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TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS
ISSUE 05
PAGE 08-11
MALIBU CREEK
PAGE 12-15
THE LEGACY OF THE SHOE: DOC MARTENS
PAGE 16-23
AN INTERVIEW WITH YUSUKE TAKAHASHI
PAGE 24-31
THE FABRIC OF IMMIGRATION
PAGE 32-35
THE RED DRESS
PAGE 36-39
TECHNO-ORIENTALISM IN THE FASHION INDUSTRY
PAGE 40-43
KENNETH IZE: A FABRIC AFICIONADO
PAGE 44-47
GUO PEI: COUTURE BEYOND TRADITION
PAGE 48-51
DO YOU HEAR HER CALL
PAGE 52-55
LEGACY OF SURREALISM IN FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY
PAGE 56-59
OVERFISHING
PAGE 60-61
CHATTING WITH CORBIN BLEU
PAGE 62-69
SORRY, DO MY SHOULDERS OFFEND YOU?
PAGE 70-71
BUSINESS & PLEASURE
PAGE 72-73
THE SAILOR MOON PHENOMENON
PAGE 74-77
FADS, FASHION, AND FINANCIAL CRISIS
PAGE 78-79
THE BIRTH OF SEXUALITY IN FEMME FASHION
PAGE 80-83
A LOOK INSIDE THE MIND OF LEEANN HUANG
PAGE 84-89
THE BIKINI’S TOLL: COLONIZATION OF SWIMWEAR
PAGE 90-93
YING GAO: THE INTERCONNECTEDNESS OF LIFE
PAGE 94-97
LITTLE RICHARD’S LEGACY OF ANDROGYNY AND FLAMBOYANCE
PAGE 98-103
NEW YORK FASHION WEEK
PAGE 104-115
META SAYS: THANK YOU
PAGE 116-117
JOY CHEN + TIFFANY HUE SEY YANG
ALEXIS SCHROCK + MAX GRUBER + PAIGE BRUNSON ANGELINA HUE + JOY CHEN
KRISTY LEUNG + ANNA-FATIMA SYED NÉHA GUPTA + MICHAEL CANABARRO ERIN YEH + SEJUN PARK
RACHEL FENG + ANIKA MURTHY
SALSA MAZLAN + ANUBHA GUPTA CHARLES TRAN
MAYA GEE-LIM + CHARLES TRAN EMILY KIM
TIFFANY HUE + JOY CHEN MIKAYLA LOBASSO LEILANY CHAN
ANNA-MARIE GUENTHER + LILY GLANTZ NATALIE SEMERSKY + JUSTIN LEE
JORDAN MULA + NICK BROGDON + SOPHIE SHAW JOY CHEN + TIFFANY HUE
CAITLIN CHEN + CATHERINE CHU
VANESSA NGUYEN + CASEY NGUYEN
JULIETTE CORNET + BRIAN NGUYEN + LILLIE YAZDI JOY CHEN + TIFFANY HUE JOY CHEN + TIFFANY HUE
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
LETTER FROM THE CO-FOUNDERS
EDITORIAL STAFF
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Editor-in-Chief
Creative Director
Tiffany Hue
Joy Chen
Arts & Culture Managing Editor Juliette Cornet
Fashion Managing Editor Rachel Feng
Politics & Activism Managing Editor Erin Yeh
Assistant Arts & Culture Editor Assistant Fashion Editor Assistant Politics & Activism Editor Assistant Director of Editorial Design Assistant Director of Content Design Arts & Culture Staff Writer Arts & Culture Staff Writer Arts & Culture Staff Wrtier Fashion Staff Writer Fashion Staff Writer Politics & Activism Staff Writer Politics & Activism Staff Writer Editorial Designer Editorial Designer Content Designer Content Designer Content Designer Content Designer Content Designer Content Designer Content Designer Illustrator Illustrator Illustrator Illustrator Set Designer Stylist Photographer Photographer Photographer Photographer Photographer Photographer Photographer Photographer
Anna-Marie Guenther Salsa Mazlan Natalie Semersky Allyza Quiambao Sejun Park Jordan Mula Néha Gupta Angelina Hue Alexis Schrock Vanessa Nguyen Caitlin Chen Kristy Leung Gracy Watts Vivian Nguyen Anika Murthy Brian Nguyen Emily Kim Justin Lee Max Gruber Paige Brunson Sophie Shaw Anubha Gupta Catherine Chu Lily Glantz Michael Canabarro Charles Tran Lynn Aiko Anna-Fatima Syed Casey Nguyen Leilany Chan Lillie Yazdi Maya Gee-Lim Mikayla LoBasso Nick Brogdon Sey Yang
Issue 05 | Legacy
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF TIFFANY HUE
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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
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What began as two people who had nothing more than a two-week friendship became an independent fashion editorial that highlights underrepresented voices far and wide. With humble roots in Los Angeles, we have now reached readers all over the globe. Who would have thought that two women starting a magazine in their respective childhood bedrooms would eventually attend their first fashion week in less than a year? Certainly not us, but this ambition is a tribute to the nature of META’s growth. Despite the past two years of turmoil, the world does not halt for anyone, and META is a testament to the perseverance against the blistering environment of today’s world. Where my co-founder Joy and I saw eye-to-eye was that the industry needed a space for artists to share stories that were not being reflected in traditional media, so we made just that. And today, we hope that the legacy of META has forged a community of creatives that represent authentic voices through a global lens. The idea of ‘legacy’ itself encapsulates the feeling of how our journeys towards change impact our futures. As we continue to grow into our new selves, our editorial grows with us, as do our legacies. This year, META certainly began 2022 with a bang. We took to the streets of New York Fashion Week once more, exhibiting that our publication has no geographical limits, and META is unequivocally dedicated to showcasing an accessible and independent creative platform that shares meaningful stories and, most importantly, never fails to fight for justice. Our fifth issue, LEGACY, explores sentiments of identity, growth, and introspection. The editorial unpacks new perspectives of the state of self and the world together as we analyze how our past affects our future. And to this, we ask ourselves, what do you want to leave behind, and what does that mean to you? Perhaps the exploration of different philosophies and cultural movements in our editorial may reveal more about ourselves than we will ever have known.
With love,
Tiffany Hue Co-Founder + Editior-in-Chief
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF TIFFANY HUE
With that being said, I encourage you to tap into your subconscious and explore the depths of your identity that have been unlocked in the past year as we join together to read Issue 05: LEGACY.
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LETTER FROM THE CREATIVE DIRECTOR What do we leave behind? This is the central question that I have held throughout the creation of this entire issue. The concept of legacies is a doubleedged sword into the unknown, with the past being as prevalent as your future. I think it can be incredibly daunting to realize that our actions have an impact on those around us, whether it be big or small. Yet, I also think that’s what is so rewarding about legacies – what you do, what you create, who you are all matters. Legacies affirm that our existence in this space that we take up is something worthwhile. As we dissect legacies in the fashion world, many of our creatives and writers took it upon themselves to understand the intricacies of the past, while also investigating what is going to drive this industry forward in the future. Whether it is understanding our environmental impact or visualizing the histories of our identities, there are a plethora of legacies to be explored.
LETTER FROM THE CREATIVE DIRECTOR JOY CHEN
This issue specifically is an interesting one for META. It came during a time when everyone was beginning to meet with one another and re-engage in those intimate moments and relationships that have been missing for the past year. For us, it was the first time we met everyone in person – where Zoom wasn’t our only option and we had the chance to see the bottom halves of people once again. The legacy that META has is both in what we create, but also the relationships we continue to hope to foster and cultivate. Our legacy isn’t just the pages you see from us every few months, it’s the people behind them. It’s the hard work and long hours dedicated to writing the perfect piece or designing something that articulates what we want to say. Our legacy is in our people and how we uplift one another. As you read through this issue, I encourage you to investigate what your own legacy is. Take a moment to truly reflect upon how you matter because legacies are not just grand gestures, they are the small ways that you create an impact around you. Legacies are not set in stone either. You have the chance to continue putting work into yourself and in the spaces you take up to leave behind something that you’re proud of. So, what do we leave behind? I think that it’s up to you to decide. With love,
Joy Chen Co-Founder + Creative Director
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LETTER FROM THE CREATIVE DIRECTOR JOY CHEN
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MALIBU CREEK
MALIBU CREEK SEY YANG
SEY YANG
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MALIBU CREEK SEY YANG
MALIBU CREEK SEY YANG
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Just a couple months after I moved out of my hometown to the city for college, I found it nearly impossible to be alone with my thoughts. This came as a surprise as I had spent the past year alone—going on the same walk along the neighborhood creek every day, mindlessly driving through the back country roads, or meditating at every park I could find within a five mile radius from my house. I soon realized that as stimulating of a place that Los Angeles was, the city also took away the natural places that allowed me to find solitude.
1 5 This photo series is a reflection of the complicated relationship I have with the city after spending six months here. My subject is a close friend who has accompanied me in countless conversations about green spaces, androgyny, and spirituality that cultivated my growth in the year spent alone. Now having wrestled with the feeling of congestion that has slowly crept up on and at times conquered me, I return to the ideas that I regrettably left behind in favor of a bustling lifestyle in order to ground myself in such a foreign setting.
MALIBU CREEK SEY YANG
THE LEGACY OF THE SHOE MADE FOR EVERYONE: DOC MARTENS
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“Revolutionary in both style and comfort, Dr. Martens were designed by the working class for the working class.”
Revolutionary in both style and comfort, Dr. Martens were designed by the working class for the working class. In 1945, Dr. Klaus Martens was suffering from a broken foot. To help aid in his recovery, he designed a new type of air-cushioned sole for his shoes. Remarkably, the insole helped tremendously and was soon distributed as a shoe for sale to the public. This insole became extremely popular, especially among the elderly and the working class. Both of these groups needed the ability to live freely without dull aches. In 1960, a major evolution occurred between the popular insole and a utilitarian-designed boot company. The two companies meshed both of their distinct designs together to form a durable boot with comfortability. The companies made distinct changes to the previous boot design, the most iconic of which were the distinctive yellow welt stitching and the yellow heel loop featuring the brand slogan “With Bouncing Soles.” This first evolution would be the start of a legacy and would not be the last change in design for the boot. On April 1st, 1960, the first official 1460 Dr. Marten boots were released to the public.
THE LEGACY OF THE SHOE MADE FOR EVERYONE: DR. MARTENS ALEXIS SCHROCK + MAX GRUBER + PAIGE BRUNSON
Throughout the world, items that may be viewed as mundane can possess the capability of being transformed into a symbol. Clothing, for example, can be adopted by a group of people and can develop a specific meaning for those that wear it. Over time, these items can transform in meaning as well as expand to other communities, creating a legacy in the process. The Dr. Marten boot is one such piece—originally designed specifically to enable the working class to live comfortably, the boot has since transformed into a symbol of counterculture, then a versatile boot for all.
THE LEGACY OF THE SHOE MADE FOR EVERYONE: DR. MARTENS ALEXIS SCHROCK + MAX GRUBER + PAIGE BRUNSON
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THE LEGACY OF THE SHOE MADE FOR EVERYONE: DOC MARTENS
The beginning of the Dr. Marten boot occurred during a period of critical social revolution around the world, and the unique utilitarian design of Dr.Martens quickly became a key symbol for counterculture. Soon, these boots were adapted into the normal uniforms of individuals present in various youth-dominated subcultures, such as punk and indie. In the ‘60s, Pete Townshend introduced Dr. Martens to rock and roll by “rocking” a pair at his shows. The shoes quickly were adopted by the punk rock community and developed into a visual statement of edgy, working-class spunk that would not conform to the suffocating norms of society. In the ’90s, however, grunge became a trending style, worn not only by individuals of counterculture but now by celebrities all over the globe and even The Pope. Dr. Martens continued to thrive through the decades as a dependable boot of freedom and individualism. Dr. Martens remain an unfaltering essential in the wardrobes of many. Today, the brand continues to make the same iconic boot and has also released many more styles, including platform sandals and floral printed boots, to suit an even greater range of individuals. From trendy fashion bloggers to punk rock enthusiasts, a pair of Dr. Martens can be seen in almost every closet. The versatile Dr. Marten boot continues to maintain and hold a legacy of power, community and undisguised confidence that aids individuals in all aspects of the journey of their lives.
“The versatile Dr. Marten boot continues to maintain and hold a legacy of power, community and undisguised confidence that aids individuals in all aspects of the journey of their lives.”
INTERVIEW WITH YUSUKE TAKAHASHI JOY CHEN + ANGELINA HUE
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INTERVIEW WITH
YUSUKE TAKAHASHI
Yusuke Takahashi is a Tokyo-based designer who was the former artistic director of ISSEY MIYAKE MEN. After nearly 10 years there, he has launched his own brand, CFCL, featuring contemporary designs made through sustainable computer-developed knitting processes. Takahashi has just unveiled the third volume of his CFCL knitwear collection, to be available on the label’s online store and other select stores.
INTERVIEW WITH YUSUKE TAKAHASHI JOY CHEN + ANGELINA HUE
This past fall, META sat down with the designer to discuss his creative process in cultivating his sustainable brand. Read on to discover how Takahashi continues to create beautiful new forms of art that contribute to his legacy.
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INTERVIEW WITH YUSUKE TAKAHASHI JOY CHEN + ANGELINA HUE
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Q:
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With the launch of your brand, CFCL, you made it part of your central ethos to create clothes through the ideas of a minimalist lifestyle and sustainability. Throughout the process of creating your collections, what do you believe is upholding this mission that you have held from the beginning of CFCL? INTERVIEW WITH YUSUKE TAKAHASHI JOY CHEN + ANGELINA HUE
Yusuke Takahashi: All CFCL products are computer programmed knits. We select GRS-certified recycled yarns, and knit without cutting, so there is almost no waste in the production process. In today’s more casual urban lifestyle, I thought it would be possible to design a knit garment that could be worn for all occasions. Moreover, it is washable, wrinkle-free, quick-dry, etc., and has excellent stretch properties to guarantee comfort and living. There is no other brand like this anywhere in the world. While expanding the concept of knitwear, we specialize in functional knitwear and make collections.
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Q:
INTERVIEW WITH YUSUKE TAKAHASHI JOY CHEN + ANGELINA HUE
With your application to be a B-corp certified brand and your environmental practices, what legacy do you want to leave for CFCL in the long run? Yusuke Takahashi: B-corp is a means to an end, not the end. Sustainability is a hot topic right now, but it will not be a topic that anyone will be talking about in the near future when all companies are working on it as a matter of course. Our current environmental efforts should become common things, not legacy.
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INTERVIEW WITH YUSUKE TAKAHASHI JOY CHEN + ANGELINA HUE
INTERVIEW WITH YUSUKE TAKAHASHI JOY CHEN + ANGELINA HUE
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Q: After serving a long tenure with ISSEY MIYAKE MEN and now creating a brand centered around sustainability, what legacy do you want to leave behind as a person and as a designer? INTERVIEW WITH YUSUKE TAKAHASHI JOY CHEN + ANGELINA HUE
Yusuke Takahashi: After my daughter was born last year, I became very aware of the connection between the generations. “Is what I am doing now an action I can be proud of for the next generation?” is the basis for my decision to proceed. I believe that the things that are created from this perspective are the legacy.
THE FABRIC OF IMMIGRATION KRISTY LEUNG + ANNE-FATIMA SYED
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THE FAB RIC OF IM MI GRA TION Among the childhood memories of Asian Americans are glimpses of the patterned blouses and scratchy sandals our immigrant relatives have worn. The autobiographical film Minari uses this clothing purposefully in its Korean immigrant story as a vessel for cultural legacy and immigration history. While these pieces may be invisible to the audience, their simplicity and functionality speak to the cultures they embody. Their representations in popular media have powerful influences on how the legacy of immigration is perceived in America. America’s immigration history experienced a steep rise in the 1900s when political instability overseas prompted waves of trans-Pacific immigration. For South Korean families, the oppressive regime of Park Chung Hee and lingering political instability from Cold War-era military occupation gave rise to widespread emigration to the United States, raising today’s generation of Korean American designers and
storytellers. So when Korean American costume designer Susanna Song caught wind of a film about a Korean immigration story named Minari, she stepped in intending to bring personal heritage into the construction of its costumes. Set in rural Arkansas in 1983, Lee Isaac Chung’s Minari tells the story of Jacob Yi (Steven Yuen), a Korean father who strives to achieve the American Dream with his family. Well-staffed behind the camera with Korean voices, the film takes great care in using its production crew to tell its immigration story with cultural integrity, and clothing is no exception. Tasked with dressing its characters, Susanna Song embarked on a self-described “pilgrimage” to examine how her immigrant family members dressed. To illustrate the dichotomy between the loud colors of American 80’s fashion and the retro styles of Korean 80’s fashion, Song deliberately grounded the textures of Jacob’s clothing in memories of her parents by opting for conservative lines, utilitarian shirts, and flat
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THE FABRIC OF IMMIGRATION KRISTY LEUNG + ANNE-FATIMA SYED
pants. These elements not only preserve the legacy of familial memories within Korean communities but allude to the history and the functionality of Korean clothing at the time. Specifically, breathability and sustainability in Korean clothing stem from the Korean peninsula’s historical use of water-based fabrics such as hemp and silk, echoed by the water-based growth of the Korean plant, minari. As wearers seek protection against harsh winters and intense summers, this geographical influence persists as Korean fashion brands incorporate functional sensibility and simplicity into their pieces today. Song’s awareness of these values in dressing Jacob’s family speaks to how Minari’s costume design embodies decades of history in fashion—emphasizing a deliberate contrast against mainstream American fashion by focusing not only on aesthetics, but also on functionality and quality.
THE FABRIC OF IMMIGRATION KRISTY LEUNG + ANNE-FATIMA SYED
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For Jacob’s children, Song pulled from her own experience with attire to examine how a Korean American child her age might dress. Jacob’s son, David (Alan Kim), ventures through the farm in cowboy boots, 80’s-style socks, and a bright red-striped tee, symbolizing precious innocence while pointing to the conflicting upbringing of a Korean child realizing their American identity. Song dresses David in colors reflective of his rural surroundings, depicting an internal search for assimilation as secondgeneration Korean children realized their cultural identity within predominantly white spaces. Song’s construction of Minari’s nuanced costumes brings visibility to the coexistence of Korean and American identities within secondgeneration immigrants. Most acclaimed by critics, however, is the grandmother, Soon-ja (Youn Yuh-jung), who embodies the self-sacrifice and tenacity characterizing Minari’s Korean immigration story. Song’s choice of vibrant green in Youn’s blouse later in the film is a nod to minari, the Korean plant after which the film was named. The plant flourishes in the film despite its nonnative surroundings and is known for thriving in tough soil, symbolizing the wave of Korean
immigrants who established themselves in America and pushed through hardship. Song dresses Soon-ja in the elastic pants, patterns, and oversized shirts of a typical Korean grandma, evoking sentiments of nostalgia that bring emotional weight to Jacob’s struggle for the American Dream as he strives to achieve its promise of democracy and financial security. Against the historical backdrop of South Korea’s political strife, the authenticity of Soonja’s costume forms the sentimental picture of the determination and optimism at the heart of trans-Pacific immigration stories, pointing to a legacy of familial and cultural persistence. Susanna Song approaches costume design with intentionality and cultural integrity by pulling from personal heritage and immigration history. Song examines the functionality behind immigrant fashion and artfully depicts the Korean American struggle for the American Dream through the clothing of Minari’s characters, speaking to the power of costume design in embodying the legacy of underrepresented immigration stories in America.
“Against the historical backdrop of south korea’s political strife, the authenticity of soonja’s costume forms the sentimental picture of the determination and optimism at the heart of trans-pacific immigration stories, pointing to a legacy of familial and cultural persistence.”
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THE FABRIC OF IMMIGRATION KRISTY LEUNG + ANNE-FATIMA SYED
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THE RED DRESS the red dress
Textile design is quite literally woven into the fabric of Kirstie Macleod’s life. She was born into a family of skilled makers, and after being taught to embroider at the age of 9 while living in Nigeria, her passion for working with textiles and stitching began to unfold. Macleod, based in the United Kingdom, started the Red Dress in 2009. Fashioned into a voluminous gown, 73 pieces of carmine-hued silk eventually became a canvas for 235 legacies to be displayed. For 12 years, pieces of this gown traveled through 28 countries, collecting a host of stories along the way. A stunningly evolved manifestation of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, the dress is covered in embroidery, each work created by an artist from a different part of the world. Six women from Kigali, Rwanda, embroidered the center of the flowing skirt with a vibrant spiral that represents healing from the genocide they have lived through, while two women in Mexico stitched a garden of geometric shapes, flora, and fauna that pay homage to their homes, families, and traditions. These talented women, along with 227 other artists, turned the dress into a piece of art that tells a world of stories.
THE RED DRESS NÉHA GUPTA + MICHAEL CANABARRO
The roots of embroidery, like those of The Red Dress, lie in a wide spectrum of global cultures.
During the Tang and Song dynasties in China, artisans used embroidery to illustrate stories of Buddha. Both ancient Egyptians and the Christian church alike decorated robes with embroidery as a way of displaying status and wealth. During the early 20th century, after many suffragettes were jailed, they embroidered their signatures onto a handkerchief as a statement against their imprisonment. This handkerchief now holds the legacies of all the suffragettes who used embroidery, a technique so often equated with women’s domestic roles in society, to subvert the culture of patriarchy. Embroidery is a language that tells stories through image and texture in a way that can be read by both fingers and eyes. The use of textiles to express emotion and history makes for an enduring work of art that the artist can physically wear rather than simply hang up on a wall. This allows for artists to be one with their legacies, as they become both the creator and wearer of their designs. On the Red Dress site, many embroiderers are pictured wearing the completed garment. Although the dress can be worn by so many of the artists, it has a unique connection to each of them. Its beauty lies both in the garment as a whole and in each detail within.
“The use of textiles to express emotion and history makes for an enduring work of art that the artist can physically wear rather than simply hang up on a wall. ”
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THE RED DRESS NÉHA GUPTA + MICHAEL CANABARRO
THE RED DRESS NÉHA GUPTA + MICHAEL CANABARRO
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THE RED DRESS
“Telling stories is valuable, but showing stories is equally powerful. Although a pen and paper seem like the obvious choice, there is no better way to capture a legacy than to seal it in stitches.” and jewelry alike. Because embroidery is so organic, one cannot help but look at it and see the craft and experience that the artist weaved into it, making it the ideal medium for capturing stories. Christian Dior’s Fall 2021 collection features an abundance of white garments with a texture reminiscent of lace doilies and embroidery cutwork. In an interview in Vogue, creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri states that the collection is meant to reflect themes from classic fairy tales. Just as Chiuri is able to preserve the memory of fairy tales in the embroidery-adjacent structure of Dior’s collection, the artists who contributed to the Red Dress project were able to etch their stories into fabric in an enduring way.
Contemporary couture provides an interesting context for the art of embroidery to evolve while remaining a vehicle for storytelling. Chunky embroidered trim seems to be a natural extension of last year’s crochet trend in Chloé’s Spring 2022 collection, where it graces shoes, purses,
Telling stories is valuable, but showing stories is equally powerful. Although a pen and paper seem like the obvious choice, there is no better way to capture a legacy than to seal it in stitches.
THE RED DRESS NÉHA GUPTA + MICHAEL CANABARRO
The act of embroidery also fosters a sense of theatricality. After completing the Red Dress Project, Macleod did an exhibition at Rook & Raven Gallery in London. In this exhibition, Macleod sat in a glass cube, wearing and embroidering the Red Dress for hours. Here, the dress becomes a symbol of reverence as viewers are left wondering what story Macleod is stitching onto the dress. It places Macleod in a position of both power and vulnerability as she holds the audience captive with the mystery of her art while having many eyes on her. This mirrors the experience of the artisans of the Red Dress, as their embroidery exposed their core life stories for the world to see while giving them a voice.
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TH E
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DEPICTS ASI IENTALISM AN IND NO-OR TECH IV
TECHNO-ORIENTALISM IN FASHION ERIN YEH + SEJUN PARK
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brought to light by East Asian designers. The rise of techwear as a clothing trend for predominantly Asian consumers has been spearheaded by designers of East Asian descent such as Errolson Hugh. On the other hand, Xander Zhou directly addresses the framework of technoorientalism through reclamation of the collective imagination of Eastern Asia. S
M
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Yet while techno-orientalism is embedded within the fashion industry on a deeper level, it is also intentionally ONTINUED EXPLOITAT exposed “THE C I ON OF and
TH U
As East Asian economies experienced accelerated growth rates in the last half of the 20th century, representations of the region were redesigned in Western popular culture to reconcile the reality of a technologically advanced region with ” E. preconceived US Y E notions of TH
the 1990s, Chinese immigrants in Italy have worked in poor conditions to produce textiles, clothing and leather products for luxury brands sold with a ‘Made in Italy’ logo. Erasing the contributions of Asian labor, the fashion industry is a result of and contributes to the concept of techno-orientalism as a legacy of colonial ideologies. The value of products produced in Italy further provides evidence of persisting Orientalist perspectives in the fashion industry as Western consumers place a higher value on products of Western origin. The continued exploitation of Asian labor is thus accepted as techno orientalism depicts Asian individuals as one with the machines they use.
D TE EP
With high-speed transportation and innovative architecture, East Asia is at the forefront of technological development. For decades, the region’s continued economic growth has challenged historic representations of non-Western countries as backward and old-fashioned. Yet, in response to the rapid development of East Asian economies, Western media adapted the existing narrative of orientalism to further dehumanize cultures through a dystopian lens associated with advanced technology. The resulting construction of techno-orientalism manifests in the fashion industry through the acceptance of Asian labor in sweatshops and the collections produced by East Asian designers attempting to revise the existing legacy of Asian development.
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undeveloped states. Cyberpunk films and dystopian futures continuously portrayed Asian characters as holograms and robots while framing Asian advancement as encroaching on Western supremacy—allowing media representations of East Asia to promote political messages that reduce the autonomy and humanity of Asian individuals around the world. Thus, technoorientalism exists as a legacy of post-World War II economic growth and the centuries-old view of nonWestern cultures as exotic and static in comparison to superior and rational Western cultures. By associating East Asian individuals with machinery, the media has contributed to their dehumanization, evident in the fashion industry through the inhumane factory conditions Asian individuals operate within.
Acronym by Errolson Hugh plays into the technological development of East Asian countries by focusing on techwear. Utilitarian by nature, Hugh designs garments with structured seams and sleek lines to stress the artistic beauty and intention behind seemingly simple construction. While Acronym is just one brand at the forefront of the techwear trend, the predominantly Asian designers and consumers of future-focused fashion indicate a shift in previous associations between technology and East Asia. Rather than playing into the stereotypes constructed by Western films, techwear is an example of the autonomy and self-expression that Asian individuals have been deprived of through techno-orientalist narratives.
From the railroad construction of the 1800s to presentday clothing and textile manufacturing, Asian individuals have been consistently exploited for their labor. Since
Xander Zhou, a Chinese menswear designer, has called himself a “techno-orientalist” as he designs garments that juxtapose East Asian symbolism on Western
“RATHER THAN PLAYING INTO THE STEREOTYPES CONSTRUCTED BY WESTERN FILMS, TECHWEAR IS AN EXAMPLE OF THE AUTONOMY AND SELF-EXPRESSION THAT ASIAN INDIVIDUALS HAVE BEEN DEPRIVED OF THROUGH TECHNOORIENTALIST NARRATIVES.”
The actions of East Asian designers and immigrant laborers represent how the fashion industry, like many institutions in modern society, has the capacity to empower voices and simultaneously silence them. Techno-orientalism within the fashion industry has persisted as a legacy of rapid East Asian development and colonial representations of non-Western cultures—yet legacies can be changed. As East Asian designers gain greater visibility and the narratives of Asian laborers are brought to light, the continued, unseen existence of techno-orientalist practices and perspectives in the fashion industry can be challenged.
TECHNO-ORIENTALISM IN FASHION ERIN YEH + SEJUN PARK
blazers and utility pants. In his Autumn 2018 Menswear collection, Zhou incorporated imagery stereotypically associated with East Asian cultures such as fans, dragons and Chinese characters. Leaning into the discomfort generated by the symbols, Zhou’s collection attempts to reclaim his culture while generating a conversation regarding the association between East Asian culture and backward societies. Through his direct references to techno-orientalism, Zhou is an example of the rising talent of East Asian designers attempting to conquer deep-rooted colonial discourses.
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KENNETH IZE:
KENNETH IZE: A FABRIC AFICIONONADO ANIKA MURTHY + RACHEL FENG
A FABRIC AFICIONADO
In 2011, Lagos Fashion Week was founded by Omoyemi Akerele with the intention of placing local Nigerian designers on the global stage. Kenneth Ize, a Lagos-born and based designer, is one of its greatest successes. Ize’s creative reimagining of traditional Nigerian fashion has earned him international acclaim; in 2019, he was named a finalist for the LVMH Prize and Arise Fashion Week’s designer of the year. His designs are fabric-forward. They are composed of vibrant colors, eclectic patterns and fluid silhouettes, true to the source material of Nigeria’s rich textile history but unequivocally loved by anyone with a taste for oomph. Ize grew up in Austria, having left Nigeria at a young age when his family was in political exile. In 2013, he graduated from the fashion and design program at the University of Applied Arts Vienna, debuting his eponymous label at Lagos Fashion Week the same year. Soon afterward, he took a brief hiatus to return to the university for his master’s before relaunching for the Spring/ Summer 2016 season.
At its heart, the Ize brand is all about furthering the legacy of Nigerian fashion. Ize works directly with artisans across Nigeria to design his famous printed fabrics. While a dramatic increase in demand after finding success meant that Ize had to begin finishing products in Italy rather than Nigeria, he remains dedicated to staying as local as possible. In 2020, he opened a textile factory in Ilorin, Nigeria, where the vast majority of his fabrics are still produced. This reinvestment into the local community combined with Ize’s familiarity with the individual weavers he employs is refreshing; when discussing a new technique for creating texture in his pieces, Ize applauds one of his employees for her originality in developing the method, noting that she had been weaving “since she was a child.” Ize is an expert in fashion design, but it is the Nigerian artists and the fabrics they create that are the backbone of his brand, and his acknowledgment of this is a breath of fresh air. The eye-catching fabrics central to Ize’s designs are known as aso oke, or “top cloth,” in Yoruba.
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KENNETH IZE: A FABRIC AFICIONONADO ANIKA MURTHY + RACHEL FENG
“THEY ARE COMPOSED OF VIBRANT COLORS, ECLECTIC PATTERNS AND FLUID SILHOUETTES, TRUE TO THE SOURCE MATERIAL OF NIGERIA’S RICH TEXTILE HISTORY BUT UNEQUIVOCALLY LOVED BY ANYONE WITH A TASTE FOR OOMPH.”
KENNETH IZE: A FABRIC AFICIONONADO ANIKA MURTHY + RACHEL FENG
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“WHILE IT IS HISTORICALLY USED IN CLOTHING WORN DURING SPECIAL OCCASIONS LIKE WEDDINGS, HOLIDAYS AND FUNERALS, ASO OKE IN THE CONTEXT OF KENNETH IZE IS REINTERPRETED INTO CHECKERED TRENCH COATS, HIGH-NECK TANK TOPS AND FRINGED SKIRTS.”
A traditional hand-woven fabric, aso oke can take days to create. While it is historically used in clothing worn during special occasions like weddings, holidays and funerals, aso oke in the context of Kenneth Ize is reinterpreted into checkered trench coats, high-neck tank tops and fringed skirts. These themes of community and innovation are especially salient in his Spring 2021 Readyto-Wear collection. Outfits were accessorized with jewelry designed by two of Ize’s friends, Nicolo Taliani, an Italian jewelry and homeware designer, and Adesuwa Aighewi, an Americanborn Nigerian model; fabrics were printed with the dizzying spirals of Fadekemi Ogunsanya, a Nigerian artist. The collection also features silhouettes reminiscent of the dress of Nigerian heads of state. Ize claims that these men often use African tailors, but never African fabrics. He combines these ‘80s-inspired shapes with aso oke fabrics in an attempt to showcase the brilliance of what Nigeria has to offer, to persuade those in power to help support local artisans and traditional techniques rather than searching outwards. A truly collaborative effort, this collection is a complete celebration of Nigerian artistry.
a gender-neutral line dedicated to the everchanging landscape of fashion. A combination of African and European fashion, the Karl Lagerfeld X Kenneth Ize collection spotlights Ize’s signature bold prints and Lagerfeld’s black and white palette atop tailored silhouettes. The rock and roll spirit of Lagerfeld is clear in the psychedelic printed pants and wide-shouldered tanks, providing a little bit of edge to Ize’s traditional African imagery. The striking patterns are full of variety, ranging from black-and-white diamonds and swirls to multicolor vertical stripes, making the collection highly versatile yet still unique. By working with a household name like Karl Lagerfeld, Ize ensures that his vision will be seen and recognized worldwide.
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Fueled by a passion for preserving African heritage and craftsmanship, Kenneth Ize thoughtfully combines delightful colors and patterns in a captivating portrait of Nigerian fashion. His designs capture the best of his home country, transforming them into timeless pieces that can inspire all.
“THE STRIKING PATTERNS ARE FULL OF VARIETY, RANGING FROM BLACKAND-WHITE DIAMONDS AND SWIRLS TO MULTICOLOR VERTICAL STRIPES, MAKING THE COLLECTION HIGHLY VERSATILE YET STILL UNIQUE.”
KENNETH IZE: A FABRIC AFICIONONADO ANIKA MURTHY + RACHEL FENG
The extent of Ize’s success in immortalizing African fashion is especially notable in his capsule collection with Karl Lagerfeld. Hun Kim, the current design director of the Lagerfeld brand, worked with Ize in creating this collection,
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GUO PEI
GUO PEI: COUTURE BEYOND TRADITION SALSA MAZLAN + ANUBHA GUPTA
COUTURE
BEYOND
TRADITION
Envisioning a graceful convergence between imperial China and the metamorphosing China today, Guo Pei’s designs serve as a vessel that transports the nation’s intricate past into the present and future. Her conceptions, often involving thousands of hours and a wealth of trained artisans, preserve millennia’s worth of meticulously developed traditions, techniques and tokens. Best known in America for designing Rihanna’s canary yellow gown at the 2015 Met Gala, she has since become recognized as one of the most renowned and prolific designers from China. Her presence on the international stage has also seen her as the first bornand-raised Asian designer to be invited to become a guest member of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture, the governing body of the French fashion industry.
post-Mao reforms, going on to open her own fashion brand in 1997. As her name grew over the years, Guo Pei received one commission after another, from styling for the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics to designing costumes for the 2014 film The Monkey King. Present in all of these designs is a reference to the legacies left by China—its dynasties, diasporas, customs and cultures. By embedding iconic Chinese symbols such as lotus flowers and peonies, mythological creatures like phoenixes and dragons, textiles and materials resembling blue-and-white porcelain, Guo Pei participates in a simultaneous act of preservation and innovation. These hybrid creations cite both generations’ worth of traditions and evolving trends and styles, producing collections that act as a look into passages of Chinese life.
Guo’s debut into the world of fashion began at the age of two when she assisted her mother in making winter clothes. Born during the height of Mao’s rise to power, however, Guo faced constraints with her creative expression. Uniformity and precision in the form of Mao suits were the principles of clothing. Yet, Guo Pei defied this way of dressing, creating loose-fitting dresses as her affinity and exploration into fashion deepened with time.
Representing the highest form of power and transformation, dragons were often laced into attire belonging to emperors, who claimed to be the descendants of these creatures. This was particularly prominent in Qing China, where dress was governed by sumptuary laws that gave a visual hierarchical order to society. Tracing the traditional robe known as 肌肤 (jifu), meaning auspicious attire, Guo Pei reinvents the classic gold garment into a vivacious, frilly mini-dress with a long train. Instead of the presence of nine dragons symbolizing the emperor, Guo replaces these emblems
Her ambitions surged in tandem with the sudden demand for fashion in China following Deng Xiaoping’s
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GUO PEI: COUTURE BEYOND TRADITION SALSA MAZLAN + ANUBHA GUPTA
GUO PEI: COUTURE BEYOND TRADITION SALSA MAZLAN + ANUBHA GUPTA
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GUO PEI: COUTURE BEYOND TRADITION of omnipresence with 囍 (xi), the Chinese characters for happiness and good fortune. The dress is transformed to take on a more feminine and fun feel, yet still features key parallels in its design: the choice of a radiant yellow—a color associated with earth, life, nourishment, but more specifically with the imperial powers. Elaborately embroidered with auspicious symbols, this piece also follows the original symmetrical composition. This modification of imperial art is an unmistakable ode to the lost glories and residual splendors of China’s dynasties. Guo Pei’s creations tread beyond China, delineating the paths of wedded women who have migrated out of their home country into Southeast Asia. Her 2012 Chinese Bridal Collection showcases a courting phoenix bridal ensemble, 凤求凰 (fengqiuhuang), crowned by a cloud collar—a typical feature for Peranakan brides. “Peranakans” are an ethnic group defined by their genealogical descent from the first waves of Southern Chinese settlers in the 15th century to the ports in the Malay Peninsula and Indonesian Archipelago. Centuries’ worth of transculturation and interracial marriage has given Peranakan culture its distinctive characteristics:
a unique hybridization of ancient Chinese culture and the local cultures of the Nusantara region, as exemplified by this gold-spun thread ensemble. Resembling lingzhi fungus, lotus flower petals and ornamental scepters, the cascading layers of the cloud collar mirror that of the phoenix, a mythical bird of high significance in Chinese culture said to represent the Empress and beauty. Guo Pei’s garments connect and span both time and space, just as the cultures and people it embodies have done.
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A modern messenger of her cultural heritage, Guo Pei presents a plethora of halts of life through her haute couture collections, serving both as a glimpse into the past and a vector into a future full of hybridization. Her designs display the finest of traditional Chinese craftsmanship, continuing the lineage and impact of Chinese aesthetics and art and how they are reconceptualized for today.
GUO PEI: COUTURE BEYOND TRADITION SALSA MAZLAN + ANUBHA GUPTA
“These hybrid creations cite both generations’ worth of traditions and evolving trends and styles, producing collections that act as a look into passages of Chinese life.”
DO YOU HEAR HER CALL? CHARLES TRAN
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DO YOU HEAR HER CALL?
The earliest depiction of mermaids is derived from ancient folklore through portrayals of the Syrian goddess, Atargatis, who represented fertility via her blessings in the gift of conceiving children. Mermaids and sirens are embedded mainly in Greek and Roman mythology and have transcended into recent pop culture through their artful references in modernized fairy tales, such as Disney’s The Little Mermaid and the television show, H2O. The legacy of mermaids and sirens also asserted their impact by representing the ardor for aquatic-themed couture in the fashion industry, as Iris Van Herpen’s Seasory Seas collection and Di Petsa’s wet dresses merge the aquatic entities to design siren-like couture. From the 1920s, pearls have also remained a fashion staple and maintain trendy and popular aquatic accessories to own.
DO YOU HEAR HER CALL? CHARLES TRAN
Can You Hear Her Name pays homage to the legacy of mermaids in fashion. The model, Noelle-Jolie Tran, stands in a pool of water wearing a white chiffon dress. This work stands to encapsulate the ocean and allude to its vastness. Specifically portrayed by the model’s expression, this captures the sublimity that guards the unknown beauty of the underwater world and the ominous creatures left uncovered within this aquatic realm. Furthermore, the pearls decorating her face reflects its contemporary vogue in the fashion industry and how this aquatic accessory accentuates style, making the model appear more alluring and siren-like altogether.
DO YOU HEAR HER CALL? CHARLES TRAN
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DO YOU HEAR HER CALL? CHARLES TRAN
LEGACY OF SURREALISM IN FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY MAYA GEE-LIM + CHARLES TRAN
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OF
Legacy Surrealism IN FASHION
PHOTOGRAPHY
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LEGACY OF SURREALISM IN FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY MAYA GEE-LIM + CHARLES TRAN
LEGACY OF SURREALISM IN FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY MAYA GEE-LIM + CHARLES TRAN
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LEGACY OF SURREALISM IN FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY
A number of the most famous Surrealist photographers were also fashion photographers — such as Man Ray, Cecil Beaton, and Erwin Blumenfeld, among others — and their legacy can still be seen today in modern fashion photography. Some, like Man Ray, turned towards fashion photography as a means of paying the bills, while also allowing them to continue their artistic practice of experimentation within the medium of photography. The work of these Surrealists has continued to influence more recent generations of fashion photographers (Man Ray was the mentor of the well-known fashion photographer Guy Bourdin, and there is a clear connection between their work). The intersection of Surrealist artists and the fashion world extended well beyond photography; artist Salvador Dalí created art for Vogue covers and famously collaborated with fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli. One hallmark of early-20th century Surrealist photography is the objectification of the female body. Some of the most iconic Surrealist photographs compare the female body to fruit (Edward Weston’s Nude, Mexico), a violin (Man Ray’s Le Violon d’Ingres), and a penis (Man Ray’s Anatomies). In art, the model’s main form of agency is her face and gaze, which are either missing or obscured in all of the aforementioned photographs. The prevalence of objectification of women in Surrealist photography, although dehumanizing, translates well into fashion photography in that the desire to showcase products often takes precedence over the models’ humanity. As a result, disembodied legs and other body parts permeate fashion photography, particularly in the form of advertisements.
“The prevalence of objectification of women in Surrealist photography, although dehumanizing, translates well into fashion photography in that the desire to showcase products often takes precedence over the models’ humanity.” This photoshoot was inspired by both the lasting impact of Surrealism on fashion photography and the game of chess. Chess has a connection to Surrealism in that the one of the most prominent Surrealists, Marcel Duchamp, quit making art in order to pursue chess. Charles and I created the checkerboard backdrop and headpieces from scratch to evoke a chessboard and chess pieces. While the models are meant to represent chess pieces, their presence and their interaction with one another is an essential part of the photograph, unlike the disembodied body parts seen in so many fashion photographs. What results is a playful photo montage in the Surrealist style showcasing the models as an integral part of the compositions.
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LEGACY OF SURREALISM IN FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY MAYA GEE-LIM + CHARLES TRAN
OVERFISHING
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Our oceans are dying. Many of us are aware of the plastic bottles and masks left in the water that are killing marine life, but what isn’t talked about enough is what’s killing their homes: overfishing. While large-scale industrial fishing is one of the most destructive and unsustainable ways to fish, it still makes up over half the fish caught in a year. These big net methods of fishing are practiced by dragging large nets across the seafloor, and destroying marine ecosystems while simultaneously catching large amounts of bycatch.
OVERFISHING EMILY KIM
This dress was created with colorful fishing nets to raise awareness around overfishing. Old nets and lines are left behind in the ocean and make up a large portion of the ocean debris. Although there aren’t many ways for individuals to directly help this cause, it is important to push for regulation in fishing industries and the implementation of sustainable and regenerative fishing practices. Sit back and reflect; what legacy do we as a human species want to leave behind on this precious place we call our home?
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OVERFISHING EMILY KIM
CHATTING WITH CORBIN BLEU JOY CHEN + TIFFANY HUE
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CHATTING WITH CORBIN BLEU
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“When you’re on stage, you can actually live a life from top to bottom.”
The Brooklyn native grew up with an Italian American mother and Jamaican American father, and his journey to the screens and the stages certainly paved the way for generations of performers to come. While today, Bleu is known as a multifaceted artist with experiences as an actor, stage performer, musician, producer, and host, his roots in the arts trace back to live performances. Bleu made his Broadway debut in 2010 as Usnavi, the lead role in the esteemed musical, In The Heights. “When you’re on stage,” says Bleu with eyes of passion, “you can actually live a life from top to bottom.” Creative Director: Joy Chen | Editor-in-Chief: Tiffany Hue | Hair and Make-Up: Skyla Swafford | Stylist: Lynn Aiko | Behind-The-Photographers: Lillie Yazdi + Nick Brogdon | Set Desginer: Charles Tran | PA: Aerin Oh |
CHATTING WITH CORBIN BLEU JOY CHEN + TIFFANY HUE
Unbeatable stage performances, clean-cut European suits, and a suave personality like no other–– these are the things that make up the creative powerhouse Corbin Bleu, META’s newest cover star who has been constructing his legacy on stage and on screens for the past two decades. Posing confidently in an illuminated DTLA loft studio was the man of the hour himself, exhibiting a sense of grace that only comes from his extensive years of performing.
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To speak colloquially, he did it before it was cool. Bleu recalls the community that raised him, and his mother’s friends brought a mix of Puerto Rican and Dominican influences that soon became a sense of home, and returning to a story like In The Heights only brought a greater sense of comfort on stage. Once a performer, always a performer, and even behind the camera in our studio, Bleu brought the rollercoaster of emotions that reignites performances in his eyes, sharing that his favorite performances of his repertoire have been on stage. With a smile on his face, Bleu recalls these memories fondly, citing his Broadway debut as one of the biggest milestones in his career. And certainly so, as he is creating a legacy for performers far and wide to follow in his footsteps.
CHATTING WITH CORBIN BLEU JOY CHEN + TIFFANY HUE
Upon arriving on set, Bleu sported a sleek leather jacket that was a fan favorite of both our team and himself as well. Behind the bustling tunes of Michael Jackson, who quickly got Bleu up on his feet and dancing, his wife, Sasha Clements, told the endearing story of how this jacket came to be her husband’s favorite piece of wardrobe. She gifted him the coat during a trip abroad, and it has been difficult to peel him from it ever since. While examining the chic notes of his leather jacket, Bleu comments that his own style inspiration has never been according to the trends, and even back in high school, he would deviate from the conventional fads and often sport black monochrome outfits and painted nails––to speak colloquially, he did it before it was cool.
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CHATTING WITH CORBIN BLEU JOY CHEN + TIFFANY HUE
CHATTING WITH CORBIN BLEU JOY CHEN + TIFFANY HUE
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While striking elegant poses behind the camera, Bleu optimistically recalls his experience in auditioning for roles in the early stages of his career. “It’s always going to be a group effort and an uphill battle,” says Bleu in regards to representation in casting. “Diversity just reflects the world that we live in, and we need to see the diverse world represented that way through our art.”
CHATTING WITH CORBIN BLEU JOY CHEN + TIFFANY HUE
“It’s always going to be a group effort and an uphill battle.”
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Bleu’s legacy has only just begun. Broadway performances like Kiss Me Kate and television shows like The Real Dirty Dancing are not the only things keeping Bleu busy these days. Later this year, you can catch him on Season 3 of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, returning to the new cast as a veteran living out his legacy in full circle. In genuine shock, Bleu stated that he could not believe that there is a series, let alone that he was returning to East High. “My time during the original franchise still feels like a dream,” shares Bleu, and he notes how being on set with the younger actors felt like peering through a looking glass of time, from one generation to another.
CHATTING WITH CORBIN BLEU JOY CHEN + TIFFANY HUE
Despite the extensive trajectory of his current career, Bleu’s legacy has only just begun. “To this day, there’s still lots that I want to do,” says Bleu, and channeling both his on-stage and on-screen experiences are bound to transform him into a performer for the ages.
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CHATTING WITH CORBIN BLEU JOY CHEN + TIFFANY HUE
SORRY, DO MY SHOULDERS OFFEND YOU? MIKAYLA LOBASSO
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M DO
, Y R R O S “ Y
SHO ULDE RS
D N E F OF YOU ? ”
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Dress code is an oppressive policy that oversexualizes young women while stifling their creative freedom. This piece aims to depict the creative potential all young adults and kids have, and how it can be diminished by dress code. It is a legacy and tradition that needs to be broken.
SORRY, DO MY SHOULDERS OFFEND YOU? MIKAYLA LOBSSO
The idea of legacy can have positive implications, but can also enable the perpetuation of archaic rules. “Sorry, do my shoulders offend you?” is a commentary piece on the traditional legacy of dress code.
BUSINESS AND PLEASURE LEILANY CHAN
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BUSINESS & Pleasure
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The qipao is, indubitably, a timeless piece. The body-hugging dress holds distinctive patterns that are both charming and graceful, proving to be an irreplaceable item in a Chinese woman’s closet. The history of the qipao reflects the modern Chinese woman’s determination to fight against gender inequality, one that rose during the time when Shanghai first emerged as an energetic and avant-garde city.
In the midst of this shift, fashion was greatly impacted; women fearlessly abandoned the loose, gloomy, and dark designs that were traditional and conservative and moved to more colorful prints with smaller sleeves and collars that could show skin. Traditional qipaos are meant to hug one’s body perfectly, tailored according to the owners’ unique figure and complexion. My photography depicts such a historic time stamp, preserving the history of a garment that is slowly losing popularity with younger generations. As we move to a more modern era in fashion, I hope to remind others of the traditions we used to have and the legacy they leave in our lives––the stylish dress enriches our culture and reminds us of our heritage, an old-fashioned yet elegant garment that shapes transitory times of empowerment for Chinese women.
BUSINESS AND PLEASURE LEILANY CHAN
THE SAILOR MOON PHENOMENON LILY GLANTZ + ANNA-MARIE GUENTHER
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THE SAILOR MOON PHENOMENON With its instantly recognizable theme song and archetypal sailor uniforms, Sailor Moon is still undoubtedly a relevant cultural phenomenon nearly three decades after its original manga release. The nostalgia of the nineties anime is shared among generations of fans, aptly named ‘Moonies,’ who have continually taken inspiration from the magical Sailor Guardians. With an emphasis on long-lasting female friendship, girl-girl love, romance, and serving justice, the Sailor Guardians were revolutionary to the magical girl genre. Their balance of femininity, humanity, and heroism without the misogynistic undertones common to the genre made Sailor Moon a truly groundbreaking and forward-thinking anime classic. The five guardians in Sailor Moon captivated so many with their otherworldly transformations and contemporary wardrobes filled with couture-inspired pieces. From Mugler to Lacroix to Yves Saint Laurent, Naoko Takeuchi, the creator of the franchise, was evidently purposeful in her references to iconic designers of the decade. The genius of Sailor Moon is its relatability, with the allure and mystique of the Sailor Guardians balanced with their civilian identities. Each guardian begins as an ordinary school girl but undergoes an elaborate transformation into their glamorous warrior counterparts. This duality of visual personas resulted in an amalgamation of nineties streetwear, haute couture, and handpicked runway pieces. In the original manga series, Sailor Pluto,
the oldest of the Sailor Guardians, appears in a replica of the Versace hyper femme lilac slip dress worn in Madonna’s 1995 campaign. Setsuna, the civilian identity of Sailor Pluto, also donned the 1992 Chanel chain-detailed dress showcased by celebrities Christy Turlington, Naomi Campbell, Penelope Cruz, and, most recently, Lily RoseDepp at the 2019 Met Gala. Princess Serenity, the previous incarnation of Sailor Moon, wore the 1992 Christian Dior Palladium dress, which mocks ancient baroque pillars. The villains of the franchise received similar treatment. One of Takeuchi’s many Thierry Mugler references appeared with the introduction of Queen Beryl, adorned in an elaborate, formfitting dress from the Spring 1992 Ready-to-Wear Collection. Commander of the Dark Kingdom, Queen Beryl’s malice is conveyed through the horned bustier and purple ensemble borrowed from the Mugler dress. The Wicked Lady, a servant to the Dark Crystal that is set on destroying the Earth, sports a dress reminiscent of Kate Moss’s in the iconic 1994 Yves Saint Laurent Opium Fragrance campaign: a moody costume that suits the character’s transformation from innocent to evil. Calaveras, sister of the villainous Black Moon Clan, embodies a Medieval warrior in a bronze breastplate from the Fall/Winter 1992-1993 Christian Lacroix collection from Paris Fashion Week. With her repeated references to French and Italian high fashion, Takeuchi’s vast editorial and
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THE SAILOR MOON PHENOMENON LILY GLANTZ + ANNA-MARIE GUENTHER
THE SAILOR MOON PHENOMENON LILY GLANTZ + ANNA-MARIE GUENTHER
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runway know-how were tastefully delivered in her work. Takeuchi’s fascination with haute couture was not unusual in Japan’s pop-cultural atmosphere leading up to Sailor Moon’s debut: Japanese fashion in the nineties had fixations on European and American style, culminating in Shibukai, or Shibuya casual wear. Specifically captivated by the allure of Karl Lagerfield’s Chanel, Takeuchi took heavy inspiration from the romantic and emancipated imagery typical of Chanel’s projections of femininity, mimicking the vibrant color palettes, chains, and vinyl that dominated collections at the time. Intertwining extensive details from Japanese advertisements, Art Nouveau, and music, Takeuchi proved masterful at building the Sailor Moon cinematic universe with countless references to elements of various opulent art forms. Just as Sailor Moon’s indelible impression on fashion is inarguable, its cultural contributions to portraying the dimensionality of gender expression are paramount to the franchise’s legacy. Each of the guardians has intricately developed arcs and personalities, with targeted commentary on the struggles of conforming to the gender roles associated with conventional femininity, deviating outside of heteronormative
notions concerning female relationships. An additional and especially relevant subtext vital to Sailor Moon’s legacy is the many motifs in the anime series centering on how unabashedly modern consumerism exploits young women. Throughout several complex story arcs, Jadeite, the male villain, repeatedly schemes to harvest human energy by targeting “feminine” activities and locations: jewelry, fitness, and talent searches. Upon his defeat, Sailor Moon condemns him for plotting to take advantage of the dreams of young girls.
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Sailor Moon will unquestionably remain a cultural cornerstone for its intricate depiction of struggles with physical appearance, gender expression, and sexuality and its significant presence in fashion. With the concentration of girl-targeted media that reduces femininity to an unattainable and unrelatable identity, Sailor Moon survives as an unforgettable exception.
THE SAILOR MOON PHENOMENON LILY GLANTZ + ANNA-MARIE GUENTHER
“JUST AS SAILOR MOON’S INDELIBLE IMPRESSION ON FASHION IS INARGUABLE, ITS CULTURAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO PORTRAYING THE DIMENSIONALITY OF GENDER EXPRESSION ARE PARAMOUNT TO THE FRANCHISE’S LEGACY.”
FADS, FASHION, AND FINANCIAL CRISIS NATALIE SEMERSKY + JUSTIN LEE
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FADS, FASHION, AND FINANCIAL CRISIS
As financial markets around the world came to a halt following Black Tuesday, the vibrant fashion scene of the Roaring Twenties abruptly shifted to a morose alternative. Nearly eighty years later, global financial markets fell again, and fashion shifted alongside economic disaster. The 2008 Stock Market crash shifted fashion’s focus away from corporations as creative, forward-thinking individuals took control of the reins. With both the Great Depression
and the 2008 Recession, the fashion industry reacted following financial ruin, evidencing the interconnected impact of the global financial, social and creative environments. The contrast of these financial disasters’ fashion legacies speaks to the innovation of the fashion community while showcasing the impact of economic status and the media on clothing’s affordability and practicality.
“Not only were the working class plagued by the economic disadvantages they faced during the Great Depression, but they were visually separated from the upper class as well.” Recession, stable industries became all but that, forcing people out of jobs. The 2008 Recession impacted more than just designers—its effects were seen in how individuals shopped for clothing as luxurious styles became more unreasonable for the average buyer. Shoppers started breaking away from the rising trend of bright colors and bold notions, shopping for more muted fashions. Affordable retailers like Forever 21 experienced booms in sales while luxury fashion options like Circuit City suffered drops in sales and losses of customers.
Men wore overalls to work with button-ups underneath, appearing both professional and hardworking to keep their jobs. The individual buttons in their clothing were reused between outfits, allowing manufacturers to save money and produce more items. Women wore practical clothing as well, including boxy dresses with longer hemlines and more masculine silhouettes to work manufacturing jobs. Standards for women’s clothing became increasingly conservative, directly contrasting the bright, creative garments that continued to be worn by the rich and famous individuals who flourished in the Hollywood scene during the same era. Successful designers maintained their status during the Great Depression, as did the very wealthy, creating a visual dichotomy between the luxurious and the poor members of society.
This led to a creative boom with individual designers tirelessly working to establish themselves while distancing themselves from corporate reputations. London-based brand Céline overhauled its creative outlook by appointing a new creative director, Phoebe Philo. Philo’s style was minimalist and trendy, appealing to Recession-era shoppers. Her fashion was still unaffordable for the casual shopper, but the influence of the wealthy wearing minimalist fashion allowed more affordable brands to follow similar trends.
Not only were the working class plagued by the economic disadvantages they faced during the Great Depression, but they were visually separated from the upper class as well. Without the advantages of fame and generational wealth, the lower class was unable to quickly recover from financial ruin, creating a lasting impact on their physical and fiscal well-being. The changes in fashion as a result of financial difficulties during the Great Depression endured throughout the following decades. From women wearing more industrial clothes to a shift towards crafting more durable garments, a legacy was left from this financial disaster. The shift in fashion that occurred due to the Great Depression in the 1930s contrasted the influence of the 2008 Recession on clothing trends. In the 2008
A major distinction between the Great Depression and the 2008 Recession was why shoppers changed their fashion senses. During the Great Depression, the lack of money and influence of the industrial workforce caused the market for practical clothing to take over. In the 2008 Recession, fashion changed more voluntarily, with the social status of individuals influencing fashion choices more strongly than the clothes’ practicality. While these financial crises impacted fashion in different ways, they both created historical legacies that impacted how individuals dressed into future decades. Shoppers became more conscious of the rationale behind purchasing their clothing while designers created in ways that both met demand and catered to their own financial wellbeing. The impact of these eras of fashion can be seen in trends today, causing economic influence to ripple through the fashion industry and create lasting legacies for individuals and the industry as a whole.
FADS, FASHION, AND FINANCIAL CRISIS NATALIE SEMERSKY + JUSTIN LEE
At the end of the 1920s, the industrial world fell into economic ruin. For nearly a decade following, countries around the world felt the effects of stock market crashes, plummeting GDP, severe unemployment, and changes in the social and political facets of society. Because the Great Depression made industrial work commonplace and money for new clothes scarce, fashion adapted to its new environment. All members of the family had few outfits designed for practicality, causing fashion as a form of self-expression to become reserved for the very wealthy.
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THE BIRTH OF SEXUALITY IN FEMME FASHION
THE BIRTH OF SEXUALITY OF FEMME FASHION SOPHIE SHAW + NICK BROGDON + JORDAN MULA
From the moment a woman is born, she is immediately struck by the ill reality of media which tells her how clothing will influence the rest of her life. This is a constant societal reminder that a woman is nothing more than something pretty to look at, preferably something manicured, poised, and soft. And yet, is she the one at fault for choosing clothes that accentuate her curves nonetheless? For not wanting to be a shapeless, drab figure? For wanting to paint her nails? For wanting, as most women naturally do, to be regarded as pretty? Western culture has morphed the female body into a commodity, and notably so in the music industry, where women are featured in music videos purely for their unrealistic curves and unnatural figures. Even since the 1950s, the couture houses in Paris molded women into hourglass figures and defined their beauty through the lens of the male gaze. Yet, it was British designer Mary Quant in the ‘60s who birthed the mini-skirt, a symbolic culture shift influenced by London style, which was more favorable towards informality and the toppling of social norms. For example, Balenciaga’s slack dress and Yves Saint Laurent’s 1959 Trapeze line for Dior featured silhouettes that drew attention towards the legs rather than waists. Then, an elite Parisian couturier, André Courrèges, received international recognition for his collection of mini skirts in April of 1964. Evidently, the world was changing with young women like Quant and the schoolgirls on the streets who hiked up their uniforms embracing clothes that
showed a bit more stem than usual. The invention of the mini-skirt, propelled by Quant, embodied the era’s sexual revolution with the invention of the birth-control hormonal pill. Women were allowed to go on dates unsupervised, have a legitimate say in their future spouses, and perhaps even kiss a number of men before making the decision to enter marriage. Rather suddenly, women ditched lackluster colors for a more enticing and youthful palette. Yet, since the miniskirt’s initial beloved plunge into the world of fashion, critics have dragged the garment by associating it with the over-sexualization of women.
“And yet, is she the one at fault for choosing clothes that accentuate her curves nonetheless?” To dress oneself within patriarchal boundaries while being bluntly aware of how certain clothing may lead to one’s sexualization can be disorienting. It is impossible to ignore that women often do have a choice in how modest they are in this world that overwhelmingly sexualizes the female body. An article published in Scientific American concluded that while a woman is reduced to her body, a man is processed by the human brain as a whole. In the world of advertising and media, women are now nothing more than accessories to capitalism. And now, especially in the
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THE BIRTH OF SEXUALITY OF FEMME FASHION SOPHIE SHAW + NICK BROGDON + JORDAN MULA
THE BIRTH OF SEXUALITY OF FEMME FASHION SOPHIE SHAW + NICK BROGDON + JORDAN MULA
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“Perhaps it will be a while until a woman can wear clothing she likes without sacrificing being regarded as human.” music industry, it is normalized for women to be further sexualized for the clothing they wear. In reaction to this, artists like H.E.R. and Ella Mai have begun wearing baggy clothing to avoid this objectification. In contrast to this approach, back in the nineties, Lil’ Kim actually elevated feminine raunchiness in becoming rap’s ultimate sex symbol. Under the wings of the Notorious B.I.G., she became the face of female glamour in rap with the defining image of her career being a portrait of her in a Patricia Fields leopard-print bikini squatting with her legs positioned wide open. However, the dark side of Lil’ Kim’s persona is that it was in part shaped by her management who wanted to market her as a hyper-sexual icon.
today would probably still be underplaying their looks just to legitimize their music.” Brim is nodding to the supposed radical belief that women can be multifaceted beings. For Quant, the mini-skirt was a departure from the male-enforced notion a woman must be this pure encapsulation of modesty. By giving prominence to the leg and limbs, shorter hems music industry, it is normalized for women to be further sexualized for the clothing they wear. In reaction to this, artists like H.E.R. and Ella Mai have begun wearing baggy clothing to avoid this objectification.
THE BIRTH OF SEXUALITY OF FEMME FASHION SOPHIE SHAW + NICK BROGDON + JORDAN MULA
Top-selling women rappers before her, like Queen Latifah and Salt-N-Pepa, strived to defy objectification in hip-hop as well by infusing their projects with feminist anthems that demanded respect. Yet Lil’ Kim was the premier woman to deliver such explicit sexpositive lyricism and cuts. This brought forth the question of whether or not women should exploit their sexualities. And yet, are women, like Quant, then unable to wear clothes they like simply because modern culture has sexualized the female body? Lil’ Kim’s stylist, Misa Hylton Brim, said, “If Kim had not taken the risks in music and fashion that she did, female rappers
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A LOOK INSIDE THE MIND OF LEEANN HUANG JOY CHEN + TIFFANY HUE
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LEEANN HUANG
A LOOK INSIDE THE MIND OF
A LOOK INSIDE THE MIND OF LEEANN HUANG
Your background growing up in LA, living in Paris, and now being in London provides you with a diverse worldview that no doubt aids your creativity. Do you find yourself in a different creative mindset depending on where you are living at the moment? Do you have a favorite city to work in?
Photographer: Evelyn Putska | Hair and Make-up: Adriana Gonzalez | Models: Gillian Bozzani, Leatrice Hein, and Jasper the dog | Assisted by Dorine Pan
A LOOK INSIDE THE MIND OF LEEANN HUANG JOY CHEN + TIFFANY HUE
Leeann Huang: Every city has a different energy and community, so my surroundings and city definitely influence my energy and work ethic. Every city has its ups and downs when it comes to working, but I do think I thrive the most in London. There’s a lot more positive energy and appreciation for fashion as an art here and I have friends who I can bounce ideas off of or work with to always keep me focused and going. Having that is a great wealth of references and creative energy. There’s a particular language and culture that makes it very open and exciting to work. I think the quality of life in LA and Paris is way nicer but it gives me more reason to want to just relax and laze. But LA is home and I feel the most comfortable there.
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A LOOK INSIDE THE MIND OF LEEANN HUANG
A LOOK INSIDE THE MIND OF LEEANN HUANG JOY CHEN + TIFFANY HUE
You have previously shared that your grandmother has been a huge source of inspiration for your journey in fashion design. How did her work as a seamstress influence your more fantastical designs today?
Leeann Huang: My grandmother worked in a dollfactory for part of her life, so her house was filled to the brim with dolls and looked like a Barbie dream house. She was a very camp dreamer who spent most of her childhood escaping wars, so she had a very ‘live for today’ attitude and was always curious. I think this childlike focused outlook on life and work has always been a major influence. Not only did she pass her crafting skills down to my mom and me, but it was more her cartoonish excitement for colors, materials, and people that guide my work.
A LOOK INSIDE THE MIND OF LEEANN HUANG
Of all the work that you have created, do you have a favorite piece in your recent collection? Do you have a favorite story to share about your love for fashion?
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Leeann Huang: Favorite recent collection piece will probably be this macramé spaghtetti sequin gown I made with my friend Dorine. She’s amazing at macramé and I had this idea for a long time to crochet or knot up this jelly rubber cord I found at a hardware store. It’s typically used for piping but it was such a fun, alluring material so I wanted to turn it into a textile. The overall making process was very collaborative and fun!
A LOOK INSIDE THE MIND OF LEEANN HUANG JOY CHEN + TIFFANY HUE
I think more and more, I love the collaborative nature of fashion and making friends through that. I struggled a lot the past year having graduated into the pandemic and my friend who runs the brand Sixty-Nine and who I used to intern and design for, really rescued me and gave me a path to follow. It was very out of the blue but she saw my recent work and she really pushed me to pursue my own practice. Reconnection, working and learning from her again was very liberating and reassuring, so I do feel very lucky having a supportive network of people like that. Fashion is honestly a beautiful thing when it enriches the culture and community around you.
A LOOK INSIDE THE MIND OF LEEANN HUANG JOY CHEN + TIFFANY HUE
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A LOOK INSIDE THE MIND OF LEEANN HUANG
How does your identity play into aspects of your work ethic, and the flamboyant nature of your brand? Leeann Huang: I am pretty shy and introverted in nature, but my work and my imagination are where my expression goes wild. I am very colourful, curious, and joy-seeking, so that does translate to flamboyant nature of my work. I want to to be as lively as my inner soul. My Chinese American upbringing definitely influences my work ethic and definitely keeps me focused, realistic, and goal oriented. I’m really not that great at that, but it gives me some faculties and habits to help. It’s all a balancing act.
A LOOK INSIDE THE MIND OF LEEANN HUANG
What legacy do you hope to leave for young creatives eager to find their voices in the fashion industry? Do you have any words of wisdom for them?
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Leeann Huang: I’m still quite a young creative myself, so my main takeaways are always to be honest and open to yourself. Your heart and your expression are the most valuable thing so protect it. If something doesn’t feel right or does, trust your gut. There’s a lot of insecurity working in a creative industry whether it be the always abstract career path, unfair wages, toxic egos, or even self-doubt. I’ve learned that no matter what level you are at, that insecurity doesn’t really go away, so don’t let it hold you back. Be bold about who you are and what you want. I’m trying to remind myself that everyday too.
A LOOK INSIDE THE MIND OF LEEANN HUANG JOY CHEN + TIFFANY HUE
THE BIKINI’S TOLL: COLONIZATION OF SWIMWEAR CAITLIN CHEN + CATHERINE CHU
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THE BIKINI’S TOLL: COLONIZATION OF SWIMWEAR
The evolution of swimwear speaks beyond its existence as a fashion trend, reflecting how economic, social and political byproducts of wartime can impact a simple garment. The story of the “modern bikini” is one heavily shaped by World War II, but the reality behind its past is far from the early associated images of sunshine, victory roll hair-dos and retro fun. The origins of the bikini reveal how colonization erases the narratives of indigenous populations by instead focusing on creating a legacy that promotes eurocentric success. Swimwear was a mere vanity in the grand scheme of World War II’s economic and societal pressures. Wartime production required large quantities of cotton, nylon and other fabrics for military uniforms, severely limiting access to textiles with heightening political tensions. With limited fabrics available, the existing maillot, a one-piece swimsuit with an overskirt, lost its fabric by first discarding the skirt panels. The onepiece was then sliced in half and gradually, the degree of midriff exposure increased.
“THE ORIGINS OF THE BIKINI REVEAL HOW COLONIZATION ERASES THE NARRATIVES OF INDIGENOUS POPULATIONS BY INSTEAD FOCUSING ON CREATING A LEGACY THAT PROMOTES EUROCENTRIC SUCCESS.”
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THE BIKINI’S TOLL: COLONIZATION OF SWIMWEAR CAITLIN CHEN + CATHERINE CHU
Female modesty could only be teased so far until two French designers, Jacques Heim and Louis Réard, sought to push the boundaries of modern swimwear. Heim, a pioneering couture designer, originally attempted to launch the Atome, a two-piece set—ruffled bra and bloomers—in 1932 and was met with immediate outcry. As the economic strain caused by wartime strife
forced fashion silhouettes to evolve, public perception grew increasingly open-minded, allowing Heim to relaunch the Atome in May 1946. Two months after Heim relaunched Atome as “the world’s smallest bathing suit,” Réard released his own two-piece, a scandalous mere 30 inches of fabric that resembles our modern bikini. He promoted his creation as “smaller than the world’s smallest bathing suit”— a direct snub at Heim’s Atome, but it was his retail marketing techniques that popularized his model. When launching his swimsuit prototype, Réard deliberately named “the bikini” after Bikini Atoll, a nuclear testing site in the Marshall Islands. Four days before Réard’s debut, newspapers were plastered with articles of Bikini Atoll’s first nuclear test and Réard sought a commercial and cultural reaction of similar intensity. Réard searched for a model willing to debut the new design, eventually hiring an exotic dancer who would be willing to appear nearly nude. The reaction was explosive, albeit highly controversial, leading to the birth of the “bikini” that would cement its legacy and persist into our contemporary colloquialisms. Despite the bikini being commonplace in our modern society, the origin of its etymology, Bikini Atoll, is rarely discussed. Bikini Atoll was taken under American control in World War II and transformed into a nuclear weapons testing site, vaporizing three islands and leaving the remaining twentythree uninhabitable due to radiation. All native residents were forcibly evicted from
THE BIKINI’S TOLL: COLONIZATION OF SWIMWEAR CAITLIN CHEN + CATHERINE CHU
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“VIEWED WITH A EUROCENTRIC LENS, THE BIKINI ACTS AS A TRIVIAL CONVERSATION PIECE AND FASHION STATEMENT, BURYING THE BLOODY HISTORY BEHIND ITS NAMESAKE AND ALLOWING THE EFFECTS OF COLONIZATION TO THRIVE IN OUR MODERN CLIMATE.”
their homeland under the pretense of going to “the Promised Land” only to be relocated to an island lacking basic nutritional resources. Unable to find a suitable home for the islanders, the American government brought them back to their homeland, exposing residents to abnormally high concentrations of radioisotopes resulting in miscarriages and genetic abnormalities, among other health effects. This distressing narrative of forced relocation and health-related debilities is just one example where an indigenous population is considered secondary to mainstream Western culture. Viewed with a Eurocentric lens, the bikini acts as a trivial conversation piece and fashion statement, burying the bloody history behind its namesake and allowing the effects of colonization to thrive in our modern climate. Sexuality has always been written with the white woman as the protagonist; her scandalous sensuality and eventual embracement of self-love and empowerment is the primary plot of the bikini’s narrative—not the years of life, tradition and Bikini Atoll culture that have
been marginalized and erased. The legacy of Bikini Atoll and its residents has been severely diminished because of imperialistic desire and societal focus on white sexuality; the blinding success of Western triumph and innovation overtakes the harrowing reality of colonization. The fundamental basis of colonization allows fashion trends to predate generations of aboriginal legacies. The lack of acknowledgment towards how minority narratives have shaped much of mainstream culture but are often discredited is due to the acceptance and promotion of Western colonization, indicating how our society considers certain legacies to be more significant than others. The bikini may appear as a liberating cultural phenomenon, but its parallel homonym is comparatively diminished because of how colonialism has shaped our history and the stories we are exposed to today. What gives individuals the right to decide whose legacies are erased?
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THE BIKINI’S TOLL: COLONIZATION OF SWIMWEAR CAITLIN CHEN + CATHERINE CHU
WHAT GIVES INDIVIDUALS THE RIGHT TO DECIDE WHOSE LEGACIES ARE ERASED?
YING GAO: THE INTERCONNECTEDNESS OF LIFE CASEY NGUYEN + VANESSA NGUYEN
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YING
GAO
9 5 YING GAO: THE INTERCONNECTEDNESS OF LIFE With a flutter of its paper-like wings, a butterfly changes the weather; the interconnectedness of life ensures that the impact of each and every living thing, no matter how small, is lasting. Through the creation of her highly sensitive, interactive pieces, Montreal-based designer Ying Gao captures the essence of this butterfly effect, bringing it to life.
How this anxiety is dealt with varies by individual. While some willingly accept this responsibility, others deny its existence. Gao captures this willful ignorance in her piece titled “(No)where (Now)here.” Composed of photoluminescent thread embedded with electronic devices, these organza dresses come to life when a spectator’s gaze is detected. In dim light, the dresses emit an otherworldly bluish glow. The delicate, luminous folds of the organza, the stringy texture of the photoluminescent threads, and the motion of the fabric triggered by the viewer’s attention create a striking resemblance to underwater specimens, specifically jellyfish. The fabric ebbs and flows as if gracefully moving in synchronicity with the ocean’s currents. This wave-like motion is sustained by the spectator’s line of sight and once again, responsibility for life is placed upon the viewer. Yet this time, this discomfort can be alleviated by simply closing the eyes. The dresses will still glow, but the absence of the spectator’s gaze causes the motion to still, and for the garments to “die.” Gao created this piece as an exploration of the concept of absence: how humans
YING GAO: THE INTERCONNECTEDNESS OF LIFE CASEY NGUYEN + VANESSA NGUYEN
The central focus of Gao’s artistry is the interplay between the viewer and her piece. “Incertitudes” is a white dress covered in dressmaker pins that remain motionless until someone speaks. The name of this piece suggests that it was created to capture collective anxiety and, as Gao specifies, anxiety regarding the variable nature of the future. The tones of a human voice break the peaceful stillness of the pins, forcing them to move uncontrollably, chaotically, with no coordinated direction. Like a pebble dropped into a pond, the sound of someone speaking creates a disruption that spreads in waves. Such a profound reaction to something so intrinsically human is a powerful reminder that mere human existence can be destructive to the surrounding environment. Thus, the dress generates a sort of “pins-and-needles” feeling within the spectator, an anxiety that is borne from coming face-to-face with the unignorable, unwanted responsibility of thinking about the lasting personal impact one may unknowingly
have, as everything is interconnected. This anxious awareness that Gao both creates and captures is paralleled by the current, collective expectation for every individual to be wellversed on every issue.
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YING GAO: THE INTERCONNECTEDNESS OF LIFE CASEY NGUYEN + VANESSA NGUYEN
Like a pebble dropped into a pond, the sound of someone speaking creates a disruption that spreads in waves. dissociate from reality in short periods of time. The conscious choice of closing the eyes and suspending life symbolically represents how there is a collective yearning to escape from the pressing issues that continuously infiltrate our consciousness. This piece is a physical manifestation of the selfish desire to disconnect from the collective and its issues and to focus solely on the individual. The crux of this dilemma is brought to a head with another one of her pieces, titled “Neutralité: Can’t and Won’t.” While both are fabricated from organza and cotton mesh, one is embellished with triangular cutouts and its counterpart is decorated with ruched swirls and bunched fabric. Complete with a full headpiece, the repeated mesh detailings on the dresses resemble simple, microbial species, gently undulating to welcome the presence of a spectator. However, they are only able to be kept alive if the viewer makes a concerted effort to remain stoic, both in expression and
posture. This state of stoicism is not innate to human nature, and thus requires a degree of humility; instead of thinking of humanity as the center, one realizes that they are instead a part of a universal environment. It is here that Gao also introduces the dichotomy of “Can’t” and “Won’t.” Now that the viewer is aware of the integral role they play in sustaining life, they are forced to examine whether their unwillingness to sustain life is something they are physically unable to do or something they are choosing to opt out of. The complementary color palettes of blue and yellow work to highlight this polarity. It can be said that at the center of each of Gao’s pieces is not the physical dresses themselves, but rather the viewer, as the piece contorts itself in response to the actions of the spectator. Gao’s interactive pieces force viewers to confront the fact that one is never simply just a spectator, that each and every action has an effect on its surroundings, and that every human being has their mark on the world—their own personal legacy.
9 7 Gao’s interactive pieces force viewers to confront the fact that one is never simply just a spectator, that each and every action has an effect on its surroundings,
YING GAO: THE INTERCONNECTEDNESS OF LIFE CASEY NGUYEN + VANESSA NGUYEN
and that every human being has their mark on the world—their own personal legacy.
LITTLE RICHARD’S LEGACY OF ANDROGYNY AND FLAMBOYANCE LILLIE YAZDI + BRIAN NGUYEN + JULIETTE CORNET
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LITTLE RICHARD’S LEGACY OF ANDROGYNY & FLAMBOYANCE
When Harry Styles was featured on the cover of Vogue flaunting an extravagant dress, the internet went crazy with admiration for testing the bounds of gendered dressing. However, long before Harry Styles hit the scene, genderfluid and androgynous wardrobe already included a long history of popularity among male musicians of the modern era. Back in the 1950s, Little Richard––aka the “King and Queen of Rock and Roll”––was sporting performance wardrobe that was successfully blurring the lines of gender roles in a time when toxic masculinity and homophobia were rampant. Although Little Richard has not topped the charts since 1958, his influence as an openly gay performer and as a fashion icon has persisted to this day.
Little Richard’s legacy lives on in various eras and genres of music. From Jimi Hendrix’s embroidered velvet jackets to Elton John’s feathers, rock n’ roll wouldn’t be rock n’ roll without flamboyance. One of the more notable figures to be directly influenced by Little Richard was the High Priest of Funk himself–Prince. In fact, when Prince first found popularity, he was considered to be the “Little Richard” of his generation. Prince’s dramatic eye makeup and token brightly colored, gaudy suits were directly inspired by the Good Golly Miss Molly singer. And Prince isn’t the only one, with famous male performers like Elton John claiming that Little Richard was his biggest influence–musically, vocally and visually. “When I saw Little Richard standing on top of the piano–all lights, sequins and energy–I knew there and then that I was going to be a rock n’ roll piano player,” the Rocketman once proclaimed. Little Richard may have passed away in 2020 but his legacy survives not only through his music but through his iconic wardrobe and
“Known for his pompadour hairstyle, dramatic makeup and outlandishly fringed and rhinestoned clothing, Little Richard was a rainbow sheep among the herd of clean-cut suits and slicked-back hair that characterized the style of male singers of his time.”
LITTLE RICHARD’S LEGACY OF ANDROGYNY AND FLAMBOYANCE LILLIE YAZDI + BRIAN NGUYEN + JULIETTE CORNET
Largely considered to be the first rockstar, Little Richard set the precedent for male performers with his wardrobe choices. Known for his pompadour hairstyle, dramatic makeup and outlandishly fringed and rhinestoned clothing, Little Richard was a rainbow sheep among the herd of clean-cut suits and slicked-back hair that characterized the style of male singers of his time. How was a Black man openly singing about gay sex able to find such success during a period when anything other than white heterosexuality was conventionally ostracized? The artist used his over-the-top wardrobe as amour. He purposefully dressed in outfits that were so outrageous for his time that his persona felt too comical to be threatening to the heteronormative and white audiences his music was popular with. Dressing up as the Queen of England on one night to wearing bedazzled headbands and fringe suits on the
next, allowed the omnisexual musician to sing about “topping” and falling in love with drag queens in his hits Tutti Frutti and Long Tall Sally without the audience batting an eye. Little Richard’s kohl-lined eyes and penchant for crystal-coated suits, capes and bodysuits set the tone for what male musicians’ performance wardrobe should look like: outside of the box, original and unafraid. His unabashed gaudiness, androgyny and flamboyance would pave the way for generations of performers to come–queer and straight.
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LITTLE RICHARD’S LEGACY OF ANDROGYNY AND FLAMBOYANCE LILLIE YAZDI + BRIAN NGUYEN + JULIETTE CORNET
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style. Shortly after his death, Little Richard’s wardrobe went up for auction with some of his costumes selling for upwards of $4000. When examining some of the pieces being auctioned off, the vibrant high-waisted bellbottom pants, platform boots and bedazzled fringed suits looked awfully similar to the wardrobes of current male artists like Lil Nas X and Greta Van Fleet’s Josh Kiska. Little Richard’s influence on male performance style remains relatively unknown to our current generation. His name has been lost among the long list of influential artists that succeeded him. Whether that be due to the color of his skin or homophobia, even just the quickest glance into Little Richard’s life reveals the everlasting influence he has had on performance fashion. Elton John’s feathers, Prince’s signature purple suit, Mick Jagger’s crop tops and Harry Styles’ bell bottoms would not exist if Little Richard had not worn them first. While he might no longer be a household name, traces of his legacy remain sprinkled throughout generations of musicians and will no doubt persist for decades to come.
“Little Richard’s kohllined eyes and penchant for crystal-coated suits, capes and bodysuits set the tone for what male musicians’ performance wardrobe should look like: outside of the box, original and unafraid unafraid.”
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LITTLE RICHARD’S LEGACY OF ANDROGYNY AND FLAMBOYANCE LILLIE YAZDI + BRIAN NGUYEN + JULIETTE CORNET
LITTLE RICHARD’S LEGACY OF ANDROGYNY AND FLAMBOYANCE LILLIE YAZDI + BRIAN NGUYEN + JULIETTE CORNET
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LITTLE RICHARD’S LEGACY OF ANDROGYNY AND FLAMBOYANCE LILLIE YAZDI + BRIAN NGUYEN + JULIETTE CORNET
NEW YORK FASHION WEEK: SERGIO HUDSON JOY CHEN + TIFFANY HUE
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SERGIO HUDSON
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NEW YORK FASHION WEEK: SERGIO HUDSON JOY CHEN + TIFFANY HUE
NEW YORK FASHION WEEK: MEN’S DAY 2022 JOY CHEN + TIFFANY HUE
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A. POTTS
NEW YORK MEN’S DAY
NICHOLAS RAEFSKI
NEW YORK FASHION WEEK: MEN’S DAY 2022 JOY CHEN + TIFFANY HUE
STAN
NEW YORK FASHION WEEK: CLARA SON JOY CHEN + TIFFANY HUE
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CLARA SON
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NEW YORK FASHION WEEK: CLARA SON JOY CHEN + TIFFANY HUE
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NEW YORK FASHION WEEK: CLARA SON JOY CHEN + TIFFANY HUE
NEW YORK FASHION WEEK: FRONT ROW AT CLAUDIA LI JOY CHEN + TIFFANY HUE
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FRONT ROW AT CLAUDIA LI
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NEW YORK FASHION WEEK: FRONT ROW AT CLAUDIA LI JOY CHEN + TIFFANY HUE
NEW YORK FASHION WEEK: MELKE JOY CHEN + TIFFANY HUE
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MELKE
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NEW YORK FASHION WEEK: MELKE JOY CHEN + TIFFANY HUE
THANK YOU
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META SAYS: THANK YOU
THANK YOU MERCI XIÈ XIÈ BEDANKT SALAMAT KIITOS DANKE SCHÖN MAHALO IĀ ‘OE TERIMA KASIH GRAZIE ARIGATŌ GAMSA HAEYO GRATIAS TIBI TEŞEKKÜRLER ASANTE
THANK YOU Thank you for reading our journey in exploring the future of our legacies. As an independent publication, this would not have been possible without all your incredible support, and the work that has been made by our team and shared by audiences has allowed us to create a legacy of which we are incredibly proud.
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To our staff–thank you for being the best team we could possibly ask for. Together, we have been through thick and thin, and it is with all your skill and talent that we were able to cultivate a publication that exhibits such artistry and talent. As Issue 05: LEGACY celebrates the experiences that shape what we mean to the world, this new era is only the beginning of the future of META. Thank you to everyone who has helped our dreams come true. It is only with our collective spirit that we can continue to operate as a publication dedicated to making our voices heard.
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