Fashion Quarterly Magazine #15

Fashion Quarterly

15

FASHION

QUARTERLY

15

EXTREMELY ONLINE What does it mean to participate in a creative milieu that is primarily mediated through digital technologies, and what does it mean to reject technologic mediums in favor of analog ones? If the last few months of hustle-porn, detox tea, and spam accounts have proven anything, it’s that a sense of distrust is forming in our communicative technologies. Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook are being exposed as platforms that fundamentally favor maximum commercial impact–not community, critique, or long-form discourse.

It would be remiss of us as ‘creatives’ to assume that the platforms are not affecting our collective practices. On the internet, creativity is as much a lifestyle to be projected and marketed as it is a method for knowledge-production. The aesthetic arms-race has accelerated to an unsustainable pace, feeding our never-ending desire for new and novel things and creating the precarious conditions for creative laborers in the perpetual gig economy.

That’s not to say it’s all bad–there’s definitely been plenty of good fun. Collaboration now transcends the limits of physical proximity, meme culture can provide humorous and cutting critique at times, and the alternate personas of finstas prove there is a growing trend of resistance against singular identification.

Though unplugging 100% isn’t realistic (due to FOMO, among other things), we should do our best to be cognizant of the ways the platforms affect us on an individual and collective scale, and in time, we might affect change in the platforms themselves.

SPRING 2018

3

FASHION

QUARTERLY

15

Contents & Info 17–18–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– 4 Inked Iconography–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– 6 New Models–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––18 Grace Mae Huddleston––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– 22 No Such Thing as a Soft Knife–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– 36 The Transcendence of Affordable Activewear––––––––––––––––– 40 The Glove that Fits––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– 44 EDITORS Sean Cai Carter Duong

ADDITIONAL ILLUSTRATION Vivian Xu

CREATIVE DIRECTION Yeji Shin

SPECIAL THANKS Alon Ankonia Meliza Bañales Megn Cho Grace Huddleston Brian White Hansol You

ART DIRECTION Carter Duong EVENTS Kaithleen Apostol FINANACE Donald Kwan MARKETING Shelly Chiou DESIGN Amina Balgimbayeva Carter Duong ILLUSTRATION Sean Cai Marsha Rosales PHOTOGRAPHY Lily Tang Dora Wang WRITING Phu Diec Leanza Ellacer Nariman Piri Zach Roberts Victoria Wegener

SPRING 2018

PAST issuu.com/fqmag PRESENT fq-mag.com @fqmag FUTURE fqmag@ucsd.edu TYPEFACES Aktiv Grotesk Druk Freight Neue Haas Grotesk

ABOUT Fashion Quarterly is a student-run publication that celebrates the intersection of style, art and design at UC San Diego.

NOTE This publication may have been funded in part or in whole by funds allocated by the ASUCSD. However, the views expressed in this publication are solely those of Fashion Quarterly, its principal members and the authors of the content of this publication.

While the publisher of this publication is a registered student organization at UC San Diego, the content, opinions, statements, and views expressed in this or any other publication published and/or distributed by Fashion Quarterly are not endorsed by and do not represent the views, opinions, policies or positions of the ASUCSD, GSAUCSD, UC San Diego, the University of California and the Regents or their officers, employees, or agents. The principal members of each Student media bear and assume the full responsibility and liability for the content of their publication.

68 pages 6×9 inches 39428 Characters 6624 Words 52 Paragraphs 65 Images 297 Files 2.25 GB

5

INKED ICON TATTOOS AND THE WORLD FASHION

QUARTERLY

15

NOGRAPHY STORY BY LEANZA ELLACER & ZACH ROBERTS PHOTOGRAPHY BY DORA WANG SPRING 2018

7

Tattoos, whether because of 1/6 their permanence, taboos, or fascination, are an appearance choice considered with especial weight. FQ met with individuals who have ink to talk about what tattoos mean to them, and all the ways society has inscribed meaning on the practice.

IT IS A UNIVERSAL FACT: the way we dress influences how we are perceived. We are walking images; gazed upon, judged, categorized. In today’s world, the modified body has been characterized as modern, fashionable, and extreme. Tattoos in particular elicit a great amount of judgment and criticism, mostly because of its permanence and sheer visibility. One might do a double take if they visit the doctor’s office and see ink on the arm of a nurse, but might not give pause to seeing similar ink on a musician. In this article, I’ve attempted to be an ear for those who have ink of their own, in hopes of understanding how tattoos can affect the daily lives of people.

Common stigmas associated with having tattoos include: deviant behavior, recklessness, lack of professionalism, lack of maturity. Though it’s certainly true that society has grown increasingly accepting of ‘alternative’ appearances, a negative stigma towards individuals with tattoos continues to linger.

Young people in particular are often generalized as impulsive, as being too immature to make permanent modifications to their appearance. FQ’s Creative Director Yeji Shin says: FASHION

QUARTERLY

15

YS

I don’t agree at all that age is equivalent to maturity, it is not about how old you are that makes one more mature than the other. I believe that a tattoo can be well-thought out or spontaneous ... It is not a matter of age, but rather if you really want to get it or not.

Young people are not the only demographic criticized for having ink–older individuals also experience stigma. Their tattoos may spur people to make invalid judgments about their pasts, to call into question their status as a ‘responsible’ or ‘mature’ adult. Especially in the workplace, where the critical stigma surrounding ink is interwoven with discourse of professionalism. In certain fields, like law or medicine, that continue to maintain strict standards of what it means to be a professional, tattoos are thought of as unclean or unprofessional. For this piece, SPRING 2018

I reached out to various UC San Diego faculty who have visible tattoos to gain insight on their own personal experiences. Faculty member Nancy Gilson shared some common reactions: NG

... the assumption is that the only way a woman my age can have as much ink as I have must mean that I’m in the business [of tattooing]. And when I tell them ‘Oh no, I’m a university professor or I’m a university administrator,’ they sort of look at me like, ‘They let you do that?’ It does mean that people look at you differently, and it does mean that people don’t take you as seriously as they might otherwise. When I meet people even on campus that I’ve never met before and they see the ink, they immediately assume that I’m not faculty, that I can’t possibly be in the classroom.

9

Literature professor Meliza Bañales shared a similar experience of when she was gawked at and judged by a group of UC San Diego students because of her ink.

When she first began teaching here, a conglomerate of young men she often crossed paths with would make rude comments and laugh. She says: MB

I didn’t really know what it was about but finally I just walked up to them and I was like… “Why are you laughing? Are you laughing because I have tattoos?

What is wrong with you? Have you never seen this before? … I’m a professor here so you might want to curb the laughter.” And he didn’t believe that I was a professor. And I was like, ‘No I am, and I would really adjust your tone.’

Those with tattoos are often forced to validate their choice to do so–I myself have heard many chastise those for “just getting a random tattoo,” as if there must be some sort of justification, however slight. Generally, people are more likely to embrace tattoos that contain ‘meaning.’ There must be a story, a significance, and getting tattoos in the spirit of art for art’s sake often doesn’t cut it. But what life is worth living that doesn’t contain risk? At the end of the day, that is what challenges us; without it, we merely get older, we never deepen. Paul Kaplan, a professor who teaches at UC San Diego and San Diego State University, says that the significance behind tattoos continues to become less and less important to him: PK

As I have gotten more tattoos, I have cared less about the ‘deep meaning.’ My first piece had (and has) a lot of meaning for me, but I would do tattoos now just because I like how they look.

This viewpoint illustrates the growing body-as-property point of view (“it’s my body and I can do what I want with it”). In modernity, the body has become an object, a blank canvas to be filled. And to many, the body itself is a fashion accessory that may be altered to enhance your ‘inner self.’ Most people with tattoos believe that their ink makes them multidimensional, complete.

In the fashion industry itself there is also a growing appreciation for tattoos as an art form. Brands and designFASHION

QUARTERLY

15

SPRING 2018

11

FASHION

QUARTERLY

15

SPRING 2018

15

FASHION

QUARTERLY

15

ers are increasingly drawing inspiration from ink aesthetics, by displaying tattooed models on runways, or incorporating tattoo-like designs in their products. In 2013, Valentino released a series of ads in which their luxury shoes and bags were photographed being held by tattooed arms. Louis Vuitton collaborated with tattoo artist Scott Campbell, to produce bags with tattoo inspired designs and temporary ink for models to wear on the runway for the brand’s 2011 Spring/Summer Menswear collection. The late Rick Genest, also known as “Zombie Boy,” became a fashion muse for his head-to-toe ink and was featured in music videos, beauty product campaigns, and runway shows. The tattoo sphere’s recent breach into the fashion industry can be seen as a way for the general public to more widely appreciate ink as creative expression. Collaborations like these are reflective of our time’s evolving views towards ink.

FQ’s own Marsha Rosales, illustrator and aspiring tattoo artist, shared some insight on what it’s like to have embraced ink as an art and a career endeavor. She knows what it’s like being on the other side of the needle, to see an artist’s work and “loving it so much, so wholly, that I want to carry it with me for the rest of my life.”

Like the other individuals I spoke to, she has experienced the negative stereotypes regarding tattoos, not only as someone who has them but as someone who wants to be a tattoo artist.

She shared how she constantly faces comments that delegitimize the profession, and how individuals think that being a tattoo artist is not a real career. Despite this, she knows that seeing her work on someone’s skin will be worth any negativities she will face. She expressed that for a while she didn’t know what direction to take after graduating with an art degree, but when she realized her passions for tattooing she had received her answer: MR

my passion, something I actually cared about and felt lit me up, I finally had confidence in my answer. It just made sense.

The word “tattoo” comes from the Polynesian word “ta,” meaning to strike, or from the Tahitian word “tatau,” meaning to mark. From its etymology alone, the word is inscribed with implications of violence and permanence. Tattoos are composed of abstract blocks, shapes, and lines etched into the skin. They may be described a number of ways, as beautiful, ugly, vulgar, abstract, symbolic, realistic. They may be many-colored, mottled, striped, patterned, variegated, gaudy, striated. They allow the body to become a place of immanence. They are a form of self-expression and individualism. They are a way to brand yourself, to publicize your identity. They allow your skin to be the canvas for art, to perpetually pledge loyalty to beauty.

Why, then, are tattoos so often stigmatized?

Why is an image on paper considered art–but an image on the skin not? No matter what: you always exist in a continual mode of self-expression. And if we looked at ink the same way we do fashion, we might be able to chip away slowly at those negative stigmas that continue to linger, and move towards a more open, considerate frame of mind. S

When I realized tattooing was that puzzle piece, the missing link between a career and

SPRING 2018

17

2/6

New Models

Text by Victoria Wegener & Zach Roberts Illustration by Vivian Xu There is no question that most view the idea of beauty with mixed feelings. Of course, we all wish to look good, to be beautiful–and that only becomes wrong when the desire to be beautiful becomes an obligation.

Ultimately, nothing good comes when our self-worth is predicated entirely upon superficial standards.

There are some traits which are viewed as universally attractive, across time and space, like cleanliness and clear skin, but for the most part beauty ideals are arbitrary and ever-changing. It is the media that has weaponized beauty against us in order to maintain complacency, and to ramp up profits. Historically, the media has been the medium defined what beauty is, perpetuating sinister cycles of self-oppression in our quest for perfection. Perfection–and nothing less.

Images tell us what to be, but they don’t actually do anything. They simply float there, on screens or in the sky, inside our homes or outside on the streets, commanding our gaze (companies have gotten really FASHION

good at that: capturing our attention, demanding it) and spurring us to action. Products, procedures, clothing, diets, drugs, the list goes on–the lengths to which we go to be beautiful are endless. We are slaves to images.

It’s impossible to talk about beauty without also talking about gender. Why is it that the vast majority of women–far more than men–are discontent with their looks? Much of this troubling trend has to do with the fact that women are conditioned, from the moment they are conscious, to view their own bodies in terms of parts. They are continually fragmented, flayed apart. Eyes, nose, breasts, hips, complexion, etc.–each is dissected and scrutinized against the standards of perfection, which in many cases leads to unhappiness, anxiety, and despair. Men, on the other hand, are judged as a whole, at a glance. Body issues still exist among them, yes, but to a seemingly to a lesser extent.

In the last decade or so, though, the media has come

QUARTERLY

15

to weaponize diversity itself by presenting a veneer of false representation. Various movements declaring maxims like ‘Black is Beautiful’ or ‘Body Positivity’ gained prominence in reaction to the destructive and limiting beauty ideals. And so companies and brands, therefore, have begun give consideration to a greater scope of the population in their advertising. Yes, it is certainly a start–but simply not enough.

I have worked over the past three months at a modeling agency in Munich, Germany, and in doing so have gained insight in the machinations of the modeling industry as a whole. Essentially, the central job of a modeling agency is casting talent to then be used to advertise various products in the media. This task requires one to be cold-blooded and cut-throat in seeking models who adhere to the strict criterion that is typical of models (bust 33”, waist 23”, hips 33”). And in a modern strife for more diversity in casting, agencies have begun casting ‘real’ people of all sizes. However, depictions of ‘real’ don’t often align with reality. For instance, in the industry a size SPRING 2018

8 is considered plus-size–and yet the average American woman is a size 14! The discord between the two is troubling, and only furthers body image issues among real people.

The only way this issue will ever be solved is when the sinister practice of categorization ends, when individuals cease to be reduced to mere labels or things. We need to understand that the perfect body does not exist, that we are all individuals with our own unique body attributes, culture, personality, aspirations, and so on. Beauty ideals have changed, are changing, but these changes are futile if we don’t practice radical empathy and self-acceptance. If Duchamp, a century ago, was able to portray a urinal as beautiful in Fountain, then maybe all that’s required is a slight shift in perspective.

19

FASHION

QUARTERLY

15

SPRING 2018

21

3/6

GRACE MAE HUDDLESTON Grace Huddleston is a Visual Arts MFA student at UC San Diego whose dazzling work explores the relationship between humans & the natural world. We sat down with her to talk more about her passions & background.

STORY BY ZACH ROBERTS

FASHION

QUARTERLY

PHOTOGRAPHY BY LILY TANG

15

FASHION

QUARTERLY

15

SPRING 2018

25

I FINALLY REACHED THE ARTIST GRACE HUDDLESTON’S STUDIO after navigating the formidable labyrinth that is the Visual Arts building. Her atelier, an expansive room on the second floor, was glowing in the afternoon light when I arrived. There everything has to do with work and being alone. The door, painted with yellow flowers over a bright orange and purple background, leads to a charming room containing a desk, a sofa, several cabinets, and a table. Every surface is overflowing with objects–books, art magazines, plants, knitted forms, sketches, colored pencils, and other miscellaneous supplies are scattered about.

The walls, though, are dominated by her artwork. Most striking are her newest drawings, large and startlingly beautiful, colorful reimaginings of our future world.

Suddenly, I notice a skeleton glowering behind the door in the corner like an unused prop. I’ll soon come to know its significance.

Huddleston is a second-year Visual Arts MFA student at UC San Diego. As a self-described punk from the predominantly liberal Richmond, Virginia, Huddleston initially found it difficult to settle in at La Jolla. “With my dyed hair and tattoos, I felt like an outsider when I first moved here,” she said. “But I’ve since found my place.” Back in Richmond, she was actively involved in the city’s art scene, co-founding an artist’s collective called Community Room RVA which was dedicated to showcasing experimental art that otherwise would fall through the cracks.

Here Huddleston first began to delve into performance art. In a 2015 piece titled Save Your Hair, Show Your Teeth, she stood alone in the middle of a room like an incarnation of a nymph and enveloped herself in a large knitted shape. Textile remains integral to her artwork. “Knitting is a family tradition,” she told me. “Having been passed down to me from my grandmother and mother, they remain a felt but invisible presence in my art.”

Huddleston’s craft is various, and not only has she explored the future through drawing and performance but sculpture too. Her piece A Welcoming Gesture, “Thank You” in a New Language depicts a spider web covering a cut-out of a skeleton set against the back wall of her studio. In this sculpture, long strings of yarn are weaved together into an intricate web of yellow, black, and purple. Her technique is unorthodox, as she prefers to freeform crochet instead of following a designated pattern. “This method isn’t perfect,” she said. “But to me, it results in something more dynamic and interesting.”

Nowadays, though, she prefers to draw. “Drawing is democratic,” Huddleston told me. “And that’s what I love about it. It’s easy to learn, you can teach yourself, and the materials are readily available.” She taught Vis 1: Introduction to Artmaking last Fall, and she often encouraged her students to experiment more in their work. “I would tell them they didn’t have to draw photorealistically–that’s what cameras are for,” she said. “Drawing is a perfect opportunity to try out new ideas and play around.”

This approach can be seen in her own work, which is egalitarian and approachable. Huddleston’s art supplies include nearly everything: including crayons, color pencils, neon gel pens, glitter, markers, charcoal, and gouache. Her DIY ethos is stimulating, offering a refreshing reprieve from the tradition of fine art. And FASHION

QUARTERLY

15

SPRING 2018

27

“I WOULD TE THEM THEY HAVE TO DR PHOTOREAL

THAT’S WHA CAMERAS A

43

8 10 2 G N I R P S

ELL Y DIDN’T RAW LISTICALLY–

a seugolatac ehs hcihw ni muesum gniworg-reve na si dnim nwo s’notseldduH cimoc ot seiratnemucod erutan dna emina morf ,secruos fo yteirav gnisirprus ehs ,tcaf nI .msilatnemirepxe reh ni nopu sward netfo ehs hcihw ,seniz dna skoob stnemtnioppa pu stes ehs semitemos taht seniz fo noitcelloc egral a hcus sah .kool ot tnaw ohw elpoep htiw

seiromeM bewredipS ,meht fo eno nI .sgniward owt dehsinfi yltnecer notseldduH snamuh erehw erutuf a fo noitacitsongorp a slievnu ehs ,gnileeF elbisivnI na dna ot notseldduH dewolla evitarran sihT .sehsiruofl erutan tey ,deraeppasid evah eye ruoY .sgnieb namuh tuohtiw dlrow a fo ssendriew laitnetop eht erolpxe ylurt -ysp morF .roloc fo epocsodielak evisserpxe dna diviv eht ot nward yletaidemmi si tI .gnilzzad si flesti gniward eht ,wolley dna egnaro fo sehsafl ot erihppas ciledehc gnivig ,ytisnemmi etarobale htiw rewot seerT .smrof-efil fo dairym a sedulcni osla evah yeht fi sa evom dna worg ot mees taht sepahs yhsefl dna srewofl ot yaw thgir-mottob eht ni dna retnec eht ni slwarc redips llams A .nwo rieht fo efil a ,gninepo ekil-evac a fo ssenkcalb eht nihtiw sdnats noteleks namuh a ,renroc .tnemnorivne sti fo rodnelps reehs eht yb defrawd ekil ,dlrow nwonknu siht sdrawot sezag ti sa evitisiuqni skool noteleks wolley sihT eht nihtiw snamuh fo noitatsefinam ylno eht si sihT .efilretfa eht fo yrassime na -pa ,ervueo s’notseldduH tuohguorht mrof tnerruc rieht ni tnesba era ohw ,eceip ,ecafrus eht nO .tsol neeb sah tahw fo secart tnatsid–smotnahp sa ylno gniraep notseldduH tub ,ehportsatac etamilc dna htaed namuh fo tnecsinimer si fitom siht eht rebmemer ot gnuoy oot namuh a sa noteleks eht weiv I“ .lufesromer ton si espmilg ot hguone ykcul si ohw ,daetsni ,enoemos sA“ .dias ehs ”,saw ti sa dlrow ”.hsimelb namuh tuohtiw sevirht hcihw htrae erutuf siht si tenalp eht ,eid slamina nehw tneve na sa espylacopa eht enigami shtym tsoM gniwolla ,slatrommi otni demrofsnart era snamuh tub ,sesaec emit dna ,deyortsed ti ees t’nseod notseldduH .rehtegotla noitcurtsed dna htaed epacse ot meht fo aipotu citsatnaf a eb ot dlrow eht fo dne eht senigamier ehs ,rehtaR .yaw taht .efil dna htworg

egnarts eht dna erehwesle eht htiw noitanicsaf reh syalpsid rehtruf notseldduH tcejbus gnisirprus eht ecnalg tsrfi nopU .xes guls gnitciped gniward deltitnu na ni yrotanicullah dna gnimlehwrevo s’gniward eht nihtiw gnidih ,raelc yldrah si rettam sesu notseldduH ,gnileeF elbisivnI na dna seiromeM bewredipS ekiL .roloc fo esu wen yleritne na htiw uoy gnitneserp ,enecs eht ezirailimafed ot sroloc dna sepahs citoxe dna gniyfitsym eht erolpxe ot reh swolla rettam tcejbus lausunu ehT .dlrow eht htiw detanicsaf ylesnetni si ehS .su ot nwonknu yleritne eb yam taht seitilaer sparw guls hcae hcihw ni ,lautir gnitam guls eht fo ytivitamron-non dna ytuaeb a morf nwod edispu gnignah elihw rehtona eno dnuora sesinep gniwolg-eulb rieht .mrof gniremmilg ,defiinu a ni etator dna elgnad yeht sa ,eert

AT ARE FOR.”

eht fo renroc tfel-reppu eht ni ’YREPPILSSSS‘ tuo lleps srettel knip tnarbiV ehS .noitalupoc guls fo ssentew tnerehni eht ot gnidulla ylsuoromuh ,gniward ot demussa era hcihw saedi ,suoires eht dna lufyalp eht ylsuoenatlumis stciped -melbme si sihT .krowtra s’notseldduH ni ecselaoc yltnaillirb tub elbitapmocni eb taht raelc si tI .efil reh dna krow reh secarbme notseldduH yaw suoyoj eht fo cita eht ta tem tsrfi ew nehw dna ,gnitaerc elihw flesreh syojne ylurt notseldduH

51

YLRETRAUQ

NOIHSAF

Huddleston’s own mind is an ever-growing museum in which she catalogues a surprising variety of sources, from anime and nature documentaries to comic books and zines, which she often draws upon in her experimentalism. In fact, she has such a large collection of zines that sometimes she sets up appointments with people who want to look.

Huddleston recently finished two drawings. In one of them, Spiderweb Memories and an Invisible Feeling, she unveils a prognostication of a future where humans have disappeared, yet nature flourishes. This narrative allowed Huddleston to truly explore the potential weirdness of a world without human beings. Your eye is immediately drawn to the vivid and expressive kaleidoscope of color. From psychedelic sapphire to flashes of orange and yellow, the drawing itself is dazzling. It also includes a myriad of life-forms. Trees tower with elaborate immensity, giving way to flowers and fleshy shapes that seem to grow and move as if they have a life of their own. A small spider crawls in the center and in the bottom-right corner, a human skeleton stands within the blackness of a cave-like opening, dwarfed by the sheer splendor of its environment.

This yellow skeleton looks inquisitive as it gazes towards this unknown world, like an emissary of the afterlife. This is the only manifestation of humans within the piece, who are absent in their current form throughout Huddleston’s oeuvre, appearing only as phantoms–distant traces of what has been lost. On the surface, this motif is reminiscent of human death and climate catastrophe, but Huddleston is not remorseful. “I view the skeleton as a human too young to remember the world as it was,” she said. “As someone, instead, who is lucky enough to glimpse this future earth which thrives without human blemish.”

Most myths imagine the apocalypse as an event when animals die, the planet is destroyed, and time ceases, but humans are transformed into immortals, allowing them to escape death and destruction altogether. Huddleston doesn’t see it that way. Rather, she reimagines the end of the world to be a fantastic utopia of growth and life.

Huddleston further displays her fascination with the elsewhere and the strange in an untitled drawing depicting slug sex. Upon first glance the surprising subject matter is hardly clear, hiding within the drawing’s overwhelming and hallucinatory use of color. Like Spiderweb Memories and an Invisible Feeling, Huddleston uses shapes and colors to defamiliarize the scene, presenting you with an entirely new world. The unusual subject matter allows her to explore the mystifying and exotic realities that may be entirely unknown to us. She is intensely fascinated with the beauty and non-normativity of the slug mating ritual, in which each slug wraps their blue-glowing penises around one another while hanging upside down from a tree, as they dangle and rotate in a unified, glimmering form.

Vibrant pink letters spell out ‘SSSSLIPPERY’ in the upper-left corner of the drawing, humorously alluding to the inherent wetness of slug copulation. She depicts simultaneously the playful and the serious, ideas which are assumed to be incompatible but brilliantly coalesce in Huddleston’s artwork. This is emblematic of the joyous way Huddleston embraces her work and her life. It is clear that Huddleston truly enjoys herself while creating, and when we first met at the FASHION

QUARTERLY

15

LEFT → RIGHT WORK IN PROGRESS (2018) SSSLIPPERY (2018) COLORED PENCIL, CRAYON, GEL PEN, GOUACHE, INK, AND MARKER ON PAPER A WELCOMING GESTURE, “THANK YOU” (2018) GRAPHITE , PAPER , YARN SPIDERWEB MEMORIES AND AN INVISIBLE FEELING (2018) COLORED PENCIL, CRAYON, GEL PEN, GLITTER , INK, AND MARKER ON PAPER

Visual Arts Open Studios earlier this year, she was so busy talking with friends and fellow artists that I only had enough time to briefly introduce myself before she ran off to the afterparty.

Elsewhere in the drawing, colorful knitted forms are placed on the righthand side, representing the immortal organic growths of lichen trees, giving the piece texture and a dynamic physicality. And again, humans are entirely absent from the narrative, appearing only as red silhouettes on the foreground, faint forms from another place entirely. Huddleston ultimately finds meaning in this layering of worlds, of the fantastic and the absent.

Much of her work depicts an imagined world unsullied by civilization, where any trace of modern human life has disappeared. Huddleston focuses on the natural world, which to many of us now seems supernatural and archaic, available only to the idiosyncratic imagination of the artist. And in doing so, she explores the authentic experience of being alive, of being a vulnerable and corporeal creature of flesh in a world that does not require us.

Her work is significant, as uncovering how human-nature relations might appear in the future allows us to reimagine how they exist in the present.

In a world hurtling towards catastrophe, this is all too necessary. S

SPRING 2018

35

4/6

No Such Thing as a Soft Knife Text by Zach Roberts Illustration by Sean Cai All good art is decoration, and the knives crafted by Sasha Pharoah & Sua Yoo are exactly that. Together, they create handcrafted weaponry under the moniker Rozliubit, originating from the Russian term Razliubit–which describes the sentimental feeling towards someone you once loved, but no longer do.

Their knives are decadent, alluring, and ornamental objects. Gleaming with gaudiness & drenched in danger, they are not subtle in the slightest. Each one is a luxurious art piece.

One titled ‘Blackrose’ is a steel dagger coated in matte black, its handle adorned with four bouquets of flowers lined in a row. Gleaming in the light, two of the knives are placed upon a decorative golden-white flower, and photographed against a marble backdrop.

Often these daggers are attached to a greater ritual or myth. This particular throwing knife, from Rozliubit’s ongoing Bouquet Toss Series, is an homage to an ancient wedding ritual, where the bride’s dress FASHION

was torn apart by guests who believed that obtaining a piece of the dress would bring good luck. These knives are meant to be grouped together like the flowers thrown during a wedding reception, in an attempt to distract & prevent the bride’s dress from getting ripped by her guests. By associating it with a larger meaning, the knife extends beyond the realm of pure decoration, becoming art in the process.

Another knife contains a gunmetal handle featuring detailed wings & an intricate skull inlaid with piercing blue eyes. The steel curved blade opens from the handle. Titled ‘Nyx, Gunmetal with Opal Eyes,’ this dagger is named for Nyx, the Greek goddess of the night born from chaos. According to Greek mythology, in the beginning all that existed was the void, from which the deities Nyx & Erebus (Darkness) arose. This knife, then, is testament that beauty can be born from chaos. Every painting was once a blank canvas; every poem an unfilled page.

QUARTERLY

15

A tattooed arm, cloaked in a red glow, wields a small dagger by the fingertips...a shadowed figure, wearing a jeweled mask, languidly grips a golden knife.

These are both images that can be found while scrolling through Rozliubit’s Instagram page, a dazzling kaleidoscope of mystique and weaponry. Often, models wearing lingerie & masks gaze intensely into the camera while brandishing one of Rozliubit’s bladed creations. Other times, knives of varying designs are presented alone, or alongside other BDSM props such as handcuffs, gorgets, and stiletto heels. Their styling is seductive; their weaponry is vicious. Ultimately they have created a visceral world of desire & domination.

one separately, crafting the intricate hilts by hand & decorating them with brilliant gemstones or vintage rudiments. With these knives, bladed subversions of splendor, Rozliubit undermine traditional notions of sexuality & gender roles. With these knives, they push the limits of what is possible–and acceptable.

For Rozliubit, each knife is an elaborate artifact reeking with meaning, as mystical as the crucifix.

These embellished weapons recall larger themes of Greek mythology, classical architecture, BDSM, and religious rituals. Pharoah & Yoo handcraft each SPRING 2018

37

FASHION

QUARTERLY

15

SPRING 2018

39

The Transcendence of Affordable Activewear 5/6

Text by Nariman Piri Photography by Lily Tang Growing up I vividly remember owning a black Champion athletic sneaker with two velcro straps and camouflage accents throughout the exterior of the shoe. I was teased quite a bit in elementary school for this choice in footwear, seeing as I attended school in an affluent neighborhood. At that time, Champion was seen as something representative of the lower class. It was inexpensive, widely available, and often described as ugly by my peers.

Elementary school kids just didn’t seem to think Payless Shoes was a cool place to get sneakers, and I slowly began to agree with them. Celebrities and older students would wear brands such as Nike, Adidas, and Converse, which were respected sportswear brands with an undisputed place in the modern wardrobe. Champion, FILA, Kappa, Dickies, and Carhartt used to be mainstays of outlets, bargain stores like Ross, and super-centers like Walmart. People were ashamed to shop there, and it seemed that most students preferred to frequent department stores or shoe chains found in malls.

My family thought that spending too much on shoes that I would soon outgrow was pointless, thus leading them to shop at stores such as Payless for my shoes or Ross for my tees and hoodies. Never would I have imagined that the teasing would turn FASHION

into praise, as brands such as Champion became popular within the last couple of years.

In order to better understand the resurgence of Champion, Fila, Kappa, and Airwalk, we must first discuss the similar resurgence of workwear brands such as Carhartt. Founded in 1889 by Hamilton Carhartt, the eponymous brand aimed to deliver a tradeunion viable line of workwear for professional use.

As the company grew to include military contracts and factories boasting comfortable conditions for workers across the United States. A century later, in 1989, Carhartt focuses on European markets hoping to introduce distinctly ‘American’ clothing to the market. This collection was named the “All American Concept.” Carhartt soon gained wide recognition in American popular culture thanks to support from the hip-hop community in the early 90’s leading to the establishment of Carhartt Work in Progress (WIP) in Europe in 1994. Through the late nineties and early 2000’s WIP goes on to sponsor action sports and introduces a line for women. By 2010, the brand had collaborated with a plethora of streetwear and fashion brands, both domestic and foreign. Notable collaborations include A.P.C., Bape, Sophnet., Vans, and Fragment Design. To this day, Carhartt contin-

QUARTERLY

15

SPRING 2018

41

FASHION

QUARTERLY

15

ues to release workwear marketed for its quality and fashionable aesthetic.

Champion, similarly, focused on producing affordable activewear and athletic clothing since its inception in 1919. Having held contracts with universities, the United States Military, and even the National Basketball association until 2005. In 2010, however, Champion began, arguably, its most important relationship as of yet: streetwear mainstay Supreme. The subtle and understated athletics brand was nearly unrecognizable amidst the maximalist, propagandistic designs that its collaborations with Supreme yielded.

The humble “C” logo and “Champion” text was often enlarged, embellished, or even repeated into an entire pattern. Other remarkable features included prints, colors, and silhouettes that would not have been available at any other Champion seller.

Surprisingly, the garments were still manufactured in mid to low HDI nations, unlike the bulk of Supreme’s mainline clothing which was manufactured in the US or Canada. Nonetheless, customers ate it all up like all the other Supreme products that released every season, and it soon became a staple collaboration.

In addition, Champion re-released its “Reverse-Weave” sweatshirts in 2012 for the 60th anniversary of the technology. The successful 60th anniversary event reinforced the reputation of quality which had once defined the brand, and had been lost somewhere along the lines of massive retail distribution. In 2013, Champion partnered with target to launch the diffusion line C9, aiming to deliver affordable yet fashionable activewear to customers.

By creating an affordable spin-off brand, the main label of champion could focus on building a stronger mainline at a higher price point, while still maintaining its relationship with customers who prefer a cheaper product. It is these three events which initiated the snowball effect which we see today. In recent times, Champion has collaborated with Vetements, Beams, Off-White, and KITH, among a plethora of other labels. Instead of Payless and K-mart, where I first encountered the brand, I now see it stocked at stores ranging from Urban Outfitters to Opening Ceremony, further indicating its success across all markets.

Collaborations often play a large part in bringing brands into the spotlight. For sportswear brands FILA and Kappa, a singular Russian designer-phoSPRING 2018

tographer elevated them from outlet mainstays to nostalgia-fueled runway statements. Gosha Rubchinsky captivated the western world with his homage to casual wear reminiscent of that worn in the Soviet Union. For many, it was a glimpse into a world which they had heard so much about, but never truly seen.

Drawing from gym uniforms and casualwear of the mid to late twentieth century USSR, Rubschinsky utilized FILA and Kappa garments as a canvas to convey messages regarding the homogeneity and work ethic which is undoubtedly slavic at heart. The collection included sweatshirts, windbreakers, track pants, and trainers. Unlike most FILA and Kappa products, the Gosha collaboration was sold at a premium multiple times more expensive than the average product.

The glaring question remains, are Champion, FILA, Kappa, and others luxury brands now, and if so, are their prices justified? On their own, no, they are not luxury brands. When collaborations occur, these brands lend their garments as a canvas for designers to utilize as they please. For example, the Supreme and Champion collaborations are distinctly Supreme, just as the Junya Watanabe and Carhartt collaborations are distinctly Junya. Reverse Weave, WIP, and higher-end FILA or Kappa are simply premium versions from the same vein as their standard collections, but far from luxurious. If we were to look at a more clear cut example such as Levi’s, we could see that normal Levi’s are ubiquitous, and their premium lines, such as Levi’s Made and Crafted, are still relatively affordable for the product that they deliver.

However, once we dive into Levi’s collaborations, such as those with Vetements or Junya Watanabe, they are no longer just Levi’s, and fall into a different niche altogether.

As to my own attitude towards these brands, I still see them in the light that I did when I was growing up. I buy my Champion at Sears and go to the gym in Champion because that’s the association I’ve developed. I still do chores in Dickies and ride my bike wearing the 874’s cuffed to my knee on one side. Despite my generally open-minded approach to fashion, I don’t think I’ll ever see workwear as anything other than workwear, and activewear as anything other than activewear.

43

FASHION

QUARTERLY

15

SPRING 2018

45

The Glove That Fits

6/6

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CARTER DUONG & ZACH ROBERTS

INTERVIEW BY CARTER DUONG

FASHION

QUARTERLY

15

Ya go ahead han

Hi I’m Megan

Megan

Hobby

Uh

LOOOOLll

And then slowly, I inched into this hel.. I mean

So I thought “Hey, getting clothes that match him are kind of just like getting merch!”

It wasn’t anything special. My favorite character at the time when I started was Karamatsu from Osomatsu-san, and his design only consists of regular daily outfits

Hansol

i actually started cosplay kind of on a whim actually.

Hi, I’m Han!

Hansol

To start, introduce yourselves! How’d you get into cosplay?

SPRING 2018

47

I feel a lot more confident.

Hansol

What does it feel like to be in costume?

How do you feel when you’re in character?

^yeah I feel like even with clothes as a hobby, it all starts with just playing dress up.

I didn’t even know anybody who did it, I just liked being the characters from the stuff I liked and making things

And then I got into anime and it was like, dress up to the max

Yea for me, I always liked dress up

Megan

Learning new things everyday, friendship edition

Hansol

For some reason I didn’t know that, even though I’ve known you this long

Megan

FASHION

QUARTERLY

15

SPRING 2018

49

FASHION

QUARTERLY

15

Yeah I feel a lot more confident because of it #MOOD

Sometimes the only time I feel cute is when I’m in cute cosplay lol

Megan

Hansol

Much more than usual LOL

Megan

If they’re confident, I feel as if I am as well. If they’re a hurt character, it helps me embrace my problems as well

Hansol

When I’m in cos I put a lot of work into my appearance

Megan

but it helps me connect a lot better with the character I’m displaying, and that itself helps me feel a lot better about myself

So it doesn’t suddenly make me super fantastic just because I’m “wearing something different”

To be honest, I’m a little depressing of a human being

Hansol

SPRING 2018

51

Like it’s not bad or anything, it just grates a little

Megan

It feels super off when someone is acting completely opposite from the character they’re wearing

Honestly imo yea

Yeah like han said, the sides of me that don’t always show irl get to come out

Megan

mmmm interesting, so in a way, the costume is completed by performing the character?

It just feels really fun bc it’s different

I get to be excessive in a really subtle way that people can understand

It’s like, when I’m in character, I’m more of me than I usually am

Megan

also #Mood

Hansol

FASHION

QUARTERLY

15

Bc even if it’s a character, it’s a person that we can never know all of

So much

Megan

How much room for interpretation is there?

Coat hanger lmaoooo

Megan

because the person shouldnt really be a coat hanger đ&#x;˜‚

whether it’s acting like them or posing like them and such

Even if you’re not perfect, I agree that the cosplay is “complete� in the moment when both the costume and the person wearing it comes together

Hansol

SPRING 2018

55

Sakura is super bold so the contrast was a lot

Her shoulders were all hunched too, it was a little sad

It didn’t stop me making friends with her but in my head I was like “???”

Like what comes to mind is I met a sakura from naruto once that was really accurate but really quiet

Like, hella, but not all of it?

Megan

so there is a lot of room for different interpretation, but i think it’s just better the more someone has dug into it

but i see a lot of cases when people only take the surface level (the gag aspect) of them

and for those, it’s fun because there’s a lot more to dig into

a lot of my fandoms are “gag” series so a lot of characters tend to be very... ‘diverse’

I think there’s endless possibilities of interpretation as long as the person has actually thought about the intention or a situation behind why a character would act a certain way

Hansol

FASHION

QUARTERLY

15

honestly, I think the most important part is just “having fun�

Hansol

Yeah, cosplay is anything you make it

Megan

yep!

Hansol

I feel like this points to the diversity of styles within cosplay itself, you have the serious 1000% accurate costumes, and the hairy Misty from Pokemon cosplayers. đ&#x;˜‚ There’s range is wide enough to accommodate for everything from technicality to humor.

I think anything works as long as they express the core of the character

Megan

series like gintama where the primary story line is just humor đ&#x;™‚

Hansol

oo what do you mean by ‘gag’ series?

SPRING 2018

57

I guess there’s a lot of ways I came across people, but I’ve never really searched for any actively

I guess like attracts like...? đ&#x;¤”

Hansol

Lol

Megan

How did y’all find the community here in San Diego? Does cosplay play a role in your life as a student?

it’s cool to be all technical and serious and all, but thats only as long as you’re having fun while going through that process

Hansol

#wholesome

It’s all about the heart you put in it

Megan

FASHION

QUARTERLY

15

There’s just not that many events here

Which is fair considering NorCal coscom is massive and dedicated

Megan

I think that’s because we go to UCSD where everything is far unless you have a car đ&#x;˜…

Hansol

For some reason it’s not as engaging as NorCal

The community I have interacted with I am very ambivalent about

Megan

I actually met megan at an anime dance club because i thought it’d be cool to check it out, and then it expanded from person to person đ&#x;¤”

Hansol

But I don’t think I interact with enough to make an actual judgement

There’s a few good people we’ve met in the SD cos community

Megan

SPRING 2018

61

i know, right

ya

Hansol

I’m in a costume design class this quarter? But that’s the extent of the overlap

Megan

i think it actually interacted pretty decently with my student life

Hansol

The only role cosplay plays in my student life is a drain on my wallet LOL

NorCal has five hundred bazillion events

They don’t really mix so...

There’s SDCC and everything else is small anime events

FASHION

QUARTERLY

15

dang we’re running out of time lmao, is there any advice y’all would give to people looking to get into cosplay?

fb groups on fb groups

ahahahahah that’s ucsd for ya

instead of sitting in my room pretending like im studying

... like actually studying in geisel

and meeting people i had no similarities with other than cosplay pushed me to do a lot of things i wouldnt usually do

but i see a lot of cases when people only take the surface level (the gag aspect) of them

(not have the chance to talk to)

but yeah. cosplay was just a good way for me to meet a lot of new people i’d normally not talk to

i wish i knew about it earlier

Hansol

SPRING 2018

63

(Pun intended)

It’s like not the easiest of hobbies, but it’s def one of the best out there for the person you can become

Megan

I guess don’t be afraid to try or reach out, because all of this is based on love and passion!

Have no fear, everyone else is also probably an awkward introvert. Nobody is good from the beginning

Hansol

It’s a labor of love!

Megan