So the verb is "to use" and the tense is the past conditional. This is indicated by the words, "has been". Like, "I have used," or something similar.
The word "had" or "have" is almost always indicative of either the past perfect or past conditional.
The opposite of that is the past, or preterite tense, as in it definitely happened, as in, "I used it".
Hope that helped
I would say that it most appeals to students, as they are the ones trying to find their identity, and ones who like the express themselves however they feel. They are typically the ones who dislike dress codes.