While San Francisco is often grey and foggy, San Francisco State University still holds color in its style. Coming back to campus in the midst of an unexpected August heatwave, the student body is showing out with their fashion choices. 

It’s a beautiful tepid Thursday, and the quad is filled with student organizations tabling and floods of wanderers. To the trained eye, observers can see each meande

Stephany Soriano sports a Canadian tuxedo for the first week of the semester on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026. (Richard Gomez Lewis / Golden Gate Xpress)

ring student exploring their personal style and self-expression through clothing.

Through the veil of academic fashionistas, Stephany Soriano, a fourth-year communications major, is rocking a Canadian-tuxedo-inspired outfit to start the semester off right. Embroidered accents and gold jewelry set her denim ensemble apart from the crowd.

“I’m experimenting more with my style,” Soriano said. “It literally depends on the day. I think today was a gloomy day, and I wanted to be comfortable, but still dressed up.”

Among the tabling organizations, the Fashion Network Association put its best foot forward in inspiring students to participate in the campus fashion community. Between fashion show posters and mannequins posed against the library windows in alluring silhouettes, FNA consistently brings style to State.

In FNA’s latest iteration, vice president Thai Mai, a fourth-year apparel design and merchandising major, aspires to include as many students as possible. Mai sees the club as a unifying opportunity for students across majors. 

“It’s very inclusive. Anyone can join no matter what. It doesn’t matter what they’re wearing,” Mai said. “I’ve seen the most diverse types of people come up to the club. It doesn’t matter what major they were. They saw fashion, and they were intrigued.”

Stephany Soriano shows off her rings on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026. (Richard Gomez Lewis / Golden Gate Xpress) 

Mai is not the only student who sees fashion as a gap to bridge differences. While Soriano acknowledged her fluctuating personal style, Nick Trujeque, a second-year criminal justice major, acknowledged the diverse influences on student style across campus. 

“There’s hella diverse people here…you can find anybody here,” Trujeque said. “I see that everybody has their own style.” 

Despite the unique differences between each student, there were noticeable trends. Many students paraded around in their finest denim for the first week. From dark wash to ripped-knee, jeans dominated the style scene.

Brielle Davis, a fourth-year psychology student, has an intensified appreciation for SFSU’s fashion because of her hometown scene in Southern California.

“I feel like San Francisco State’s style is the most diverse that I’ve seen. I’m not from a very diverse place… It’s very homogeneous.” Davis said. “Up here, I think that you can genuinely feel comfortable in any type of style that you have, because everyone is so different.” 

Between streetwear-clad skaters flying through campus and colorful tights accompanying bold miniskirts, every student finds their niche. Dunks and Doc Martens walk in tandem as a unifying front for all gators marching towards their diplomas.

Associate professor of apparel design and merchandising, Amy Dorie, admires FNA’s continued persistence in bridging the gap between students and fashion year after year. 

“They bring in speakers, they do clothing swaps, mood board creation, just fun stuff. They’ll put on a fashion show,” Dorie said. “That doesn’t happen every year. It depends on the enthusiasm of the student body. When they do, it’s fantastic.”

Loki Rogers poses to show off their first week fit of the fall semester on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026. (Richard Gomez Lewis / Golden Gate Xpress)

Dorie is not the only one with enthusiasm extended towards the club. FNA treasurer, Loki Rogers, a fourth-year apparel design and merchandising student, sees the new semester as an opportunity for the club’s growth. As Rogers looks forward to the new semester with FNA, they also acknowledge the humble beginnings that inspired their passion for fashion. 

“That’s what got me into fashion a little bit; it’s not having enough money to get the clothes I want, but the ones I could get maybe needed a repair or two.” Rogers said, “Being able to take that on enabled me to have more freedom with how I dress and the way that I dress.” 

The wide variety of styles among students only amplifies the diversity of culture and clothing, forming a welcoming place for all to explore their own personal style.