Chances are, over the past few months, you have seen a wizard walking around campus. Whether he’s by the lake, heading to his next class or even sitting in one, the self-described “wizard” is hard to miss.
“I feel like some people are really excited to see someone that looks unique on this campus,” the Wizard, who wished to keep his name unpublished, said. “People always ask me if I play D&D, or what I’m dressing up as, and I always say ‘myself.’”
Most of the time, you’ll find the Wizard wearing a green, flowy outfit accompanied by a pointy green hat.
The Wizard, a freshman at UM, didn’t always get to dress so creatively. Before arriving on campus, most of his schools had strict uniform policies. Because of that, he looked forward to any chance to dress up.
“I’ve always loved doing costumes and dressing up for Halloween,” the Wizard said. “Even during school spirit days, I would wear the most complex costume I could.”
He started at UM with a newfound freedom over his clothing choices. The Wizard decided to fully embrace it. After buying the iconic hat at the start of this spring semester, it quickly became a daily staple.
“I really [wanted] to wear this hat as much as possible, so I just started wearing it,” he said. “I don’t think since I got it there’s been a day that I haven’t worn it to campus.”
Since then, he has had many positive interactions with students and said he has not experienced negative reactions.
His outfit has largely become his identity on campus. Many students who recognize him — and even some of his close friends — don’t know his name at all.
“A lot of people will walk by me and say, ‘Hey, campus wizard,’” he said. “I don’t think a lot of people that I’m friends with know my name. They just call me ‘the Wizard,’ which is funny.”
For the Wizard, wearing his daily outfits is not just about standing out, it’s a conscious decision to be an example for anyone else who is hesitant to dress differently.
He describes this as “a fight against anti-individuality.”
“I really hope that people understand that I’m trying to normalize this,” the Wizard said. “I hope that people see me and think, ‘Okay, I can do that, too,’ because I think anyone can do it.”
His inspiration often comes from creative spaces like video games and cosplay, where character design plays a major role in how characters are presented.
When deciding what to wear each day, the Wizard approaches the process more like designing a character than choosing an outfit.
“I just try to think about it in a character design frame, because I like video games a lot,” he said.
Instead of following fashion trends, he focuses on wearing pieces that feel expressive and unique.
“I don’t know anything about fashion,” he said. “I just went shopping and picked things that I liked, and that’s what I wear.”
That perspective leads him to choose pieces that create a specific silhouette, such as flowing layers that resemble cloaks or capes. He said he often thinks about the overall shape of the outfit rather than individual items when getting dressed.
Ultimately, the Wizard hopes that students who see him around campus feel encouraged to express themselves however they want — even if that means wearing something unconventional.