Among the few hundred students walking through the all school forum on the way to class, is a boy with a top hat, cape, wrist watch, and rose shaped broach. Unlike the other students who are wearing brands like Aviator Nation and Nike, he’s wearing Historical Emporium. 

While other students are rushing to throw on whatever clean clothes they can find in the morning, this particular freshman is fastening his wrist watch and making the finishing touches on his carefully crafted, pre-planned outfit. 

Quin Welch ‘25 prides himself on being an extremely interesting guy, aside from his unique fashion sense, he has many other defining characteristics. He’s known throughout the Greenhills community for being a really genuine kid.

“I think he’s so nice, I like him. Whenever I talk to him, he’s really friendly and welcoming” said Maddie Miller ‘24.

Beyond his kind personality and confident demeanor, Welch’s unique way of dressing has been noticed by the student body.

Welch dresses up for school each day and has been dressing this way since he was eight-years-old. He sees it as a way of expressing his true self.

“It happened when I was getting ready for church and I saw a fancy coat up high in my closet, where I couldn’t reach it. I thought to myself: that looks fun, can I wear it? And it just went from there,” said Welch. 

Welch sure found a way to stick with the fun fashion, as he hasn’t changed up his style since that one day six years ago.

“I like to switch up what I wear,” said Welch. “But generally, I stick to the same style. I would describe it as historical formal.”

Welch originally had some trouble finding reliable stores to purchase these clothes from, since top hats and capes, unlike sweatshirts and sneakers, are difficult to find in local department stores and boutiques.

“Mostly I rely on receiving clothes as Christmas presents and birthday presents. Even though I do get a lot of stuff from a store I like called Historical Emporium. It’s an online shop,” said Welch.

This “historical formal” style may be classy, but comes with a few drawbacks, one of which being price. 

A full outfit from Historical Emporium typically runs upwards of 600 dollars, ultimately, leaving a pretty significant dent in the bank account.

“You have to find a balance between good quality and good price,” said Welch. That’s why I like Historical Emporium. It’s not always the most historical, despite its name, but most of its stuff is good quality.”

Welch describes himself as a “character,” saying that his clothes are part of something bigger – who he is as a person. 

“I’m very into music and acting. Of course you can tell I’m very dramatic just by my clothes,” said Welch. “It fits well with my character. Luckily, it’s not sports or anything that would be affected by the clothing I wear.”

In the beginning, he received some backlash on his clothes, but as time went on people got used to it. The “cape kid” soon became a beloved fashion icon.

“My mom really didn’t like it as much [the fashion choice], because when she grew up things like that would’ve been looked down upon and people would have been bullied,” said Welch. “But luckily, Greenhills is a very nice community and they are very accepting of it.”

This character Welch has created has found a way to impact the greater Greenhills community. These clothes that first started out as a fun way to express himself, soon became a way to encourage others to do the same.

“His clothing style is something I’ve never seen before but it fits his personality really well,” said Inaya Nazmeen ‘24. “He’s not afraid of not dressing like the other kids and that inspires me to do the same.”

When it comes to style, Welch has found a unique way to express himself. He’s also found a way to make sure that others feel comfortable doing the same.

Welch said, “Just do what you want and don’t care what other people think”.