Van Dam's Fashion Passion

“Can I get you something to drink?” asked City Councilmember Mark Van Dam while donning a sunflower yellow T-shirt with Spongebob’s gap-toothed, smiling face on the front and highlighter orange shorts.

For years Van Dam has been known for causing ripples in Moorpark’s fashion pool.

“I go to Moorpark Presbyterian Church and when I wear ‘normal’ clothes I get more concerned comments than when I wear my usual, bright outfits,” he said.

The responses he gets on his wardrobe vary by how well he knows the people surrounding him.

“I just get odd looks from random strangers,” he said.

It all started when Kohls had one of their infamous holiday 80 percent off sales—tis the season for low-cost, brightly colored, ‘tall’ T-shirts. The rest is history.

Even prior to the Kohls sale that would forever change Van Dam’s life—and certainly his wardrobe—he considered himself to be an adamant bargain hunter.

“I have never and will never buy a pair of shoes for more than $20 and I get all of my suits from the fashion district in downtown L.A. for less than $100. That’s less than it costs to get them tailored,” he said proudly.

The reason behind Van Dam’s style choices: a teaching strategy.

Hard to miss are the junior high students of today. The current ‘big thing’ in teen fashion involves a bit of a throwback to the 80s with fluorescents and neon galore. When he ventures onto a campus, Van Dam’s neon-green suit fits right in.

Taking notice of the trend, middle school teacher Van Dam decided to implement a buy-in strategy.

“Teaching has to do with buying in. If the students relate to what I’m doing, then they will learn. If they wear bright colors and I wear bright colors, we’re all that much more relatable,” he said.

Though he wears the bright colors now, Van Dam wouldn’t have dreamed of wearing them to junior high when he was a teen.  When he attended middle school, he said, it was all about fitting in and not bringing attention to one’s self.

Now, however, he wears them for more than just teaching; He sports his fun, dapper get-ups at city meetings as well.

“I feel like it’s important to have some diversity on the council, I like to think I bring a bit of that.”

In addition to relating to students and bringing in an element of diversity, Van Dam said his style choices are all about the fun of it all.

“My motto is brighter is better and it really comes down to that wearing things that are unique and different is fun.”