Walking the streets over Homecoming (HOCO) and FOCO weekend, students like Maia Cossette, ArtSci ’26, say the bright, vibrant campus energy is reflected in Queen’s enduring sense of style.
Each October, Queen’s students celebrate Homecoming and “Foco”—a post-fall break tradition—by flooding the streets in red, blue, and yellow Queen’s gear. In the months leading up to HOCO and FOCO, student government and clubs, like the Arts and Science Undergraduate Society (ASUS), Queens for Sustainable Fashion (QFSF), and Society 58—along with retailers such as Phase 2 and the Campus Bookstore worked to meet the surge in demand for Queen’s themed apparel.
The Journal spoke with merchandise retailers to learn how they gear up for Queen’s fashion-packed weekends. For ASUS Marketing and Communications Officer Ellie Sheppard, ArtSci ’26, designing HOCO merchandise has been a priority since late July. With a $1,000 budget, Sheppard managed to keep costs low, stating the final cost came to around $600. Costs aside, Sheppard explained gender inclusivity was a first priority in designing merchandise.
“The first thing that [my team and I] started thinking about was accessibility. We were trying to think of a design that would be something everyone would like,” Sheppard said in an interview with The Journal. “I think it can be an easy misconception with clothing to only think about girls, but we wanted something everyone would like regardless of gender.”
She also highlighted how thoughtful design choices could balance inclusivity with personal expression. But at the end of the day, Sheppard explained she ultimately just wanted students to feel comfortable and confident in their HOCO and FOCO outfits. “We wanted to keep the design minimalistic and simple, so that people can make the shirt their own, by cutting it up or styling it in their own way […] I feel like fashion brings people together,” Sheppard said.
“There’s unity in everyone wearing Queen’s merchandise with the same colour and logos, but everyone adds their own twist to their Hoco outfit to express themself in different ways, even as we’re all Queen’s students.”
Although Sheppard began planning HOCO merchandise in late July, she told The Journal she would likely start even earlier next year to allow more time for creative brainstorming. This push to get a head start isn’t unique to ASUS—Kingston’s Queen’s focused merchandise stores echo the same strategy, emphasizing early preparation for HOCO and FOCO weekends.
For Carla Igimundson, owner of Phase 2—a family-run clothing store since 1980 selling Queen’s merchandise on the corner of Princess St. and Barrie St.—planning and ordering clothing for HOCO begins six months prior to October. “October is definitely our biggest month with HOCO, FOCO, and Halloween,” she said in an interview with The Journal.
However, even with their usual rush, Igmimundson notices a few slight changes this year. “There haven’t been significant changes [in sales or trends] this year other than Hoco was slower in general than previous years […] Generally [Hoco] sales are great, but with Homecoming scheduled during reading week, there seems to be a drop in Alumni participation,” she said. “Feedback from Alumni is that it ‘isn’t the same’ with no one on campus.”
With homecoming scheduled over Queen’s students Fall reading break this year, Global News reported how Queen’s, city officials expected a quieter homecoming weekend. Some alumni even told the Kingston Whig-Standard that the timing of the two weekends felt like a “scam.”
While alumni presence and merchandise sales to alumni—were minimal this year, student societies continued to prioritize fashion for HOCO and FOCO. For QFSF, that focus comes with a commitment to sustainability. The group designs HOCO and FOCO merchandise entirely from thrifted clothing, helping students show school spirit while reducing waste and promoting mindful consumption.
This year, QFSF gave five student designers $30 each to purchase thrifted materials for creating merchandise, including crochet tops and jean skirts. The group earned $440 from sales, slightly less than last year’s nearly $500, according to QFSF in an e-mail to The Journal. Allie Madan, QFSF co-president, ArtSci ’26, told The Journal in a written statement that the difference was likely due to having more pieces to sell and a larger design team last year.
To promote this year’s merchandise, QFSF organized a themed photoshoot titled “Threaded in Time” using the ‘retro warmth’ of Tommy’s Diner and the ‘timeless creativity’ of Martello Alley. The photoshoot for Instagram emphasized the bright, bold Queen’s colours, and attempted to blend the current HOCO fashion moment with nostalgia for the past.
“We wanted to focus on themes of nostalgia and Queen’s pride. We have a lot of followers that are Queen’s alumni so it’s nice for them to see the Queen’s pride carry forward,” said Maia Cossette, ArtSci ’26, QFSF creative director, in an interview with The Journal.
Cossette highlights the broader journey behind campus fashion, noting that even a simple shirt carries a story. “Even with a shirt, it might be simple, but all the patches and stitching were made by someone your age, a fellow Queen’s student who might even be in the same program as you,” she said, emphasizing that all designs are handmade by Queen’s students for Queen’s students. Each designer has full creative freedom, provided they incorporate the staple Queen’s Tricolour.
The focus on alumni engagement extends beyond QFSF. While the group highlights nostalgia and Queen’s pride for returning graduates, the Campus Bookstore also considers alumni in its offerings—though unlike Phase 2, they haven’t seen a drop in sales from alumni, according to staff.
“Our experience has been pretty consistent from year-to-year, even since the inception of Faux Homecoming,” said Bryan Vincent, manager at the Campus Bookstore. “I think [dressing up and wearing merchandise] is especially important for the Alumni because they feel that nostalgia for their time here. I think for current students when you see Alumni wearing merch, it brings that [Queen’s pride] out even more.”
For the Campus Bookstore, preparation for HOCO and FOCO merchandise begins a full year in advance, as these weekends represent their highest sales periods. HOCO and FOCO are also peak sales periods for Society 58, an AMS service, on-campus merchandise store. Society 58 Supervisor, Lyane Lariviere, ArtSci ’26, told The Journal in an interview that the store generated $13,000 in revenue in a single day during HOCO weekend. Lariviere explained that careful pre reading week preparation helped meet demand, though the store still sold out before FOCO weekend.
“We stocked up on [merch] before reading week, because we know that students who stay for Hoco weekend during reading week and Alumni contributed a lot to those sales,” Lariviere said. “We didn’t foresee that we would run out of literally everything and couldn’t stock up in one week in between reading week and Foco weekend.”
Unlike some other vendors, she didn’t observe a drop in alumni participation over HOCO. “Over the actual HOCO weekend, there were a lot of alumni and they were all so happy and stoked to talk to students,” Larvivere said. “I think there’s a general sentiment that they might be upset that they don’t get the opportunity to hang out with students as much because they’re gone, but that didn’t impact sales.
Whether or not alumni drive sales, on-campus stores and student groups spent months preparing for HOCO and FOCO weekend. From student-led initiatives to long-standing local businesses, preparations for HOCO and FOCO reflect a focus on school pride and community. From ASUS emphasizing inclusivity and accessibility, to QFSF challenging fast fashion, to handmade designs; nostalgia remained a central theme throughout the weekend in everyone’s outfits.
Tags
Asus, FOCO, Hoco, Homecoming, Merchandise, QFSF, Society 58
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