I’d like to introduce myself again. I am Yvonne Folasade, but I prefer Sade. I’m currently studying abroad in Marseille, France for 5 months. I’m here with 4 other girls from my school. I was only close to one of them when I came here but after spending so much time with them I can say that we’ve all become really good friends.
I was very excited to arrive in France because I live in Upstate NY in the U.S. and we were just getting hit with another winter storm. When we landed in France, the weather was 50 degrees Fahrenheit, coming from under 10 degrees, I was very happy with the change.
I’ve been studying French for some time now but I’m still at an intermediate level. One of my friends has found it easier to use her own form of sign language and it works most of the time. Sometimes we just have to resort to English and hope that they understand us. We usually get one of two responses. Either they flat out tell us that they don’t understand it, or they get really excited and try their best to communicate so they can practice their English. This is different from pre-pubescent teens on public transportation that prefer to laugh, although I never know what’s funny about being American and speaking English. We’ve also been followed by random people, there is a video showing a group of guys who followed us for 3 blocks. They normally ask for French kisses, it’s really weird. Then we have random people on the street asking us where we’re from. It’s always either America, which turns into New York or California, or an African or Caribbean country. So either they scream America, Jamaica or Kenya??
I have noticed several fashion trends here in France; some are similar to America, while some are very different. I’ll start off with shoes. Timberland boots are very popular in Marseille. They are worn by both males and females but mainly females in the traditional wheat color. I’d say that Timberlands are more popular among males in New York and they are mainly worn in the winter.
Adidas is hands down the most popular sneaker brand in France and possibly all of Europe. People of all ages wear them and I’ve seen a lot of variety. I love Adidas so I was very happy to see how much they appreciate Adidas. Before I leave, I’ll need to get a really nice pair of hi-tops.
Wedge sneakers and combat boots are also really popular here. I’d say that it’s the same in America right now.
As far as clothing, there are a lot of stores that I see in America that are all over Europe. Some examples are H&M, Claire’s, Jennyfer, and Accessorize. I also noticed that there is no Victoria’s Secret but there are other lingerie stores like Etam Lingerie and Undiz.
Young adults seem obsessed with wearing clothing and accessories that have labels of cities in America. The most popular are NYC, LA, Chicago, Brooklyn, Boston, and the Bronx. I’m from the Bronx and have never gotten anything with a Bronx brand but I got a Bronx beanie here in France. I’ve also seen YMCMB clothing on all ages, from little kids in strollers to adults. They’re mainly on sweatpants and hoodies. I’ve never seen this in America, but I’m sure it’s there.
Mango is another store that’s very popular in Europe. It’s like a European H&M, but a bit more expensive. But I love the outlets! I found a great cobalt blue blazer (see picture) that was 8 euros and a great pair of pants for around 10. I’ve only seen Mango in JCPenney in America, I used to intern there in New York so I’ve become familiar with the different brands. I was excited to see what else they had to offer and I am not disappointed.
Pepe Jeans is another brand that I’ve seen a lot of, and I was very surprised to see whole stores. I saw several Pepe Jeans stores in Barcelona and other countries. I had to take a picture because I’ve never seen one. In America, it has not been popular since I left the Bronx, so it died down before I turned 13.If I do the math correctly, that made it popular sometime before 2005.
I still have a lot more to say about France and Europe in general. Also, I’ll be heading to Paris soon so I’m excited to see what the fashion is like there. There will be more to come on the different countries I’ve been to (Italy, Belgium, The Netherlands, UK, and Spain), what it’s like travelling around Europe with 6 Black girls, and what it’s like to be in a college long-distance relationship. Until next time!
