Black Fashion Designers, an exhibition held in F.I.T, highlighted the different ways in which black fashion designers from different times and places articulated their artistic vision. As mentioned during last week’s lecture, it is evident that culture is an integral part, be it conscious or not, in a designer’s artistic process. These manifestations differ, but become crucial representations of the time and space in which the garment was created. As Kaiser touches on the importance of seeing time and space being cyclical rather than linear, we can see the evolution which takes place in the ongoing conversations led by black fashion designers.
In the exhibition, I found this ensemble by Off-White (Virgil Alboh), to being a great piece of one of many ways in which black fashion designers today are currently approaching fashion design. The male mannequin is dressed in a wool, cotton, denim, suede coat, wind breaker, pants, and black boots laced with ropes from his Fall 2015 collection. Virgil Abloh, a huge name in today’s fashion scene, particularly street fashion, is changing the way “street wear” is perceived in the current time and place. Once associated with gangs amongst lower class minorities, Virgil is reinterpreting what “street fashion” can be. He brings intellectual layers to casual street pieces. Streetwear, today, is no longer seen as subordinate. Rather, he rearticulates it as luxury, expressive, and trendy. I believe Abloh is an extremely influential figure in today’s current fashion scene, as he was one of many young designers who are currently changing what casual fashion, streetwear, and luxury fashion can become.
