Canada Goose: BU’s Unofficial Winter Uniform

Not sponsored — rather, questioning campus fashion.

By Lheeya Jayasudha Mathivanan 

Photograph by Tsega Seleshi

With summer slipping away and denim shorts getting buried in my closet, I knew Boston’s cold was creeping in. Out came the puffers and the UGGs, ready to dominate winter fashion. Comm Ave, after all, doubles as the campus runway, with each season debuting a new collection. 

The winter is no exception to this, and there is one jacket that dominates the BU show: the Canada Goose.

Every time I stroll down campus, I see the black parkas and sleek bombers adorned with the Antarctic crest on the sleeve that whispers “$1500.” 

Boots and scarves may change, but the Goose stays. The question is, why?

Is it the brutal winters that make the high-functioning jacket a practicality? Or is it the luxury branding that has turned it into BU’s silent badge of belonging? Maybe it’s the domino effect—when everyone around you wears one and not owning one feels like standing out for the wrong reason. 

The obsession isn’t subtle, either. In past years, thefts have targeted the jacket. And some students even say it’s the one thing they will need when stranded on an island in winter. 

Honestly, I felt the pull too, and I nearly gave in to it. I was ready to drop the money and blend in, finally proving that I was also part of this culture. My friends admitted to feeling the same pressure.

But then, I paused. If I bought it simply to belong, wasn’t I fueling the same cultural pressure that made me feel excluded? A piece of clothing is chosen for comfort, function or style, right? 

You could call it just a jacket, but I call it an appropriation of identity. It felt like the jacket communicated things that weren’t normally said out loud. It seemed like a tag synonymous with wealth at BU, stitched into the fabric of how we present ourselves. 

I knew I didn’t choose the jacket. The jacket chose me. 

Canada Goose is undeniably warm, stylish and here to stay at BU. But maybe the bigger question isn’t whether we wear it; it’s when we zip up those coats, are we dressing ourselves? Or letting campus culture dress us?

After all, a jacket can shield you from the cold, but it shouldn’t decide who you are.