Standing Out from the Crowd: Customizing is a time-consuming process. Finding the ideal visual online takes hours of searching and using digital design tools takes days. And after sending your order to the provider, you still have to wait a few days for it to arrive. So why spend all that time when you can simply purchase an attractive outfit from the market? First-year university student Eshna (pseudonym) responded in an interview,
“Obviously, I can get a nice branded cloth at the market. But, regardless of how lovely the cloth is, it is not a one-of-a-kind item; anyone can buy the same cloth. It doesn’t make me unique.”
A major motivation is getting noticed by carrying and showcasing something that no one else can. As Rewaj says during a group discussion, the visuals he carries work like perfume; whether people like it or not, they definitely notice.
The desire to stand out from the crowd, as seen in the study, can be a conscious choice of Zoomers opting for custom design, as illustrated in Eshna’s case, I noticed her holding a notebook with a Potua Quamrul Hassan painting printed on the cover during our conversation, so I asked her why she was holding it when she could keep it in her backpack. Eshna’s reply was straightforward,
“I spent three days looking for the perfect diary cover! It looks stunning! Why would I want to keep it in my bag? I’m holding it in my hand for everyone to see!”
Willingness to Stick to Similarities: A significant part of Zoomers I interviewed spend most of their time on social media. The study indicates they are more comfortable interacting via virtual platforms than in a physical environment. The fact that they do not have to get into face-to-face in-store interaction influences them to purchase products from online shops, as illustrated in Akib’s case,
“(…)I can spend all the time I want on an (online) page. I don’t have to interact with the salespeople, and I don’t have to buy anything just because I went into the store, and it would be embarrassing if I left empty-handed.”
Again, the study indicates they do not want to get outside their comfortable social bubble and interact with individuals with dissimilarities. While they expect people with similarities to interact with them, they want people with different standards to stay away simultaneously. They showcase their personalities and preferences when they carry certain visuals on their attires and these attires work like their personal notice boards. Dwip, one of the Zoomers at the University of Dhaka whom I interviewed, says,
“If I see a person wearing something with an image of Hrittik Ghatak, I know s/he is my type even before having a conversation. So maybe I shall talk to them. And the same goes for me.”
Zoomers are well aware of the visuals they carry on their customized attires. One reason the custom-designed fashion trend is becoming popular is that it allows introducing self to people without getting into any kind of verbal interaction and avoids people from different social bubbles.
Establishing Local Identity: The university-going zoomers I have interacted with in my study are well aware of the message their actions and objects are conveying. I found an emphasis on establishing local identity in the choice of their design. Noushin, a study participant, was wearing a saree with motifs of Tapa-Putul (a Bengali rural folk motif). She showed me some images from her mobile phone that she kept for customizing her sarees and T-shirts. The images included Ektara, Kalka, lotus, and a flowering vine- all Bengali rural folk motifs. Eshna, another participant of my study, showed me her mobile phone case with a poster of the famous Bengali classic movie Gupi Gayen Bagha Bayen printed on it, and the t-shirt she was wearing had a lyric of renowned Bengali singer-songwriter Arnob. The list goes on and on: an album cover of Bengali urban folk band Mohiner Ghoraguli on a t-shirt, a Sanskrit verse on a saree, a sketch of Lalon Shah on a notebook cover, a poem of Jibananda on a Shawl, and more and more. During a group discussion, Akib, a third-year student, clearly said,
“Wearing western designs is too mainstream! We have so many elements in our own culture. It is ungrateful and lowly to display attachment to these western elements when we have so much to embrace in our own culture. Bangla is the new cool!”
