Fash Life

Meet Martha Nebab.

Capricorn. Filipina.

At 22 years old, Martha Nebab embraces fashion as both a creative outlet and a way to connect.

“I love to dress up like I’m always looking for an excuse to, like, dress up and dress out. Like even if I’m like going to like a grocery store or like, probably, like, even church, I’ll, I’ll try to like overdress because it’s like, I love doing that,” Martha says.

Discovering Her Identity Through Style

“So I’m Martha Nebab. I’m 22 years old, my hobbies have been like drawing, writing, maybe some coding here and there,” she introduces herself.

Martha describes her style as edgy and alternative, often pulling together outfits from thrifted finds.

“I would say like my style is like edgy or like alternative and I get like a lot of my clothes from like thrift stores,” she explains.

Her personal style journey truly began when she entered college.

“In high school I couldn’t really like dress a certain way because of like the dress code. And like my parents were a bit more strict with that because I was still at home,” she recalls.

“But I wanted to, like, express myself more freely. So when I got to college, I started experimenting with my clothes.”

From her freshman year on, fashion became a tool for freedom and friendship.

“I would get clothes from there and like try to experiment with my style a little bit because it’s like when you’re going to college. I really wanted people to think like I was like super cool and like. You know someone you can like talk to. So I try to like change how I dress. So I can also. Make friends who like also dress the same way.”

Building a Wardrobe

“So my wardrobe kind of like consists of like. Black clothes and skirts like really long skirts, baggy pants. Crop tops, tank tops. I love to like accessorize. I feel like whenever I do go out, like my arms are like bare, so I like to. Wear like you know. Fish Nets or like gloves or something maybe like some rings. And I love like chains like silver jewelry, dangly earrings,” Martha says.

Her boyfriend has also played a part in shaping her look.

“I guess when me and my boyfriend started dating, he would sort of like, I guess, influence my style a little bit because he would, like, encourage me to get stuff that I want to wear that I would enjoy wearing and that I would like want to wear like over and over again.”

The Thrift and Sustainability Mindset

“When I go thrifting I find like all of these like good, good pieces of clothing that I wear, like all the time,” she shares.

Martha says she avoids fast fashion and focuses on sustainability, a perspective that grew stronger in college.

“I try not to, you know. Like go to. The fast fashion like websites I think. I really started to think about like sustainability, like and then when I got to college because there’s. There’s so many clubs here that sort of support, that message where you, like, sort of upcycle your clothes or you just be aware of, like, your impact on the world.”

Fashion as a Love Language

Martha also uses style to connect with loved ones.

“I love buying clothes as like gifts for other people and. My sisters would like do the same like they would like video. Call me and say hey this this side, this kind of like matches your style if you wanted.”

Her Advice: Don’t Be Afraid

“I guess just look out for some something that’s like out of the norm that you probably wouldn’t see like a lot of people wearing out in public and just. Like, don’t be afraid to wear it because like people are going to look at you anyway,” Martha advises.

For her, fashion is more than just clothing…it’s about self expression!

“You have to express yourself how you want to express yourself because people are gonna like judge you anyway. So like. Just just do what? Just. Do what you want to do.”