at it,” he said. “You want that one try to be the best try. And it’s probably not going to be, because it’s not perfect.”
Ruby Henson, who was the creative director of Manifest last year, said that the crowd was full of students with decorated caps.
“I think that being in an artist community really does encourage you to express yourself a lot more than any other schools I would imagine,” said Henson, who graduated in 2024 with an illustration degree.
Graduates can personalize their caps at the MakerSpace during the final grad expo, “That’s a Wrap!” from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m on May 13 and 14.
Copy edited by Patience Hurston
Resumen en Español:
A medida que se acerca la graduación en Columbia, los estudiantes aprovechan la ocasión para expresarse a través de sus togas y birretes decorados. Muchos, especialmente los estudiantes de moda, muestran sus atuendos debajo de la toga y personalizan sus birretes con brillo, mensajes o símbolos culturales. La escuela fomenta esta creatividad como parte de su compromiso con la libre expresión. Para algunos, como Eli Passmore y Eliot Lusero, esta es una oportunidad de reivindicación personal y artística. Los graduados también pueden decorar sus birretes en el MakerSpace durante el evento “That’s a Wrap!” el 13 y 14 de mayo.
Resumen en Español por Doreen Abril Albuerne Rodriguez
Resumen editado por Manuel Nocera
