The New School community chose the Narwhal as their new official mascot through an online contest last October.
Yes, the initial period has passed where all of us students scratched our heads in confusion and uttered in unison, “Huh?” At that moment, I’m pretty sure many students were unaware of the narwhal as a choice for mascot, much less what a narwhal actually was. (For those of you who are still wondering, here is Urban Dictionary’s definition of a narwhal: “It is like a whale and a unicorn had a child and then it drank some awesome!” Just let that image sit in your mind for a moment.) With the addition of a new mascot, came the burning question of how it would be represented in our school community where sports, fraternities, and sororities aren’t the dominating focus of students. Simple enough, the answer is school merchandise.
In early August, I journeyed to our campus bookstore, the Barnes and Noble on 6 East 18th Street, with one goal in mind: buying school gear. As a cheerleader in high school, it was an understatement to say I was full of school spirit. I couldn’t wait to wear The New School’s colors loud and proud. Unfortunately, when I asked the cashier where to locate the merchandise, I had overlooked the entire section. The merchandise was lacking in color and didn’t grasp my attention in any way, shape, or form. I was highly disappointed. A simple black shirt with the New School logo wouldn’t satisfy my taste for school pride. Luckily, I was not alone in my feelings toward the gear. “Our gear sucks,” “Why doesn’t Parsons design the school gear?” and the popular, yet cringing statement, “Look at NYU, I wish our gear was like theirs,” are familiar in conversations among New School students.
The problem with the current school gear is that it shows no personality. It is too bland. In a city as colorful and amazing as New York, I can imagine how discouraging it is for visiting, prospective, and continuing students to see our gear. It is not a good representation of our school or our city. Our school gear is one of the most important things that sets us aside from traditional schools. The questions are what should we do and how do we do it?
A new design is the first step towards reaching our goal. The gear should incorporate our new mascot, the narwhal. The narwhal is a majestic creature that stands out among the animal kingdom. Gear featuring beanies with narwhal horns would definitely catch everyone’s attention. In a city that is hard to shock, students would undeniably leave a lasting impression. Secondly, the school should actually utilize the school colors as the foundation of the merchandise. Red, orange, and yellow are lively enough for students to notice the gear in the store and maybe purchase it. Imagine walking through Union Square wearing an orange sweat suit with a narwhal featured on the front… exciting, isn’t it?
Simply put, we need gear as unique as the students who attend our school. We chose the narwhal because of its rareness, majestic qualities, and total awesomeness. It’s time that our school gear reflects that. Add some spice and in the famous words of former Parsons’ instructor Tim Gunn, “Make it Work!” When that awesome day comes when we get our new gear, I’ll be the first in line for my orange sweat suit and beanie.
Tené is a junior majoring in Journalism + Design with a minor in Culture + Minor at Lang. An Atlanta native, she moved to New York City with the desire of pursuing journalism as a career. She enjoys writing about pop culture, music, sports, and wrestling. She hopes to write for a magazine publication one day and ultimately, start her own magazine. Some of her favorite publications are Vibe, Complex, Bleacher Report, and Vice. In her spare time, she likes to listen to music (Kanye West, Rihanna, Aaliyah, Outkast, etc.), shop at thrift stores and American Apparel, and watch reality TV.
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I agree. Our apparel sucks and the Barnes and Noble store closed down so where can I get my apparel now? NYU and Columbia students saturate NYC with their branding. It’s disturbing to me that i don’t even know where to go to buy a damn New School tshirt… smh
I am still waiting for some New School apparel. For a school with an amazing fashion program, is shocking that we do not have amazing apparel.
Great article. Lets hope some school spirit comes around soon.
As an alum, I will absolutely purchase any and all gear with the Narwhal on it. Thank you.
I think we should have you on our school’s gear. Wonderful article, it made me laugh!!
Thank you so much for the kind words. You’ve made my day. God Bless.
There is Narwhal gear… including a beanie. http://nsrecreation.wordpress.com/narwhal-nation/
Awesome job Miss. Young!! Looking foward to reading your future work. Also I will be praying for the Lord to open many more doors in your life. God bless.