Off Campus’ Costume Designer Defends Hannah’s “Cheugy” Style

Spoiler warning: This post contains lights spoilers for Off Campus and the Campus Diaries spinoff books.

On the ever-growing list of things the internet can’t stop debating, Hannah Wells’ Off Campus wardrobe is a surprising top contender. While the fandom is unanimously Team #Gannah (Garrett and Hannah’s official ship name), my FYP is firmly divided into two aggressively passionate style camps.

Some viewers have been obsessively re-creating her preppy collegiate aesthetic — think a rotation of chunky sweaters, high-waisted denim, and the occasional slinky bra — while others argue that she’s dressing a little too 2016 despite the show being set in modern times. According to critics, the supposed Gen Zer’s jeans are too millennial (read: cheugy), she’s giving way too much Zooey Deschanel “quirky girl” vibes, and she’s just not fashion-forward like her BFF Allie Hayes. But honestly? That’s kind of the point.

Hannah’s ‘fits weren’t just reflective of her character arc — they were inherently tied to it. Earlier in the season, Hannah exclusively favored cozier attire. “It’s not that you’re hiding, but you’re kind of covering yourself emotionally when you dress comfortably,” costume designer Charlene Akuamoah tells Bustle. “You tend to repeat the same outfits.” The looks were cozy and formulaic because — as Akuamoah explains — they were her literal security blanket.

The coed also had much bigger things to prioritize — like maintaining a scholarship. Style wasn’t exactly on her radar. “Hannah’s simple, she’s not as into fashion as her best friend is ... [she] had two jobs,” Akuamoah points out. Plus, her family was also financially affected by the aftermath of Hannah’s traumatic experience. “So I really wanted to make sure that her wardrobe spoke to everything that was going on with her,” the designer says.

Of course, that all changes as the season progresses and her faux-mance with Garrett turns real. Below, Akuamoah dissects how Hannah’s post-Garrett style evolution, addresses the viral memes, and reveals the hack she used to keep Allie’s iconic J.Lo dress completely secure.

The internet is divided about Hannah’s “cheugy” style. What do you think about the reception to Hannah’s style versus Allie’s?

It really shows the distinct aesthetic between the two of them. Then you slowly see Hannah get out of her shell. Allie’s loaning her things to wear, like her jacket. Now, she’s wearing more of a lower-cut top and miniskirts. As she’s falling in love with Garrett, she’s getting a little bit more sexually liberated and feeling a little bit more comfortable in her skin.

So seeing those conversations online has been really interesting and fun to see how people are reacting to those looks. I think it’s beautiful. It’s really giving us an understanding of where we are as a society and what we’re looking towards for fashion.

Is that discourse something that you’ll consider when it comes to Season 2 outfits?

I always take things into consideration, but I still want us to stay really true to who Hannah is. It makes sense for her to be where she is. There's obviously going to be growth. I don’t see her as someone who dresses like Allie. They're just two different people. My best friends and I don't dress the same.

I do really love the sweetness of Hannah. That’s what I really wanted to come through, was just how sweet she was and how dedicated she was to her friends, family, and Garrett.

You said Mika was “taped within an inch of her life” in her J.Lo dress. We’ve got to ask: What body tape did you use?

Booby Tape. My truck supervisor, Madison Douglas, was the queen of tape. She did such an incredible job making sure that the things stayed where they needed to stay so that Mika could live her best life, be free, be very confident, and feel sexy in the look that she was wearing. I also really love the brand Nippies for that.

Did you have to test it out and have her dance before the shoot?

There was definitely a mini dress rehearsal in our costume fittings, while we were draping the shade of green on her. It’s typically the different shoes. Can you run in these? Dance? Drop low? What are your capabilities in everything that we have you do?

How did Mika react to the dress?

She loved it. We were all so happy. The thing I love about this is that it really speaks to what happens when you have such a beautiful and fun time creating and co-creating with the actor, your sewing team, and buyers.

This dress was an accumulation of everyone’s love for fashion and the Versace piece. A lot of us in the costume room understood the cultural impact of this dress. So we all knew that it needed to be right. Also, seeing how that has been received really speaks to what can happen when a team of people who love fashion comes together and do what they love.

Hannah and Allie shared closets. How do you make a piece of clothing look like it belongs to Allie but is temporarily interpreted by Hannah?

That goes back to really understanding who these characters are. That Lioness jacket, for example, Hannah’s not going to be shopping in the same place that Allie is. So that already is a big distinction of who these characters are, what their fashion is like, where they’re shopping, and what their aesthetic is. So, really sticking to those specific style guides of Allie versus Hannah gives you a better understanding of what makes sense for this person.

Once their style language has been discovered and understood, then you can be like, “This is such a distinct Allie piece that once we put it on Hannah, you’ll still know that it’s borrowed,” because you’re not going to find that piece in Hannah’s closet.

Hannah and Allie definitely have more lingerie game than most adults. What made you invest in these really pretty, bougie bras for college students?

Lingerie is the foundation of every look, and once you master what that looks like for you, you really master dressing for your body and dressing for your body type. Once I knew that there was going to be a lot of shirtless moments, I really wanted to make sure that what we were seeing was also a style choice.

For example, Hannah’s bra in the fantasy sequence is a total fantasy. It’s not something that she would normally wear. And so in that sense, it was like, maybe she pulls from Allie’s style, and that’s why it looks so different from the other bras that we see her in.

Have you seen the memes about Hannah’s emotional support helmet?

Yes.

Was there a debate about taking the helmet off to preserve the drama of the scene, or did keeping it on serve a specific character purpose?

I can’t speak much to that, only because that was more of a tonal thing that comes mainly from the writers and things like that. But yes, I have seen the memes, and they're so cute.

It is really cute. I didn't even notice that it supposedly took away from the crying because it was such a good moment.

She was in the moment. For me, I’m calling my mom immediately. Whatever else is happening doesn’t matter to me. I’m in the emotion, I’m calling her, I’m panicked, I need to speak to her right now. It felt real.

Is there one costume specifically that has a fun or standout collaborative backstory?

It’s Allie’s Drunk Shakespeare costume. There were a lot of different hands that worked on it. We had someone who did the headpiece, and we sourced all of the vines and things that were draped around her separately. And Hannah’s pucky bunny costume was also a collaboration with the props department for the ears, and we built the shorts, and then the corset itself was designed. The design process for all of these pieces is always such a collaborative process.

Is there a book that you’re particularly excited to do the costumes of?

Once we get to the kids’ universe — Hannah and Garrett’s kids — that’d be really fun to dress as well.

Are there any Easter eggs that the fans missed?

Fans have read into it a lot, which I absolutely love. Y’all have created Easter eggs that I didn’t even know existed, so we love that. We love super sleuths and investigative journalists.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.