Walking around upper campus, one can see students expressing themselves through different styles and attires. James Lee, first-year intended communication and computer science double major and new media minor from San Antonio, loves to wear the color orange and is usually decked down from head-to-toe with a bright orange wardrobe. Lee likes to wear minimal layering for “style points” and enjoys pairing similar shades together. Many students noticed James’ style around campus and were curious about this interest.

Lee shared that his favorite outfit has been pairing a burnt Zumiez orange crop top with a flower in the center and some similarly colored Cotton-On pants, also having flowers embroidered on them. James shared that he is not sure why he likes the color orange, but it may be linked to his grandma and grandpa’s interest in the color.

“I started wearing orange in fifth grade,” Lee said. “I’m really not too sure why. It just kinda happened, and I just haven’t changed since then. I normally tell people that my grandma and grandpa really liked orange and that [their] dying wish was for me to continue their legacy. I think that’s a good backstory.”

Lee said that pretty much everything sold in orange, he has. Matthew Miller, first-year communication and engineering double-major from San Antonio, as well as Lee’s close friend and roommate, shared that Lee has loved the color orange his whole life. In his room back home, his clothes and his bedding are all orange. He claims that Lee tries to make anything he can orange. He even dyed his hair and tried to paint his car orange. Lee shared that he enjoys personalizing stuff whenever he gets the chance. He just recently got a new car and learned how to drive, and it has been very exciting for him to visually customize his car.

“I’ve seen James love orange for as long as I can remember. In high school we had uniforms and even though we couldn’t wear whatever we wanted, James would find a way to incorporate the color orange. So, he dyed his hair orange and would wear orange shirts whenever he could,” Miller said.

Colors can have significant roles in our lives and can often be used to demonstrate how we think, feel and inspire decision-making. Each color has a unique meaning to each person.

According to BBC Science Focus, one possible reason we develop favorite colors is because of the emotional connotations behind them. The color black is seen to be “dark and eerie” versus the color yellow, which may be seen as “bright, happy” etc. The color of one’s favorite sports team, item of clothing and more create associations as to why there are preferences behind favorite colors. When purchasing new attire, Lee shared that he mainly shops online or goes thrifting. Some of his favorite brands are Cider, Boohooman, Uniqlo and other companies including Etsy. He also found that Zumiez and Pacsun have a lot of orange clothing options, and he shops at Onitsuka Tigers for his shoes.

Some additional everyday items Lee uses that are all orange are his glasses, towels, sheets, clothes, bags, pencils, water bottles, stuffed animals, his earrings, his wallet, keyboard, toothpaste and even his cat: Maica. Lee said that he named his cat after Jamaica, the drink, and she is almost a year old now. Lee has taught her to sit, high-five and spin. Lee expressed that Maica keeps him good company while his roommate is gone.

“I’d assume that people are curious just because it’s a rather odd and out-of-the-ordinary thing to do, but it’s not like I’m trying to draw attention to myself as contrary as that may seem with orange being a very stand-out and bright color,” Lee said. “I really just do it because I enjoy wearing the color a lot and see it as a way to express myself. Although sometimes it’s fun to be known synonymously as ‘The orange guy.’ It makes it a lot easier to engage in conversations with people.”