Ivan Chartkoff is a senior at Hoover High. You have probably seen him around. The student with the colorful hair. The noticeable clothes. The glasses. Yes, him. You have seen him, right?

But do you know his story?

Probably not.

Chartkoff’s story begins with his parents. They are musicians who have been in and out of different punk rock bands through the years, but the one they have stuck with the longest is The Monolators, which consists of both of his parents and some of their friends.

The Monolators and Chartkoff’s parents are some of his most important inspirations, and without them he may not have become the person he is today.

One thing you may have noticed about Chartkoff’s is his colorful hair. Last year, feeling inspired by the styles of musical acts like David Bowie and Roxy Music, he dyed his hair several different colors.

“I thought it would be something interesting to try, and a lot of my favorite artists had their hair dyed,” he said.

He also knew that his parents had never dyed their hair, but had shown interest in the past.

Chartkoff’s interest in music goes beyond hair inspiration.

He collects vinyl, and plays several instruments.

“I play guitar, I sing, and sometimes I tinker around with a piano,” he says.

Given that both of his parents are musicians, this comes as no surprise. He has multiple guitars in his room, as well as a wall covered with pictures of cars, and a closet full of shimmering jackets.

One of his other hobbies is movie making, and he currently has a movie in production.

His concept is a science fiction film with some topical references.

“It’s like Star Wars if Star Wars was really, really bad,” he says, laughing.

He hasn’t filmed the movie yet, but in his room he has multiple intricately designed cardboard models of robots and spaceships. They are seriously impressive.

The most noticeable aspect about Chartkoff’s, which is probably why you have heard about him or seen him, is the way he dresses.

He has been growing his collection since around fourth grade, when he bought a golden leather jacket. Some of his clothes he inherited from his family, but most of it is bought from used clothes stores like Goodwill.

“I have a pink leather jacket that’s actually from my grandma,” says Chartkoff.

When deciding what to wear in the morning, he will either carefully pick out his outfit the night before he wears it, or “wake up and haphazardly throw stuff together.”

Chartkoff’s interests and hobbies all affect his fascination in fashion, be it Joan Jett influencing his choice of clothes, or David Bowie inspiring him to color his hair.

His parents’ musical backgrounds affect his interest in music, which in turn inspires him to dress how he does, and that can teach us all something about why we are who we are now.