The New Dandy
A Semiotic Analysis of Black Dandyism represented through Gucci`s ‘Soul Scene’campaign and Kristin Lee Moolman`s 2026 series
Fashion has always been used as a form of expression either individually or as a collective. Fashion can be used as a signifier of where you come from, your religious beliefs or even as a political statement. For the Sapeurs of the Congo, that`s exactly what it was, a political statement. This Congolese subculture has its roots in the French colonisation of the Congo in the early part of the 20th century. It’s a sartorial DNA that nods to 1920’s jazz age of refinement(Doig, 2014). The Sapeurs operate within the movement of Black dandyism where a dandy’s style is not just about form and substance. It is also about the luxurious deliberation of intelligence in the face of boundaries. (Miller, 2009, p.264) South African photographer Kristin Lee Moolman often captures this raw sensibility between black masculinity, dress and identity. Through her lens she creates a story that is dispelling the Westerncentric narrative to which too often, even nowadays, the African continent is reduced.” (BJP, 2017)
The Gucci universe is inclusive, blurring the lines between genres and gender; attracting people of all ages; and from places as culturally diverse as the clothes – as if that were the most obvious thing in the world. (Frankel, 2018) This luxury fashion brand’s eclectic approach to fashion alongside their post- fashion methodology is what has resonated with the culture of black dandyism. ‘Black dandyism functions as a kind of visible sign of the modern black imaginary, a kind of “freedom dream.” This dream is dreamt with knowledge of its limitations, but it is dreamt nevertheless, to imagine and then find ways to go beyond’ (Miller, 2009, p.221). This article will analyse how black dandyism is exemplified through Gucci’s pre-fall 2017 “Soul Scene” campaign and Kristin lee Moolman’s 2026 series.
“When Gucci started, it was another age. If you bought a Gucci bag, you belonged to the jet set. The jet set doesn’t exist anymore” - Alessandro Michele. (Frankel, 2018) This system of the wealthiest in society being the most fashionable is fading as fashion becomes more about expression rather than showcasing status. The dandies are a big part of this shift, they threatened the existing class structure by `dressing up` as their white, wealthier counterparts. (Lewis, 2017, p.8) Michele appropriates and re-appropriates references to the point where, though there’s a certain familiarity to anyone looking on, the overriding sense is one of disorientation. (Opt.cit) The dandy appropriates classical European fashions of their colonisers with an African diaspora aesthetic and sensibility, (Lewis, 2017, p.8) this creates a disruption between the oppressed and the oppressor. It not only does this visually but makes you rethink the typical stereotypes of a modern black man. Gucci’s appropriation, re-appropriation, amalgamation and eclectic collection of different styles across different periods and cultures is what drives their post-fashion methodology.
Gucci’s Eclectic style and Dandy flare
This post-fashion attitude is echoed in Black dandyism. Black dandyism is decidedly less about fashion than it is about style. They are not dictated to by runway shows, they are selffashioned. (ibid, p.10). Post-fashion is lives outside the normal fashion cycle. It is oblivious to fads and seeks for authenticity in its social context. This image from the Gucci Soul Scene campaign is an example of not only dandy flare but also eclectic style. This image embodies a sense of freedom, freedom to be oneself without the pressures of society. These black men express their freedom through their androgynous dance and colourful style. The signified in this image is the black male representing black masculinity. The signifier is the soft floral oriental pattern on the suit, this traditionally signifies femininity. However, on the body of this modern young black man it changes the boundaries of feminine and masculine dress and denotes a freedom of selfexpression through dress. The mixture of classical European fashion with an ethnic and current twist is comparable to the dandies’ style.
‘A black man employing this strategy is even more radical and subversive’ -Lewis, p.9 (2017)
‘Kristin-Lee’s photographs offer an insight into a world where her subjects — “friends and people I’ve met through social media… talented artists, musicians, actors and dancers” — perform complex gender and sexual identities in opposition to both traditional cultural stereotypes and the conservative attitudes which are still held not only in the city, but in South Africa as a whole’ (Stone. B, 2016).
Kirstin Lee Moolman’s Raw, Irreverent Aesthetic
Moolman’s 2026 series is a window into the lives of vulnerable, feminine, black males. Their narrative adjacent to the one pushed by the media, often a story of toxic masculinity, violence and anger. These images depict black masculinity with a dandy attitude. Adorned in feminine and masculine clothes with soft natural lighting and a commanding gaze these men are creating their own identities outside of the social confines. ‘Black dandyism in the early twentieth century emerged as a sign that these new people now considered themselves modern, cosmopolitan, urban, part of a debate on how to reform, worldwide, conceptions of blackness’ (Miller, 2009, p.221).
Moolman’s work explores this density of black masculinity throughout the social landscape of Africa through portraits marked by contrasting realities — promoting new identities that provide counter-narratives to current stereotyped, idealized imagery. (Moolman, n.d) Moolman’s image subjects stand in strong feminine and masculine poses. They stand with conviction, potency. There’s a sense of strength in knowing who they are even though the world might not accept it. Similar to Gucci’s sense of irreverence, Moolman and stylist IB Karmara used second hand or found items to style the shoot. They quite literally build up an identity of the man through the clothes. Much like the Gucci campaign the black male is the signified representing black masculinity in its purest form. The clothing is the signifier of a multilayered identity, formed of masculine and feminine elements that become more personal than just menswear and womenswear, they are coexisting pieces of a puzzle that isn`t as black and white as society may say it is.
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emiotics and linguistics are the view of language and visuals where words and images communicate meanings within different sign systems. (Bignell, 1997, p.1) In our society we adhere to the system of “dress codes” where each item of clothing are signs which can be selected from the almost infinite language. The dandies communicate a coded message of ‘formality’, with tail jackets, crisp shirts and ties a familiar feature in the dandy’s ensemble. The dandies use the system of dress code as a coded way of speaking by selecting clothing signs to communicate a particular message about themselves. Our understanding of a sign often depends on recognising that it belongs to a code which has particular meanings for us. (Ibid, p.10) Our understanding of 19th century Europe and the connotations of classic European clothing is what the dandies use to embody power, wealth and affluency. According to Barthes (2009 [1957]), myths in modern society are a product of contemporary social value systems, dependent on societal context. The dandies are certainly ‘makers of myth’ they bring together signs and their connotations to communicate a social and political message.
Myth makes particular social meanings acceptable as the common-sense truth about the world. (Bignell, 1997, p.24) By creating this myth, the dandy is changing perceptions of what black masculinity is around the world. The system of dress code can also be broken to create a new meaning. For Moolman and Karmara the codes governing what men wear versus what women wear are irrelevant to their eclectic and irreverent style. Their knowledge of dress codes allows them to ignore everything they know and create a style that is transcendent of any coded system. In the Gucci soul scene image, this could be described as an indexical sign. The image shows the men androgynous dancing, they are indicating their physical and emotional freedom although may not be free from systemically pressures. The relationship with black males and dance is one filled with history and shares a strong relationship with the signified. (ibid, p.15)
Modern-day black dandies – men who explore their diasporic identity through colourful, patterned suits, using their impeccable style to expand the conversation on gender, race, sexuality, masculinity and class. - Belinky (2017)
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n all the imagery featured the black male is the signified as the subject of the image, the signifiers are dark skin and textured hair. However, the mental concept of this sign often attracts negative connotations due to the use of this sign throughout the media. Dandyism is an ideology, a way of perceiving reality and society. “Barthes proposes that myth serves the ideological interests of a particular group in society”. (Bignell, 1997, p.24) The systems which structure the dandy’s visual language also shape their experience of their reality. For young black men, how you present yourself to the world can be a matter of life of death. Young black teen Trayvon Martyn was shot dead wearing a grey hood and baggy jeans.
By communicating an identity adjacent to negative perceptions, dandies can create a truer narrative. “A dandy defies monolithic understanding of what it is to be a man- particularly a Black man- through a colourful and complex dance between race, class, gender, power, and style.” (Lewis, 2017, p.9) Gucci’s Soul Scene’s Fearless, flamboyant and genderambiguous nature is a system made of signs to meaningfully articulate to a community how the signs of dance and tailored dress have come to take the form they have now.
Reference list Belinky.B (2017) Inside the slick, stylish world of black dandyism Meet the dandy lions. Huckmag. [online] Available from : https://www.huckmag.com/artand-culture/photography-2/black-dandyism/. [Accessed on 08/01/2019] Bignell. J (1997) Media semiotics: An introduction. Manchester : Manchester university press. British Journal of Photography. (2017). Ones to Watch: Kristin Lee Moolman. [online]. Available from: https://www.bjp-online.com/2017/06/ones-to-watch-kristin-leemoolman/[Accessed on 07/01/2019] Doig.S (2014) Meet the dandy’s of Brazzavile.Telegraph.[online] Available from: https:// www.telegraph.co.uk/men/fashion-and-style/10564648/Meet-the-dandies-of-Brazzaville. html [Accessed on 08/01/2019] Frankel.S (2018) “People Need Reality” Alessandro Michele on his Gucci. AnOther. [online] Availble from: http://www.anothermag.com/fashion-beauty/10576/people-needreality-alessandro-michele-on-his-gucci [Accessed on 12/12/2018] Lewis.S. P (2017) Dandy Lion: The black dandy and street style. Aperture. New York Moolman, K.L. (n.d.) The New Vanguard. Document Journal. Available from: http://www. documentjournal.com/thenewvanguard/entrant/kristin-lee-moolman/ Miller, M. L (2009) Slaves to Fashion : Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity. Duke University Press. Available from: Stone. B (2016) Photographer Kristin-Lee Moolman captures the characters of Johannesburg’s creative scene. It’s nice that. [online] Available from: https://www. itsnicethat.com/articles/photographe-kristin-lee-moolman-captures-the-characters-ofjohannesburgs-creative-scene-150916 [Access on 10/01/2019]
Figures List
Figure 1. Diop. o. v, (2013) Alt + Shift + Ego [online image ]
Figure 2. Luchford. G, (2017) Soul Scene 1 [online image]
Figure 3. Luchford. G, (2017) Soul Scene 2 [online image]
Figure 4. Luchford. G, (2017) Soul Scene 3 [online image]
Figure 5. Devonish.K (2019) Moolman Mix [own image]
Figure 6. Moolman.K.L (n.d) Portfolio 1 [online image]
Figure 7. Moolman.K.L (n.d) Portfolio 2 [online image]
Figure 8. Moolman.K.L (n.d) Portfolio 3 [online image]
Figure 9. Devonish. K (2019) New Dandy 1 [own image]
Figure 10. Devonish. K (2019) New Dandy 2 [own image]
Figure 11. Devonish. K (2019) New Dandy 3 [own image]
Figure 12. Devonish. K (2019) New Dandy 4[own image]
Figure 13. Devonish. K (2019) New Dandy 5 [own image]
Figure 14. Devonish. K (2019) New Dandy 6 [own image]
Figure 15. Devonish. K (2019) New Dandy 7 [own image]
Figure 1 : Diop. o. v, (2013) Alt + Shift + Ego [online image] Available from : https://www. huckmag.com/art-and-culture/photography-2/black-dandyism/ [Accessed on 08/01/2019] Figures 2,3,4 : Luchford. G, (2017) Gucci features all-black cast in latest campaign. Dazed. [online] Available from : http://www.dazeddigital.com/fashion/article/35588/1/gucci-all-blackmodels-cast-in-latest-campaign-pre-fall-northern-soul [Accessed on 09/12/2019] Figure 6,7,8 : Moolman.K.L, (n.d) Document Journal. [online] Available from : http:// www.documentjournal.com/thenewvanguard/entrant/kristin-lee-moolman/ [Accessed on 08/01/2019]