REIMAGINING STREETWEAR THROUGH ITS PAST AND FUTURE

THIS COLLECTION EXAMINES THE INFLUENCE OF HIP-HOP MUSIC AND CULTURE ON MY PERSONAL STYLE, USING STREETWEAR AS A MEDIUM TO EXPLORE IDENTITY, CONFIDENCE, AND SELF-EXPRESSION. ROOTED IN THE VISUAL LANGUAGE OF HIP-HOP, THE PROJECT DRAWS ON THE GENRE’S USE OF CLOTHING AS A TOOL FOR COMMUNICATION, WHERE SILHOUETTE, PROPORTION, AND ATTITUDE FUNCTION AS EXTENSIONS OF THE SELF.

GROWING UP, I GRAVITATED TOWARDS OVERSIZED SILHOUETTES AS A WAY TO HIDE MY INSECURITIES AND PERSONALITY FROM THE WORLD. I ALWAYS STRUGGLED WITH BEING CONFIDENT AND BELIEVING IN MYSELF HOWEVER ONCE DISCOVERING HIPHOP MUSIC, MY PERCEPTION OF MYSELF CHANGED. I BEGAN TO REINTERPRET THESE PROPORTIONS, NOT AS CONCEALMENT BUT AS WAY TO INTENTIONALLY EXPRESS CONFIDENCE AND POWER. THIS SHIFT IN PERSPECTIVE IS CENTRALISED IN MY COLLECTION, WHERE SIMPLY OVERSIZED FORMS ARE REIMAGINED AS BOLD, SELF-ASSURED STATEMENTS.

HIP-HOP’S RELATIONSHIP WITH FASHION HAS LONG CHALLENGED CONVENTIONAL IDEAS OF FIT, LUXURY, AND PRESENTATION. THIS COLLECTION REFLECTS THAT ETHOS BY EMBRACING BOLD PROPORTIONS, BLINGED OUT AND RELAXED SILHOUETTES, POSITIONING CLOTHING NOT ONLY AS SOMETHING WORN, BUT AS SOMETHING THAT SPEAKS. THIS COLLECTION APPROACHES HIP-HOP FASHION WITH RESPECT FOR ITS CULTURAL ORIGINS, HONOURING TRADITIONAL STREETWEAR SILHOUETTES AND MATERIAL CHOICES THAT HAVE SHAPED THE GENRE. RATHER THAN ATTEMPTING TO REDEFINE THESE FOUNDATIONS, MY DESIGNS ARE BUILD UPON THEM ACKNOWLEDGING THEIR HISTORY WHILE INTRODUCING PERSONAL, AND EDUCATED DESIGN DEVELOPMENTS. BY MAINTAINING RECOGNISABLE FORMS AND REFERENCES, THE COLLECTION POSITIONS ITSELF AS A CONTINUATION OF AN ESTABLISHED VISUAL LANGUAGE, SHAPED BY MY OWN PERSPECTIVE AS A DESIGNER. ANY ADAPTATIONS ARE INTENTIONAL AND RESTRAINED, ENSURING THAT THE INTEGRITY OF THE ORIGINAL SILHOUETTES REMAINS CENTRAL.

EACH GARMENT IS CONSTRUCTED USING EITHER 100% NATURAL FIBRES OR 100% RECYCLED POLYESTER, ALONGSIDE INNOVATIVE MATERIALS SUCH AS SAVIAN BIO-FUR, PIÑATEX AND DESSERTO. BY INCORPORATING THESE EMERGING SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS, OFTEN ASSOCIATED WITH LUXURY OR CONCEPTUAL FASHION, INTO STREETWEAR SILHOUETTES, THE COLLECTION CHALLENGES PRECONCEIVED IDEAS OF WHAT SUSTAINABLE FASHION CAN LOOK LIKE. MAKING SUSTAINABLE FASHION TRENDY AND FLY.