David Estrada is throwing fashion fits on the Parsons bathroom floor

He’s been compared to a spider, a roach circling the drain, even a sleep paralysis demon. In David Estrada’s viral “dressing for class” videos, the everyday OOTD is reimagined as something stranger and more sinister. The format is always the same: filmed mostly in university bathrooms, the artist appears veiled and cloaked in layered black garments, his chunky boots scaling stall dividers as he squirms, scrambles and contorts through the space in sped-up loops.

The NYC-based creative has been making content for years, first starting on Vine in 2013 before occasionally posting trend-led clips on TikTok. But over the past year, Estrada has “locked in” on his current format. “It’s a really cool way for me to archive what I’m wearing,” he explains.

It takes a certain amount of confidence to scramble around a university bathroom, unbothered by whoever might be entering or waiting in the stalls. It takes an equal dose to upload it into the wider hellscape of the internet. For Estrada, that self-assurance has not always come easily. “When I was growing up, I was so into fitting in with everyone else,” he says. It wasn’t until he noticed people taking inspiration from the way he dressed that things began to shift: “I realised if you’re the first to do it, it doesn’t mean it’s bad. I learnt that especially at Parsons, being around so many people who are just happy to look a mess.”

Below, we talk to the creator about his viral TikToks, what’s next after graduation, and how exactly he manages to scale those stalls.

First question: How did you get started making the videos?

David Estrada: I’ve been posting online since around 2013 on Vine. But for these dressing videos, I posted one similar back in 2023, but then, within the past six months, I’ve been locking down on this formula of videos.

Has anyone ever walked in while you’re filming? Do people care?

David Estrada: People don’t give a fuck at Parsons, and if they do, they’re not there for the right reasons. But people don’t usually come into the bathroom.

How does your phone storage handle it?

David Estrada: My storage isn’t doing the best but I’m on that iCloud family plan, thankfully.

What are you studying, and what do you create?

David Estrada: I study Interactive Design. For my final major project, I worked with urine as a watercolour base, filtering it until it became clean enough to use, and it ended up smelling like roses. I built a large custom filtration system, then let the liquid pour and stain different canvases.

The project was about challenging conventional ideas of design and questioning what is considered art. I was interested in how something is transformed into something “clean” and how that shift changes the perceived value of an object in today’s society.

“For my final major project, I worked with urine as a watercolour base, filtering it until it became clean enough to use”

Is there anyone you’d like to “dress for class”?

David Estrada: Fakemink, Doechii and Cara Delevingne.

You must be super flexible to get into those poses. What’s the secret?

David Estrada: I used to dance growing up, but honestly, I’m just throwing my leg as high as it goes and hoping for the best.

What is that audio you use? It sounds like a mess!

David Estrada: It’s just me moving [laughs]. When I was posting every day, I was stuck trying to pick a sound, so I just went without one.

Which four designers are in your Fashion Mount Rushmore?

David Estrada: Rei Kawakubo, Demna, Shayne Oliver and Simone Rocha.

When do you feel most creative?

David Estrada: Late at night.

What do you want to go into after graduating?

David Estrada: I really am obsessed with creating a whole world and executing a vision, so I think ideally it would be some sort of marketing or PR, or if possible, just being an artist.