By Anna Mason
As the wind blows cold weather into college towns, and the leaves change color from green to red to yellow to brown, autumn-themed clothing emerges from the closet. Summer turns into fall with the smell of pumpkin lattes and apple cider filling the air. In attempts to stay warm, sweaters, fleeces and sweatshirts become more popular with the early setting of the sun. Certain brands are taking over college campuses and are continually on the rise, and they have gained attention on social media platforms, such as TikTok and Instagram.
One of the most popular and sought-after sweatshirts among women is the brand PARKE. With TikTok start-ups and a variety of sets and colors to choose from, this brand became a hot commodity. According to Chantal Fernandez’s article regarding PARKE owner Chelsea Kramer, 28, Kramer started her brand with resale jeans and slowly moved to hats and other articles of clothing. Her website offers skirts, jackets, sets and collections, and the most popular is the sweatshirt with its namesake printed across the front.
A growing TikTok sensation, PARKE took to the sidewalks at many colleges, including the University of Arkansas. University of Arkansas sophomore Reese Craven said that the $130 sweatshirt was super warm and flattering due to its mock neck look. Craven explained that after trying on a friend’s sweatshirt, she wanted her own.
“I said I was not going to [buy a sweatshirt] because it is too expensive,” Craven said.
Craven explained that she never bought a PARKE sweatshirt herself, but that she received one as a birthday gift, and is contemplating buying another with any Christmas money she is gifted. In the end, owning PARKE is more related to the feel of the sweatshirt rather than its popularity, according to Craven.
PARKE is one of the best sweatshirts for the cooler weather due to its material. Craven explained that PARKE has different materials for its sweatshirts based on how warm someone desires them to be.
“They have a heritage, which is just like a regular material, and then they have a fleece. The heritage is nice because you can wear it in the fall and not sweat. This is the one I have.”
Craven said one of her friends has the fleece material, claiming it is super warm. For Craven, PARKE and its brand is about the look with its appealing half-crescent letters and the mock-neck top hem line. Besides that, she said that she couldn’t care less about the sweatshirt and its brand name.
Another sweatshirt gaining a large following is White Fox. Originating out of Australia, founders Daniel and Georgia Contos created a clothing brand, specifically known for their bubble-lettered White Fox sweatshirts.
The clothing is worn by more than just teenagers and college-aged people, but also by well-known and star-studded celebrities such as singer Becky Hill, TikTok influencer Josh Richards, and internet personality Kim Kardashian.
Slowing climbing up the social media totem pole, White Fox, with its 2.7 million Instagram and 1.4 million TikTok followers, has infiltrated many school campuses. Emily Mason, a senior at Fayetteville High School in Fayetteville, Arkansas, saw a friend shopping around White Fox online, and she thought they looked cute.
“I also saw it around social media a lot. Once I had asked my friend for the link, I kept getting ads,” Mason said.
The price for White Fox hoodies hovers around $69.99, according to White Fox’s website. With this price, Mason noted that she would be willing to buy it. However, like Reese Craven, Mason was gifted the sweatshirt.
“I knew they were very soft, and I knew they were comfortable and cute,” Mason said.
Mackenzie Branstad, a sophomore at the University of Arkansas, has more than just a sweatshirt from White Fox. She has additional sets, one with a sweatshirt and pants, and another with a T-shirt and matching shorts.
“I like the sets because they are easiest to wear,” Branstad said. However, Branstad said that she prefers PARKE over White Fox.
“I got them for myself, and I have three sweatshirts,” Branstad said. “PARKE is just so easy to pair, and its style is so different. PARKE is appealing to me because I do not like hoodies.”
Branstad notes, much like Craven, that the selling point to PARKE was its mock-style neckline. Bransdad prefers PARKE way more than White Fox, as she did ae public speaking assignment over the sweatshirts and their appeal.
While some might argue a sweatshirt is a sweatshirt, brands like White Fox and PARKE are reinventing what it means to own and style a sweatshirt. They are fashion statements of the cooler weather, and they do not seem to be going anywhere anytime soon.