All black.
All him.
The arena lights were doing a lot. The golden statue was doing a lot. And then there was Ben, standing still in the middle of all of it — black shirt, black trousers, three silver chains — somehow the calmest person in the room.
By the LifeNation desk · Republic Polytechnic · Oct 2026
If I’m not comfortable, everyone can see it. So I wear what makes me feel like myself — then the night takes care of the rest.
— Ben, on dressing for a sold-out arena show
You could have missed him. In a room full of sequins, red dresses and glow-stick wristbands, Ben was the one in pure black — and that was the point.
“Everyone dresses up for the concert,” he says. “I dressed for the version of me who’s going to remember it.” The boxy shirt is unbuttoned just enough to show the chains; the trousers fall long over chunky sneakers. No logo visible anywhere. Nothing borrowed. Every piece chosen so it would look good in a photo taken from any angle, at any moment, by anyone.
The breakdown
Boxy black shirt
Open collar, nothing tucked. Breathing room beats brand logos.
Wide-leg black trousers
Cut long enough to pool at the shoe — the Gen Z silhouette.
Layered silver chains
One cross, one plain. The only shine he needs.
Chunky sneakers
Worn in, skated in, still the loudest thing in the room.
What makes it work isn’t the clothing — it’s the confidence behind it. Ben didn’t outdress the crowd. He out-quieted it. That is its own kind of flex, and it’s the one most students at Republic Poly are quietly learning: you don’t need to shout to be seen.
Your turn