About: Alpha Phi Alpha was the first established Greek fraternity for African-American men. Alpha Phi Alpha’s values included: scholarship, fellowship, good character, and the uplifting of humanity. As the group was originally created as a study group, the fraternity emphasized academic excellence.
As a note: The Juxtapose image within the text compares the first available photo with the last available photo for the organization. For all other images referenced in the text, please refer to the Flickr Album Gallery to the right.
1990/1991: The 1990 photo for Alpha Phi Alpha provides a glance into the wide variety of different suit jackets for formal wear, which range from solid black to pinstripe. Sometimes these jackets are accompanied by ties, sometimes not; however, this reflects the men’s individual fashion choices as the later formal wear images show every member wearing the same suit, suggesting that this style was required. The stepping photo in 1991 shows the typical casual wear among Alpha Phi Alpha members, which includes baggy cargo pants, graphic tee-shirts, and ball caps. All style elements reflect the casual and athletic look of the 1990s.
1992/1994: In the 1992 casual event photo we can see a variety of printed tee-shirts and baggy shorts, revealing the simple ’90s fashion that emphasized comfort and livability in styles. As shown in the 1994 recruitment photo, jeans and denim in the ’90s were offered in a variety of different washes. Jeans could be the typical blue shade, tinted darker, or stone washed for a lighter finish.
1999: In the later images, the Alpha Phi Alpha members are seen embracing more of their personal style. For example, in the convention photo, we can see members wearing boldly patterned ties. The ties may emphasize the bright coloring present in ’90s fashion or the influence hip-hop culture had on mainstream fashion. As shown in the mail check photo, the pants and shorts in the casual wear become slightly less baggier, showing the shift from the end of the ’90s towards the early 2000s for tighter clothing. However, as shown in the fundraising and community volunteering photos, the casual printed tee-shirts and sweatshirts remain present.
Identity: In these photos, the fraternity brothers are shown hanging out with confident grins. This is unusual for fraternities, seeing as other fraternity photos rarely show the men smiling, which emphasizes their masculinity and unwillingness to express strong emotions usually associated with women. All in all the Alpha Phi Alpha members seem like a fun loving group of friends. Wearing the baggier look of the ’90s and with some more personalized accessories, these men were confidently moving forward and having fun throughout college and sticking to their value of good character.