Stop taking the piss out of international students, they’re the fashion icons of campus

You notice their clothes before you notice their faces. Strutting down the hallway as if it was a catwalk, walking into 9am lectures as if it were a Vogue photoshoot.

International students are iconic, intelligent and always immaculately presentable. And even though they get the piss taken out of, deep down, everyone wishes they were a bit like them. So that's the tea on that.

As an international student myself, I don't tend to dress like that crowd.

Since I grew up in a warmer climate, I tend to favour function over fashion when the temperature dips below 15 degrees. But on days where it’s not bloody freezing, I ditch my Vans backpack for a fashionable handbag, and I opt for stuff like a black trench coat that goes with everything, and blue velvet flats. That's when I've noticed that I get told: "You dress like an international student".

When I get told by my friends that I look “chic”, I appreciate their comments. However, when I get told I “dress like an international student”, I sense they’re taking the piss.

First of all, I am an international student: What's your point? Second of all, you really want to say that to my face while you sit there in your plain ass clothes?

There remains this incredulity surrounding international students and their fashion choices that I still cannot fathom to this day.

Don’t get me wrong, I can understand when it comes to those international students who blatantly flaunt their wealth by either sporting a Canada Goose jacket, or being decked out in Gucci – honestly, they're just asking to get mugged – but when most of us wear something tasteful, like a smart jacket or trousers that have just the right amount of baggy that's fashionable, what's there to take the piss out of?

We know it looks good on us. We stand out, and it looks better than the standard pair of Adidas Superstars we see all the bloody time. It definitely looks better than the trackie bottoms I've seen some non-international students wear. Especially the grey ones.

Even though we come to university to learn, it's still a public place. So act like it is, instead of the confines of your own home.

The fact is, what a person wears says a lot about them. Therefore, when international students dress modestly yet elegantly, or so niche that they could blend into the streets of London, I don’t get why it's something to take the piss out of. We dress the way we dress because it shows that we care about our appearance.

The impression we give matters, so why is that something to make fun of? For one thing, dressing tastefully will help us when it comes to situations like job interviews, or formal events. If you look smart, you make people think that you’re smart (until they later realise you’re not).

If you come into campus wearing a boring pair of trainers, don't expect me to have a very high impression over you, or drool over your impeccable fashion taste.

One thing to remember is that London is one of the fashion capitals of the world, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that we dress fashionably in a city whose fashion is reputable. If we come in overdressed for a lecture, stop taking the piss that we decided to glam up for the day. Instead, take a page out of our books and maybe go for an online shopping spree on ASOS – I don't take responsibility for the damage on your bank accounts.

On our way to campus, it’s not only our course mates, or whoever walks past us, that we’re trying to look good for. We try to look good for ourselves too.