from ISSUE 3

By: ZJ Pan,  Fashion Editor Assistant

Gucci is my favorite designer brand because of its luxurious, gender-neutral designs and bold use of fabrics. Though with that being said, I wasn’t surprised when I heard that Balenciaga topped Gucci and became the most popular brand, according to Hypebeast and other streetwear communities, in the end of 2017.

Demna Gvasalia, a Georgian designer, became the creative director for Balenciaga in 2015.  Before that, he was known as a major rebellious force because of his wild, oversized, and somewhat “arrogant” designs in Vetements, a streetwear brand founded in 2009. Gvasalia was recognized as a rule-breaking and cutting-edge designer. He brought his traits and attitudes from Vetements to Balenciaga, and the brand quickly began to take up space in people’s closets.

Balenciaga has been a leader in the fashion scene since late 2015, starting the tide of combining streetwear elements and luxury designer brands. The new Balenciaga exploded into the fashion scene, re-defining women’s wear as being arrogant and imperfect.

Balenciaga’s high, wide collars and extra-long sleeves with gaping openings were labelled as rebellious. The exaggerated use of heavy knit fiber for track pants and hoodies was also a main theme. Asymmetrical designs, details of defection, and mismatched patterns highlighted the mindset of imperfection.

Every Balenciaga show has been mind-blowing due to the seemingly ugly, awkward, unnatural designs which are in no way related to luxury brands, and yet many pieces sold out within days. I’ve drawn the conclusion that people don’t like Balenciaga – they desire it. 2016’s speed trainer, 2017’s summer campaign collection, and  2017’s fall Triple S sneakers pushed Balenciaga to a new peak, recognizable as the main leading trend in street footwear.

Balenciaga’s success is not only due to its cutting-edge and mind-blowing designs but also the way the brand carries out its own aesthetic and its own design by challenging existing fashion ideas.

In ALT, we too present our unique aesthetics and ideas.

For my particular shoot, I drew inspirations from Balenciaga and decided to pile men’s clothes on a female model. I styled my model, Cindy, with my clothes, putting a dress shirt on top of a large Gucci tee, with my own messenger bag and a skinny zipper jean. To highlight the idea of “not fitting,” I left the zipper
open, and finished the look with a pair of size 8.5 Triple S sneakers.

The whole look was entirely based on how I would dress on a regular day. The feminine energy that Cindy brought to the clothes added a certain magic, creating an abnormally relaxed yet heavy look. The look is different, almost eerie, due to the strong contrasts between Cindy’s soft features and the bulky look.

I believe that through fashion, we can create whole new personalities.