‘Unisexy’
I asked my white T-shirt : “What is the fashion?”
“What is the humor seriously?”
“What is the sexuality?”
“What, What, What….
What?”
You never answered but I hope you are well.
It was a few months back now, but the moment when Mao Usami completely dominated the Central Saint Martin’s BA Fashion Degree Show earlier in the year is one I could quite happily relive again and again.
The womenswear designer combined a foisty, dishevelled P.E. kit aesthetic with impeccable attention to detail. Every gaping crotch, exposed undergarment and half-pulled-off hockey sock was as carefully constructed on the inside as it was on the outside.
But still, everything seems unfinished – or finished then unfinished again. It’s all about getting ready to go out, getting socks trapped in doors, feeling ugly, hating the pretense of it all, deciding you don’t really give a shit about looking nice anyway and being destructive to counteract the whole stupid ordeal. It’s teen angst and questioning sexuality. It’s rebellion. It’s Kevin and Perry Go Large.
Quite frankly, I loved everything about it. I loved the layering and the slumped silhouettes. I loved the models of all shapes, sizes, ages and ethnicities. And I really, really love that her website features a photo of a middle-finger elephant poking out of a pair of pants.
See the elephant and more on Mao Usami’s website here.