Winter 2019 / The University of Chicago
CO-EDITORS-IN-CHIEF
Lauren Han & Jen McIntosh
PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Daniel Chae
WRITING EDITORS
Louis Levin
VISUAL DESIGN EDITORS
Angela Liu & Marie Parra
STYLING EDITORS
Carla Abreu & Cecilia Sheppard
BEAUTY EDITORS
Hannah Burnstein & Dani O’Connell
ASSISTANT PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Natalia Rodriguez
ASSISTANT WRITING EDITORS
Hugo Barillon & Stella Slorer
ASSISTANT VISUAL DESIGN EDITORS
Ella Anderson & Cheryl Hao
ASSISTANT STYLING EDITORS
Georgianna James, Matteo Laspro & Wendy Xiao
WRITERS & CONTRIBUTORS
Rosie Albrecht, Alexandra Fiorentino-Swinton, Isabella Hernandez, Cameron Kay, Alexandre Labossiere-Barrera, Andrea Li, Kate Lu, Yeeqin New, Sarah Peabody, Brinda Rao, Melanie Wang, Elizabeth Winkler & Hannah Zhang
PHOTOGRAPHERS MODELS
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Julia Camus, Daniel Chae & Natalia Rodriguez Daniel Byeon, Amelia Frank, Hunter Hidalgo, Reo Kimora, Ethan MacCumber, Livia Miller, Lily Min Ren, Malavika Rajagopal, Gabrielle Smith, Olivia Vizzini & Elizabeth Winkler
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Letter from the Editors High Fashion & High Waste Is Fur Really Dead and Gone? Re-Lovving Our World And Your Wallet Setting Up for Failure Fashion Cast Under a Spell On Every Street Corner An Industry Out of Control Rotten to the Core Elucidating the Purpose of Fashion Shows A Closer Examination Is It a Man’s World? Empowering Women One Stitch at a Time Take Back the Suit Sub Rosa Field Day In Full Color
LETTER FROM THE EDITORS The beginning of this academic year brought with it a multitude of changes for MODA Magazine. We have been on the staff of MODA Magazine since the very beginning of college: for Lauren, since the beginning of first year, and for Jen, since the beginning of second year. Now fourth years, this is our last year overseeing the magazine and we are so grateful for everything it has brought us. This quarter, we are printing our longest issue in recent memory, with thirteen articles written by fellow students and three beautiful shoots. We have brought on several new additions to our staff, most of them first years who we are so excited to watch transform this magazine into something even better in the coming years. The shoots team brought us to the Field Museum as well as gave us a look into beauty routines, evoking imagery from cult-favorite brand Glossier. “Sub Rosa” is the work of two brand new beauty editors, whose fresh take brought us to the newly opened Sophy Hotel on 53rd Street and gave us a look into the very beginning of someone’s morning. “Field Day” gave us the chance to showcase clothing from Luxury Garage Sale in one of the most beautiful settings in Chicago: a museum. “In Full Color” gives us a much needed fresh pop of color coming out of the warmer months and headed into a grey winter. As usual, our current issue discusses the various ways in which fashion affects us in the present day: from gendered issues to political issues. Alexandra Labossiere-Barrera takes us into the critical environmental problem of waste in high fashion. Cameron Kay, Isabella Hernandez and Andrea Li take us into the movement of women’s empowerment in fashion: from high fashion as a boys’ club to women taking back the power suit. And Sarah Peabody introduces us to an up-andcoming resell app with an interview with the founder. Thank you so much for your support every quarter; we are eternally grateful. With gratitude, Lauren Han & Jen McIntosh
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HIGH FASHION
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HIGH WASTE The textile industry is the second most polluting industry in the world, beaten only by oil. And while this is due in large part to the rise of fast and disposable fashion, there exists another often overlooked culprit. The modern development and unsustainable practices of mainstream high fashion are in part to blame, and go to show how waste permeates practically every facet of the fashion industry. Since the 1980s, per capita purchases of clothes have increased almost 400%. The rise of big marketing, facilitated by the newfound connectivity of society, has made luxury brands household names. This newly created awareness has made the likes of Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and others accessible to the masses. And in doing so, a culture of excess and waste is further upheld. At the end of the day, the sheer volume of clothing being produced in order to meet the ever-increasing demands of consumers is the main culprit for the incredible volume of waste in the industry itself. 85% of all clothes produced end up in a landfill. In North America alone, 25 billion pounds of clothes are disposed of every year. The essentiality of exclusivity in the business model of high fashion also poses a threat to waste in the industry. Last year, for example, the controversy over Burberry’s decision to destroy excess stock with a market value of about 36 million dollars brought the
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ARTICLE BY ALEXANDRE LABOSSIERE-BARRERA brand under incredible public scrutiny. The fact of the matter is that consumers need some sort of justification for the exorbitant price tags that accompany high fashion brands like Burberry. Quality and branding can only go so far, so many brands opt to create artificial exclusivity. If Burberry were to end up in any sort of discount stores, the brand would become increasingly diluted. So, Burberry decides to take the loss on the product they’ve produced to avoid taking a larger reputational loss in the long run. Burberry isn’t the only one to blame, though. Brands like Louis Vuitton, Cartier, and others follow the same practice that has, for the most part, evolved into high fashion protocol. As trends seem to change by the week, the industry has, at a consumer level, become increasingly difficult to predict and prepare for. As a result, brands’ sales from season to season can fluctuate greatly. To compensate for this unpredictability, designers tend to produce at large levels in order to manage a potential situation of unusually high sales. To them, the marginal benefit of selling a few more coats for thousands of dollars apiece greatly outweighs the marginal cost of the comparatively tiny expenditure in producing them. In the wake of its criticism, Burberry has, as of just September of this year, announced the following on its sustainability efforts moving forward: “Burberry is stopping the practice of destroying unsaleable products with immediate effect. This builds on our responsibility agenda to 2022, and is supported by our new strategy which is helping to tackle the cause of waste.” - September 6th, 2018. While the claim that Burberry is doing this out of the goodness of their own hearts is in all likelihood false, it is the end that is important in this situation- not necessarily the means by which it was reached. The fact of the matter is that young consumers are becoming increasingly environmentally conscious, and are, in many cases, drawn to more sustainable brands. While Burberry’s reasoning for this decision most certainly centers around appealing to a younger customer base, what really counts is the possibility of this signaling a larger movement for the future of high fashion.
“85% OF ALL CLOTHES PRODUCED END UP IN A LANDFILL. IN NORTH AMERICA ALONE, 25 BILLION POUNDS OF CLOTHES ARE DISPOSED OF EVERY YEAR.”
Photos by (from top): Uriel Sinai, Christina Dean, Luke Casey
As alluring as the concept might seem, there is no magic solution to the issue of waste in the high fashion industry. However, the consumer has a great deal more power than they might think. A producer will only make as much money as a customer is willing to spend. This means that consumers’ choice to buy from brands that don’t practice wasteful operations, much like in the case of Burberry, will ultimately lead to a change in designers’ behavior. An often overlooked issue, the waste created by the overproduction and problematic disposal of our clothing is one that clearly needs more attention. Waste is rooted deeply in all of our lives, perpetuated by the normalization of wasteful production practices, the artificialization of exclusivity, and the ceaseless fluctuation of trends. As consumers, we need to reevaluate our own habits when it comes to buying clothes. Modern clothing culture has acclimated people to the concept of apparel at often ridiculous price points, made possible by newly widespread branding and a contrived exclusivity. The solution, however, can be distilled to a simple focus on quality on all fronts-- the greater expense will be worth it in the long run.
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Is fur really dead and gone? Article by Kate Lu
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ashion is and has always been a direct reflection of the nature of the society we live in. Take, for example, the dramatic rise of flapper dresses during the Roaring Twenties, or the popularization of skirts and dresses during the Women’s Liberation Movement in the 1960s. Both of these represent very specific styles unique to those bygone eras. Today, we see elements of recent social upheaval and change emerging in new fashion drops. As of late, there has been a heavy emphasis on being more conscientious and mindful of our decisions, whether that be in the politicians we elect, the food we consume, or the clothes we wear. Fur in fashion has long been a subject of heated debate, but in recent years there has been a definitive push to phase out the use of animal furs completely. Yet, despite the growing dislike of fur among individuals and designers alike, the fashion industry is simply not ready to go completely fur-free, due to issues of hypocrisy and the production of faux-fur. Fur has long been viewed as a symbol of luxury, affluence, and status. In ancient Egypt, leopard and lion pelts were reserved strictly for the King. In Europe, the rising mercantile class in the 17th and 18th centuries strove to emulate aristocrats by donning luxurious furs. Historically, animal furs were a winter necessity that only the really wealthy could afford. But, as technology advanced and social awareness grew, the need for real fur in clothing declined. Now, the same look can be achieved without compromising the lives of animals or raising the hackles of the activist generation. This year alone, Burberry, Versace, Michael Kors, Gucci, Giorgio Armani - to name but a few - have announced that they will be going fur-free in their future collections. The most significant motivation for this sudden urgency from highend brands can be traced back to morality and consumer awareness. Donatella Versace says she “doesn’t want to kill animals to make fashion” and that it just “doesn’t feel right.” CEO of Gucci, Marco Bizzarri, explains that “technology is now available that means you don’t need to use fur. The alternatives are luxurious. There is just no need.” Other designers echo similar sentiments, declaring a
social responsibility to better the environment. Even so, many other big-name designers refuse to change their brands’ current dispositions. Designers like Karl Lagerfeld and Dries Van Noten decline to go fur-free because of the artistry and technique that goes into producing genuine fur, versus the comparatively rudimentary production of faux-fur. Still more designers express the hypocrisy behind brands like Gucci choosing to eliminate fur, while continuing to produce leather goods. If designers are truly going to condemn animal cruelty, they need to be willing to completely eliminate leather and other animal hides from their lines as well, a transition that is nearly impossible to do all at once. In the words of designer Gabriele Colangelo, if brands truly want to do good by animals, they “should not produce leather garments, including shearling, and leather accessories as bags and shoes.” Still others point out that the use of faux fur is, in fact, less environmentally conscientious than animal furs. Astrid Andersen notes that “when you really look into the process of the fur, there is zero waste,” whereas the plastic that goes into making faux-fur is actually detrimental to the environment. Massimo Giorgetti of MSGM is hesitant to switch over to faux fur because “the plastic, hence petrol, used to make it is undoubtedly very harmful to nature and the environment… All the sneakers we produce, the clothes, the bags…all the plastic that we use in our collections… Are ecological [fake] furs really the winning answer? You wear an outfit made in plastic, convinced you have respected animals and the environment, but is it really so?” Ideally, designers like Giorgetti would love to run a completely faux fur company, however, as of now, it’s not a black and white issue. There are no clearcut environmental benefits of faux fur. Nevertheless, one thing remains true: fur isn’t a necessary component of fashion anymore. Technology is advanced enough to the point where clothing of equal luxury and quality can now be created without having to take the lives of animals. However, the issue arises in the actual production of these faux furs, which come with their own array
of environmental drawbacks. Unless this impact is rapidly weakened, designers will continue to rely on the excuse that animal furs are the better option. Though it is true that the fashion trends over the past few years indicate a general moving away from using animal furs, it will take many more years - even decades - before we see a fashion industry entirely depleted of real animal furs.
Photos: Getty Images 9
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ustainable fashion. It seems to be on almost every street corner and Instagram feed. Thrift stores and large clothing brands alike have been joining the push towards sustainability. Nonetheless, fashion persists as the second most wasteful industry in the world, churning out 52 “micro-seasons” a year, and thus constantly encouraging people to keep up with the changing trends. We’re clearly not doing enough. So, what to do? Well, bar not wearing anything at all, perhaps the most sustainable option to undertake is to buy and sell pre-owned clothing. That way, you can keep your closet and wallet out of the wasteful production of new clothes. At just twenty-five, Alex Shadrow is the founder and CEO of Relovv– the new sustainable fashion community and mobile app. It allows you to connect with other sustainable fashionistas, shop the closets of celebrities and friends, and sell your own- all for free.
I believe with every opportunity you face, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. First, tell us about yourself! When and why did you start Relovv? What inspired you to become an entrepreneur in the fashion industry? I am a third generation sustainability entrepreneur. My dad and his dad both own metal-recycling companies that recycle planes and buildings, so sustainability has been a huge part of my life. Meanwhile, growing up in Los Angeles, fashion was an omnipresent force in my environment. When the inevitable day arrived that I wanted to “start over” with my closet, I realized there was no place to buy or sell fashion like mine. I didn’t have Chanel or Gucci to sell. Instead, I had Free People, Zara, Urban Outfitters - you know, the stuff in every young person’s closet. I was rejected by consignment stores and not valued by more luxury-focused marketplaces like The Real Real, Tradesy, and Poshmark. I figured that if everyone was having the same troubles like me, then there must be a WHOLE LOT of waste. And so, I created my own platform, Relovv, where the average price of an item is $35 and the average saving is 80% off brands like Adidas, Lululemon, Levis, TopShop and more. How do you distinguish Relovv from the other resell apps? Do you feel the pressure to maintain your app’s competitive edge?
In addition to the aforementioned ways, we also have a patentpending Relovv feature that allows members to sell each other’s items. Hit the heart button on any item to share it onto your profile and get commissioned when someone buys off of your profile. But, I don’t really feel any pressure to maintain a competitive edge. We are very different to other platforms, and anyone that joins us will immediately see that. What is it like being formally certified by Al Gore? How did this happen? I applied to be a “Climate Reality Leader” for my work with Relovv and was so honored to be accepted. I went to a 2-day conference where we learned from Al Gore himself about the climate crisis and some of the many solutions out there. We were then certified to give presentations on his behalf and got access to some amazing resources and organizations purposed with making a difference. Was it terrifying to be on “Elevator Pitch” and “Project Runway: Fashion Start-up?” How did you deal with the nerves? Quite honestly, no, it was not. I believe that with every opportunity you face, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. If you don’t believe in yourself no one else will. So, I went in there with complete confidence. I think my passion for sustainability and the purpose behind what I do makes that easy, so I urge everyone to discover the why behind what they’re doing and draw confidence from that. As the CEO and Founder, what’s your relationship with the app’s customers? I try to be as involved as possible. I have weekly video calls with Relovv’s most active members. They’re my inspiration for new ideas. We look at customer feedback and a ton of big data, all to discover ways to make it easier for them to buy, sell, and Relovv! Have there been any significant barriers to being a woman in the tech industry? More than 90% of venture capital money goes to male founders. Even less goes to women of color (which I am not). I think it’s just important to understand the realities. This has by far been the hardest part of scaling and I have definitely experienced biases here. Well, thank you so much for your time! Is there anything else you want to share with MODA Magazine? Follow me @sustainabae on Instagram and please do reach out via DM if you have any questions. Also, follow @relovv on Instagram and please join the app. Every member matters in the fight to #ReduceReuseRelovv and with the struggle to be a female-founder in the male-dominated venture capital world! Photos by: Her Campus
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Relovving Our World
and Your Wallet Sarah Peabody
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Chanel’s Autum Winter 2017 show in Paris. Photo Courtesy of Bertrand Rindoff Petroff.
SETTING UP FOR FAILURE
by Yeeqin New
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Alexander McQueen’s Spring/Summer 2001 show - Voss. Audience members are forced to stare at reflections of themselves in a mirrored glass cube at the center of the show until lights illuminate the inside revealing models. The interior of the box is starkly lit and padded to resemble a psychiatric cell. Some models walk with a jerking motion, while others graze their fingertips along the transparent walls, gazing longingly at the outside world where the audience sits. Eerily behaved “trapped” models walking along the brightly lit catwalk in juxtaposition to the hypnotic music pumping in the background elicit a feeling of discomfort and unease from the audience members. The models are more like actors in a work of performance art; they catalyse deep thought and consideration of the show’s meaning. Chanel’s Autumn/Winter 2017 exhibit also features an elaborate set: the Grand Palais in Paris is transformed into a space station. The center of the design stars a rocket ship surrounded by a circular pathway with metal rails, and the models walk through a maze of pathways around the centerpiece. The set itself looks very clean, sleek, and harsh, both juxtaposing and complementing the aesthetics of the clothing in the show. The collection features metallic shades, white accents, and sequins that bring themes of outer space and the galaxy to mind. The ending is perhaps the most extraordinary part of the show itself: as the models surround the stage for the final viewing, the spaceship in the middle of the set rises up into the air, emitting flames and smoke and creating a dramatic liftoff that leaves the space-themed show with a triumphant finish.
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tary. Today, however, the sets of fashion shows can become too overwhelming and transform them into a work of performance art, detracting attention from the actual collection. Elements of the show target the emotions of the audience rather than display the collection, and the feelings that result largely overshadow the admiration and critique of the collection itself; instead, viewers of the show are left thinking more about the actions of the models and the design of the set, thus leaving the collection in the back seat when it should be the star. As these two references suggest, these shows’ fame arises not from the collections they featured but from the elaborate sets involved. In the years since, they’ve been remembered for the context, not the clothes. At the point where fashion shows are identified for their set design and quality of background, the show becomes less about fashion and more about shock value and artistic consideration beyond the fashion house. This is when elaborate set designs cross the line and overshadow the fashion, becoming an inconvenience to the appreciation of the creative quality of the clothes themselves. These shows certainly have their merits, and are fascinating works of art to examine on their own, but these extravagant set designs and themes should not intersect with fashion shows. They become overwhelming and a distraction from the fashion, which is all that these shows are meant to be about.
These two shows exemplify runways that have moved beyond the clothing itself. Fashion shows throughout history have rarely been exclusively about the items of clothing; when they first became popularized in 1920’s New York, shows were often culturally themed and included narrative commen13
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lack capes and pentacles, tarot cards and live creeping plants, even broomsticks and conical hats – all of this can be found on the runway and in department stores. Healing crystals are now sold alongside skincare, perfumes list the metaphysical properties of their essential oils, and nearly every fashion magazine features detailed horoscopes. The season of the witch is upon the fashion world, and it has designers everywhere spellbound. Witchcraft-inspired fashion is nothing new. Designers have long been drawn to the the mysterious, feminist power of the witch. However, in the past decade, the runways have seen an
FASHION CAST Under a Spell
explosion of occult-inspired fashion shows. Dior, whose eponymous founder is said to have had his tarot cards read before every runway show, released two collections featuring tarot-inspired designs (Cruise 2018 and Spring/Summer 2017) and a third show featuring embroidered spiders, black high-collared dresses, and dangling necklaces. The Ashish Spring 2018 show featured models walking under disco lights wearing, among other witchy looks, a sequined top reading “Witch” and a collared frock that would do Wednesday Addams proud. In 2008, Luella sent a model wearing a conical black hat down the runway. The iconic witch hat returned in Ryan Lo’s fairytale-esque Spring 2019 show – along with actual broomsticks. The increase in witchcraft’s popularity isn’t merely an aesthetic one. The rise of occultism on the runway is mirrored by a rise of real-life witchcraft. Since the 2008 economic crash, more and more young people have identified as Pagan or Wiccan, and the internet is saturated with witchy communities and hashtags. Instead of midnight bonfires and brewing cauldrons, the 21st century wave of witches have online covens, Tumblr grimoires, emoji spells, and two million posts under the hashtag #witchesofinstagram. But it isn’t all Instagrammable altars and pentacle manicures – you can also find PDFs of medieval spellbooks, herbal recipes, handwritten curses, and demon-summoning guides. Even celebrities have jumped aboard the magic bandwagon. In February of 2017 Lana del Rey tweeted out a listing of the upcoming dates of the waning
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Dior Spring/ Summer 2017
Just as the craft itself has been updated for the modern era, so has the sartorial signature of the millennial witch. Instead of striped socks, she wears fishnets. Instead of warts, she wears holographic highlighter. Although the aesthetics of the witch have changed, the soul behind them has not; the eternal spirit of the witch is frightening, powerful, dark, mysterious, and above all, aggressively feminist. The witch is inextricably tied to womanhood, both as a misogynistic label to shut down women who step out of line, and a rebellious mantle proudly taken up by women who dare to speak up. It’s no wonder that in the hyper-masculine, hyper-sexist Trump era, young people might turn towards a culture so fiercely and powerfully grounded in womanhood. High fashion has empha-
article by Rosie Albrecht
Photos via (from left): Ryan Lo, Vogue, Dior
crescent moon and a cryptic message: “At the stroke of midnight… ingredients can b found online.” To her most devoted fans, the message was loud and clear: a call to join her in hexing Donald Trump. Later, she confirmed in an interview in an interview with NME that she did in fact cast a curse on the president of the United States. Appearing a few months later on her Lust for Life album cover in a bell-sleeved lace dress with flowers seeming to bloom from her hair, Lana definitely wouldn’t have looked out of place lighting candles or smoking incense by the light of the moon.
sized the relationship between witchcraft and female empowerment; in the Dior Spring/Summer 2017 show, delicately embroidered tarot-inspired dresses walked alongside t-shirts emblazoned with the slogan “WE SHOULD ALL BE FEMINISTS.” Besides the feminist power of witchcraft, many modern witches first turned to the craft as an escape from the artificial consumerism of late-stage capitalism. When everything is mass-produced and engineered for efficiency, the authenticity and mystery of old gods and candlelight rituals are more appealing than ever. Witchcraft also encourages an appreciation of nature, which is increasingly relevant as our planet slips further into a climate crisis. In Rodarte’s witchy and whimsical Spring/Summer 2018 show, models wore crowns and scarves woven from live baby’s breath flowers. In the heavily occult-inspired Preen by Thornton Bregazzi Spring 2017 show, models sported pentacles woven with embroidered flowers and flowing dresses that appeared to have been torn by heavy winds, revealing floral patterns painted on the models’ skin. In an era of white supremacy, global warming, violent sexism, and a laundry list of global horrors, it’s no wonder that so many are is turning to magical arts for control of their lives. Armed with star charts, smudging sticks, enchanted crystals, bottles of moon water, and the feminist fury of the generations of occultists who came before them, modern witches are here to raise hell.
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On Every Street Corner Article by Brinda Rao
“Where did you get that jacket?” It’s a question that we hear all the time. Whether in class or on the streets, our curiosity and admiration for bold looks are untamable. Daily wear offers people the ability to render the asphalt of pavements as the runways of fashion shows. In a world of mainstream brands and styles, street fashion is an effort to express individuality. Born from the Greaser movement of the 1950s, leather jackets and slicked back hair epitomized the singularity of the outsider. In contemporary times, patrons favor the effortless flair of boxy jackets and wide cut pants. It makes sense that this simple but chic look has grown more and more prominent. Fast fashion and accessible inspirations are only a phone screen away. With conventional outlets jumping on the street style bandwagon, it has lost its original 16 | MODA Magazine | Winter 2019
Photo: Adidas
trailblazing role. Ultimately, street fashion’s own popularity has prompted its downfall. Street style’s natural place is at the fringe of society, away from the mobocracy of high fashion. Through the decades, it evolved from the leather jackets of the 1950s to the denim bombers of the sixties. This avant-garde movement has been rooted within the bohemian population, giving way to grunge and hipster trends. However, the fashion industry is, while artistic, also economic. Its patrons follow the money, and in contemporary times this lies with the youth population. Clad in chunky shoes and bell-bottom jeans, teenagers use streetwear pieces to rebel against norms. Taking note of this was the first step in the rise of the fringe looks’ popularity. Over the past decade, this urban trend has found its way onto the runways of fashion week, leaving behind its place at the outskirts of society. Originally, street fashion embodied the individual’s effort to resist conventional trends by dressing boldly. However, after its infiltration into mainstream fashion, the minimalistic style now does the opposite. Labels like Nike and Adidas sprinkle their logos over sweatpants and sweatshirts, churning out profits by desecrating street style’s original purpose. This mainstream adoption might be indicative of a change in the consumers of these once edgy looks. Previously championed by people seeking to stand out, tearaway track pants and oversized sweatshirts are now favored by fashion conformists. This has led to street style’s gradual decline in popularity with its original audience. Mainstream fashion is a machine that runs a trend until it’s dead. The concept of “fast fashion” catalyzed street style’s prevalence. Brands are able to take designs from runways and bring them to stores within two weeks. This rapid progression has led to the watering down of trends through all avenues of the fashion world. Consumers are quickly overwhelmed by the plethora of brands all stocking the same handful of pieces. While this
might promote economic growth for brands, it drains the trend’s creative resource. Consumers are overexposed to the theme and quickly move on. Street style has become a victim of fast fashion. It is thrust onto runways every fashion week. The air of rebellion associated with tasseled tops and patch jeans has become one of conformity. While some might argue that platform sneakers and tube tops have had their full run in mainstream fashion, social media has revived its place in conventional fashion in recent years. Instagram models promote it and send their followers into a frenzy for streetwear that brands do not ignore. Nevertheless, this standard will not last. Eventually, those influencers will move on to new trends and leave the rebellious staples of urban fashion behind. Levis and Doc Martens once operated as the voice of those looking to defy standards and question the trends society accepted. However, once mainstream fashion noticed its success with youths, fringe fashion entered the spotlight. Brands each took their own spin on it, turning out line after line that watered down its value. Today, street style is slowly but surely declining out of high fashion as new trends find their way into its scope. This is not necessarily a bad thing: trends falling out of fashion often leads to their evolutionary growth into a new fashion movement. Ultimately, street style will find its way back to those who championed it because they are the ones who celebrated it regardless of its mainstream success.
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An Industry
Out Of Control Melanie Wang
Branding has become a profoundly important aspect of how people define themselves, and the resale of popular brands plays a large role in this imagebuilding process.
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t seems that every time the hype surrounding reselling clothing – well-known name brands in exclusive quantities, of course – starts to fade, it rockets up again a few months later. Teens and adults alike have made thousands of dollars in profit from partaking in the trade; these are the success stories that countless innocent hopefuls aspire to achieve. The resale market grows more and more popular as high-end exclusive brands and “hypebeast” apparel draw more attention from consumers. So, what is going on, and why do people care so much about it? Branding has become a profoundly important aspect of how people define themselves, and the resale of popular brands plays a large role in this image-building process. In today’s world, social media is the young generation’s go-to. People spend countless hours aimlessly wandering through the web of the Internet, stalking people they don’t know, reading random articles, and subconsciously absorbing a great deal of information. The resale of clothing has permeated social media, and has subsequently taken a comfortable seat in the minds of this younger generation. People seem to care more and more about brands and branding–both the designers they wear as well as the more general surrounding hype. There exists a delicate relationship between the popularity and image of a brand and how it adds to someone’s personal branding. This is where the rise of resale clothing comes
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into play; the bigger the brand, the bigger the hype, which leads to an increased desire to acquire these designers in any and every way possible. When there is demand, there will be supply, and thus born out of this collective desire was the art of reselling clothing. Sites like Grailed and Stockx have risen in popularity in recent years just as the rise of social media and branding have come to the forefront of modern popular culture. Hyped up brands know that their main appeal is the exclusivity and finite quantities of their products, and as a result, consumers are constantly scrambling to acquire their limited edition products. We won’t delve into the issues of burning unsold products that Gucci, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Burberry and others have been accused in their efforts to build exclusivity, but it’s worth noting the lengths these brands go to in order to do so. This has created a crazy culture where products sell out immediately after going live–think Supreme or Palace “drops”–and has resulted in a huge demand for the products, causing them to be resold at many times their original prices. Consumers can ‘bid’ on items, and depending on the popularity and image value of said piece, the seller can earn a significant profit margin. While this may seem foolish to some, others have fully bought into this process. Sellers do it for the money and for the experience, while most buyers - the social media and brand-oriented fanatics - do it for the image and
Fashion should be about how good you look and how good you feel, rather than how exclusively branded your clothing is and the lengths you took to obtain it.
the prestige. There do exist collectors of high fashion, streetwear, and exquisite exclusive pieces, but an increasingly large amount of the consumers that frequent Grailed, Stockx and the Real Real do so in a hunt to add to their social clout. It’s a winwin for the sellers, the buyers, and the brands themselves. The more exclusive the piece, the higher the profit for the resellers, the more repute lent to the buyers, and the more publicity lent to the brands. As the trend continues, this market has garnered an evergrowing amount of attention, and consequently become increasingly polarized. Those invested in the game–the buyers, sellers, and brands themselves–are passionate and adamant about the benefits of such an industry, if we can call it that. Yet, as it continues to grow, the business of reselling wears
perpetuates a culture of image and branding that detracts from the uniqueness of an individual’s personal brand; these “hypebeast” fads, fueled by resale, have created a new sort of brand that depends more on the exclusivity of the label than on the individuality of the consumer. In this increasingly digitized world, it’s important to take a step back and reflect; fashion should be about how good you look and how good you feel, rather than how exclusively branded your clothing is and the lengths you took to obtain it.
Photos by: Stockx, Grailed
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ROTTEN TO THE CORE 15 Article by Alexandra Fiorentino-Swinton
Publishing giant Conde Nast made waves in the September issue of Vogue after announcing it would not use models under the age of eighteen in its editorials “in recognition of the unique vulnerability of minors thrown into a career where they have little control and where abuse has been all too commonplace.” What does their stance mean for the future of the modeling industry?
Modeling has long been marketed towards young people. Vogue itself was a pioneer of the culture, jumpstarting Brooke Shields’ storied career when she graced its cover at the age of fourteen. Teens have been an ideal recruiting age because they more
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Fourteen-year-old Vlada Dayuba walks in one of her last shows. Photo courtesy of The Siberian Times.
often fit the limited size range that designers and magazines desire. The coveted “new faces” are often young, idealistic, impressionable girls that the industry then molds into the next generation of iconic models. Size standardization and the plethora of aspiring supermodels leads to a feeling of disposability––at any moment the next doe-eyed girl could replace you. The high-pressure conditions of modeling and the desperation they proliferate have led to an abundance of emotional and physical abuse in modeling. Certainly, the age limit is a long overdue necessity as underage models are often subjected to adult modeling practices such as excessively long and strenuous hours and extremely sexualized photoshoots. Fourteen-year-old Vlada Dzyuba died during Shanghai Fashion Week after a thirteen-hour shoot. The documentary Agency made by former teen model Meredith Wright chronicles a roster of underage model horror stories, such as a thirteen-year-old model whose parents were discouraged from coming abroad with her to shoots and was consequently left in an unsupervised apartment for weeks, a seventeen-year-old model who almost fell into a coma, and a fourteen-year-old who worked eighteen hours over a weekend and was forced to kiss a twenty-three-year-old man. There is little legislation on labor conditions for models, and minors are even less likely to know or assert their rights as workers. These feelings of disposability among models are heightened for young women as they yearn to find their place and value in the world, often seeking it in external validation. Though young models are at higher risk of
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abuse, predictably, there’s always more public outcry when it comes to the endangerment of minors in any arena. Nevertheless, these same stories and dangers apply to millions more adult models worldwide. Condé Nast’s age limit is seemingly an attempt to protect minors, but in an industry consistently labeled unhealthy for women, it reads more as an attempt to protect Condé Nast. In our #metoo culture, industries notorious for their toxicity towards women are under extreme scrutiny and, in many cases, they face both social and legal repercussions. From directors to politicians, predatory behaviors of all kinds are being socially persecuted. When minors are involved in such cases, these repercussions are far more threatening to a company. What will the underage ban do to change the culture beyond removing a portion of models from it altogether? What about behaviors ingrained in an entire industry - an industry where women are told their careers are a ticking time bomb, where legendary model Christy Turlington claims that “your worth is tied up with looks” and icon Kate Moss states “nothing tastes as good as skinny feels”? Where one of the top corporations openly admits that those in the industry have little control and commonly face abuse? Condé Nast’s age limit is a band-aid over the bullet wound of toxicity in modeling––an attempt to stop the symptoms and an unwillingness to cure the disease.
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E LU C I DAT I N G T H E
PURPOSE OF FASHION
A RT I C L E
BY
H A N N A H
ZH A N G
SHOWS
The steady pulse of a heart rate monitor echoes across a chain of operating rooms. Large lamps, scattered across the ceiling, illuminate surgical tables draped with teal fabric. The room deceives its audience; it looks like a real operating theater. The illusion shatters at the sound of a pulsing, ominous music. A procession of models enters the room in a trancelike state. Some have their faces covered with knitted balaclavas; others cradle replicas of their heads under their arms; one is even holding a baby dragon. This was the scene of Gucci’s A/W 2018 Frankenstein themed show, exhibited at Milan Fashion Week, a concept pioneered by the brand’s creative director Alessandro Michele. As Michele intended, the show was described as disturbing, creepy, sensational. He crafted a metaphor that illustrated the various ways people construct their identities. He compelled his audience to explore fashion’s role as a medium of self-expression, revealing the ways this art form enables us to defy and destroy the restrictions placed on our natural condition. According to Michele, he had been inspired by the feminist philosopher Donna Haraway’s 1984 essay “A Cyborg Manifesto: Science, Technology, and Socialist-Feminism in the Late Twentieth Century.” Our modern society has entirely redefined the function of fashion shows. While high fashion remains in the realm of modern luxury, the days of brands hosting secret viewings of new collections have long since passed. Today, designers seek to stage stunning, theatrical events for the whole world to enjoy. Fashion shows are no longer covert affairs, enjoyed by a handful of people, but public displays of art itself. Michele’s show was divisive, inciting an expansive range of reactions from the public. Many left confused, others were vehemently disturbed; a number of scathing reviews resulted in its branding as the year’s most criticized show. Defenders of Michele explained that the show’s meaning transcended the odd patterns and combinations of clothing that the models wore in an atypical setting. Michele resisted the norms of fashion weekthat demand designers exhibit their pieces on a traditional runway. As a result, Michele
Gucci’s A/W 2018 Frankenstein themed show, exhibited at Milan Fashion Week - a concept pioneered by the brand’s creative director Alessandro Michele. Photo by Marcus Tondo.
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glisten
garnered power in splitting from tradition and creating his own space. He used his show to catalyze a communal contemplation and reflection by transporting his audience into an operating theater. After all, the purpose of art is to evoke emotions in the viewer––whether this response is positive or negative depends entirely on one’s perspective and interpretation.
More than just works of art, however, fashion shows serve to solidify a brand’s aesthetic and identity. The pieces showcased in fashion shows are often deemed unwearable and outrageous; designers use this setting to epitomize their brand’s individuality in the most extreme manner. Fashion shows serve as a means of communication between designers and the public. For example, Tom Ford’s brand identity rests in glamour and sex appeal; on the runway, he turns up the volume. Nipples are exposed, blazers are worn with nothing but a bra underneath, and plunging necklines are sported by virtually all the models. On the other hand, Alexander Wang renders his fashion shows as parties. These showcases embody the cool, chic, nightlife-loving attitude of his clothes. And Chanel’s eccentric, magnificent shows, particularly the biannual shows at the Grand Palais in Paris, communicate the brand’s extravagance; they serve as a reminder to the rest of the world that the brand has the capacity to indulgence in luxury at a most spectacular level. Fashion shows act as the ultimate means of communication – not with buyers in particular but the world at large. A powerful way for designers to share their vision. For most consumers, however, all of this is a moot point. The story doesn’t matter––neither does the message or cultural significance of a show. Some might say that designers produce new collections to sustain and increase profits––the fashion show is simply an afterthought. To those critics, I can only say that a brand’s identity is not fabricated by sales––a brand exercises its voice in the free space that fashion shows provide. Here, creativity reigns; individuality materializes.
Chanel’s Autumn/Winter 2018/2019 haute couture show at the Grand Palais in Paris. Photo Courtesy of Chanel Press Office.
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A Closer Examination A
clothing collection. We take in this product of hundreds of hours of mental and physical work as it flows past us on a runway or hangs on a rack in a store, yet we rarely pause to think about how it came to be there. Australia’s Veronika Maine and New York City’s Lou Dallas differ in size, age, and audience: Veronika Maine is a mass-producing label that has existed for 50 years, while Lou Dallas is a small label that Raffaela Hanley – a self-taught designer who graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design’s painting program – has been producing from her Brooklyn apartment since 2013. Different as they are, Veronika Maine and Lou Dallas have almost identical overall processes for creating their collections. And this similarity is not unique to just these two brands. Regardless of creative differences, most of the globe’s designers follow the very same production process. Finding inspiration is the beginning of this path, as well as the first challenge designers face - it is impossible to fully plan when and where inspiration will strike. While Hanley and the design team at Veronica Maine look for their concepts in multiple media, they must also be open to obscure events that spark their creative spirit. Sketching is most designers’ next step, and Veronika Maine
Article by Elizabeth Winkler Photo: Veronika Maine 24 | MODA Magazine | Winter 2019
is no exception; the challenge here is the sheer volume of sketches the design team must produce. The designers sketch digitally and by hand, shaping concepts into clothing at a rate of over 100 styles per month – they must keep up with consumer demand. This is a challenge with which Hanley does not have to contend. Hanley does not sketch her creations at all, preferring her pieces to come to life organically – as a solo designer, she has this luxury. Hanley is also exempt from the collaboration and brainstorming required of larger labels’ design teams – they present their ideas to the brand director, and, collectively, the group decides which pieces will be part of the final collection. Although Hanley and Veronica Maine face different issues in the creative process, they utilize the same general steps to create their collections. Next, designers pick material based on the desired drape and flow of the pieces on the body, as well as how the fabrics work together. The collection must be cohesive. As if this weren’t enough of a challenge, many designers - including Hanley and the team at Veronika Maine - set goals about where their fabrics come from. Hanley emphasizes sustainability, constructing her collections out of donated and repurposed material, while Veronika Maine supports local Australian mills as much as possible. After meeting these goals and determining each piece’s fabric, the designers make a pattern and mock-up the design. At Veronika Maine, patterns are often outsourced, though they also have an in-house pattern-making team, while Hanley, as a smaller business, makes her own patterns. Despite their different sourcing, both brands then mock up the patterns using calico, enabling the designers to make alterations to proportion, lines, length, and fit based on what they imagine each piece will look like in the final fabric. Finally, the most public challenge of production must be surpassed. Larger brands like Veronika Maine use factories to produce their pieces, but they differ from other factory-produced brands by ensuring that their garments are ethically made. Though it does add an extra challenge, Veronica Maine gives priority to Australian factories,
looking for quality over speed and working with unions to give their employees the best working conditions they can. Hanley brings her collections to life in her home-studio, though she recognizes that this method of production challenges her ability to enter the mainstream fashion world. Thus, with the end of production, the physical collection is complete, with both Lou Dallas and Veronika Maine having brought a new clutch of clothing to fruition through the same steps, though perhaps different executions. It is only by understanding the complexity and longevity of this process that we can begin to appreciate the worth of the clothes we wear day-in, and day-out. And, given the wasteful attitude many have towards fashion, it’s about time that we sat up and saw the value of that which we often overlook.
Lou Dallas A/W 18 Photos: Lou Dallas 25
Photos by: WWD, Vanity Fair, Stella McCartney
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Is it a Man’s World? Cameron Kay
F
all, 2011: In an intimate show set in an empty Upper East Side townhouse, Victoria Beckham presents her latest collection. As each look, composed of various brightly colored dresses and wraps, is presented, ‘Posh Spice’ gives her own bit of commentary, a nod to the way designers crafted intimate shows in the 1940s. These narrations elicit chuckles from those in attendance and become the subject of mockery in many of the reviews that follow. Some reporters observe, however, that when Tom Ford made use of a similar idea for a show in the 1990s, he was lauded for his artistic style rather than laughed at. High fashion is a surprisingly exclusive boys’ club. Christian Dior, Giorgio Armani, Pierre Cardin, Karl Lagerfeld, Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Jacobs, et al. are just a small sampling of the men who have dominated the fashion industry from the top. Many male designers see themselves primarily as artists, a point that’s difficult to contest when you see the designs from Oscar de la Renta to Gianni Versace. However, clothing is meant to be worn as well as seen, and female designers have the unique perspective of being a part of the demographic that wears what they design. In this way, they are still artists, but they are also consumers, which places them in a distinct position within the industry. Coco Chanel’s rags-to-riches tale has been told ad nauseam, but one of the primary reasons she found success is that her designs, in a material as ‘common’ and inexpensive as jersey fabric, provided something that French upper-class women craved during the early 20th Century: comfort. Thus originated her maxim, “Luxury must be comfortable, otherwise it is not luxury.” Her styles were simple, stunning, and wearable. Women during this time saw her designs as refreshing and new, but more importantly, they saw them as liberation from the strict, rigid corsets that were so popular during the time. Contemporary designer Phoebe Philo, creator of the
French brand Celine, boasts a similar, though perhaps less dramatic story. In an interview with Vogue, she explains what her vision was when creating Celine: “I felt it was time for a more back-to-reality approach to fashion… For clothes that are beautiful, strong, and have ideas, but with real-life driving them.” Most critics would concur that she achieved what she set out to do. Her designs are beautiful, but remarkably wearable. Philo’s pieces do not just belong on the runway; they belong anywhere from the boardroom to a night out on the town. They are timeless and meant to be interwoven into women’s everyday lives, whatever that might curtail. This has been a focus of Stella McCartney’s as well. Given her parents, she was given every opportunity to break into the industry growing up, but she has since created a reputation of her own by designing clothes that women actually want to wear. She’s been quoted as saying: “It’s not about what it looks like in the studio or on the runway. It’s what it looks like on a real person that matters.” Again, her designs thrive on clean lines and simplicity, but that’s what makes them have such great influence: those are the designs that can dictate what trickles down into the department — Phoebe Philo stores, and can influence the everyday fashion of an era. In recent years, brands like MM.LaFleur and Of Mercer have begun to revolutionize women’s professional wear, boasting that they cater for the women who “hate to shop”. They aim for simplicity and comfort in their styles, while trying to keep the prices low. The emphasis on this minimalism and practicality seems to come in tandem with lines created for and by women. While the majority of the top designers remain male, and many of them do create deeply beautiful garments, there is still a void which much-needed female-founded brands fill: clothes that women truly want to wear. These designers have created classic styles that do more than make a splashy show on the runway during Paris Fashion Week. These are the styles that can be worn throughout a woman’s life. At their wedding, yes, but also out on the street with a briefcase in one hand and
“I felt it was time for a more back-to-reality approach to fashion… For clothes that are beautiful, strong, and have ideas, but with real-life driving them.”
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WOM
empowering women one stitch at a
While the fashion industry definitely has the potential for harm—as seen in the 2013 Rana Plaza collapse, the deadliest clothing factory accident in history—there are still a plethora of opportunities for positive impacts in fashion. The textile industry has been used recently as a pathway for women in developing countries to obtain ‘empowerment.’ In the current social climate, it is easy to slap that word on an idea without questioning whether it truly is empowering the people involved. Although women in developing countries may be provided with job opportunities in the fashion sector, it is important to determine whether the manner in which they are presented with these opportunities is empowering and if these jobs actually have the capacity to empower them. For women to truly garner power through fashion, it is necessary for the opportunities presented to them to have women and their specific situations in mind. Africa is making big strides to support the women and youth of the continent towards economic autonomy through careers in fashion. The textile and apparel industry is the second largest industry in developing countries, after agriculture. Furthermore, most of the women in the African workforce are in the fashion sector. The labor-intensive nature of the textile sector attracts women and the young, because they have the ability to enter this field as an unskilled worker and transition to a skilled worker 28 | MODA Magazine | Winter 2019
after gaining experience.
The African Development Bank, AfDB, a developmental finance institution, has declared its concentration on the support of expanding small and medium-sized fashion businesses throughout Africa. The AfDB values assisting local, small businesses and young entrepreneurs in their endeavors because they believe that this is integral in establishing a lasting infrastructure for the fashion sector in Africa. They understand the need for true female empowerment through education and guidance, eventually fundamentally expanding the role of women in African society. The AfDB understands how women can be empowered through fashion, and has founded an initiative called Fashionomics, which can be used as a model of what empowerment initiatives should look like. Fashionomics’ was created in May 2015 with the goal of empowering women and youth workers by providing them with resources and education that will allow them to expand their businesses. Local businesses in Africa generate nearly 80% of employ-
MEN
a time article by isabella hernandez ment in the region. However, these local businesses still need financial assistance and business expertise to become an established company. By assisting these women that own or work for apparel businesses, Fashionomics offers these companies the ability to expand and offer more jobs to the women and youths of the continent. And the initiative doesn’t stop there. Ecomigrant of the need for increased sustainability in the industry, Fashionomics’ High5 Agenda showcases their priority of being an eco-friendly initiative. It includes the use of sustainable energy, the integration of African goods into the global supply chain, the local farming of cotton, and the utilization and support of the potential and
O Am od el w al k
n si
mics’ 2017 sho ono w shi . Ph Fa ot o
skills of the African people. The AfDB’s Fashionomics initiative is truly focused on the empowerment of women and does what is necessary to ensure opportunities to liberate women from their traditional roles by giving them jobs as well as an education. This initiative does not force women into predetermined roles in the fashion industry. In fact, Fashionomics supports women entrepreneurs and workers that are already in this field, so that they are able to reach their full potential. Because Fashionomics is focused on educating, hiring, and backing women, these women will then have the autonomy to finance their children’s schooling, which will provide their children with more opportunities to become skilled workers. The Fashionomics initiative is an example of a program which deserves to be called empowering. Like Fashionomics, for an initiative to be empowering, it must take into consideration the situation of women in developing countries, and do more than just provide jobs. An initiative must go above and beyond, educating and supporting women as they navigate financial independence and self-sustainability.
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y of tes ur Co
Fashionomics.
TAKE BACK t i u S e th
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E
very day, women are pressured to look and act a certain way. In society, the highest outfit of professionalism is the suit. For many men, it’s a standard. Women have the choice in their formal outfits to wear slight variations of the ‘suit’, such as a dress, a skirt suit, or a pantsuit. But even these variations come with restrictions. It underlines society’s demands of professional clothing for women. Why is there pressure for women to dress in the male-centric costume in order to be taken seriously? Historically, women were not seen to be on the same playing field as men. Women didn’t work, so there was no need for them to dress practically. Instead, men wore suits and women wore dresses. During World War I, however, women were needed to fill the job positions left by men who enlisted in the war. This is when women’s trousers came onto the scene. Pants allowed them to move about freely and work more efficiently. During that time, trousers represented an even playing field between the clothing of men and women. They enabled the two sexes to complete the same work equally efficiently as the other. During the first suffrage movement, when suffragettes were advocating for women’s right to vote, they sewed pockets into their dresses as a way to assert independence from the male sex. Women no longer had to rely on purses or men to carry their things around. They were not concerned with the idea of professionalism, but with advocating for the rights and independence of women separate from the previ-
ous dependence on men. The pockets represented their individuality and their attempt to gain equal civil rights as men. For women in the fashion industry, wearing a suit is a power move. The suit represents a minimalistic, quiet way of evoking strength. Victoria Beckham is a strong believer in the suit. Veering away from the black minidresses of her Spice Girl past, the designer chooses suits that complement her and show off her strength. Paired with her signature glasses and soft smile, Beckham looks like a force of nature. Which she is. The minimalistic suits Beckham chooses demonstrate that she is no longer the young girl of her past, pop icons of the 90s singing with her friends. She is instead a strong mother and a powerful businesswoman, having created a very successful fashion line. By making the suit her uniform, Beckham reclaims the idea that women’s suits should have to look a certain way in order the person to be taken seriously. However, Victoria Beckham is just one example of women designers in the fashion industry. At the end of every runway show, designers appear from backstage for a little bow as the audience applauds. Women designers will typically be a little dressed up whether that be in suits, dresses or other nice clothing. Although some designers such as Karl Lagerfeld and Michael Kors appear wearing suits of some sort, male designers can be more relaxed in their outfits. For example, Alexander Wang will typically run out at the end wearing a black t-shirt and black jeans. Wang in his casual outfit is taken just as seriously as Beckham is in her sleek suit. The contrast goes to show the disparity in professional clothing in the fashion industry still exists despite women owning the suit trend once again. In politics, men wear suits to give off an air of professionality. It is rare to catch a politician not in a suit. Women in politics are also expected to wear suits during their terms. In 2016, Hillary Clinton chose to wear the pantsuit as her uniform during her campaign for the presidency. She was never seen in public not wearing one. On one hand, choosing the pantsuit as her uniform demonstrated a level of professionalism and displayed to the public her strength in taking control of a predominately male uniform, especially in a generally male-dominated field. On the other hand, Clinton was still playing by the male-dictated rules of professional clothing.
Article by Andrea Li Photos by (from left): Marie Claire Korea, Caleb & Gladys
Women wear pantsuits to differentiate themselves and display professionalism in the workplace. They choose to wear the feminine version of the male uniform to place themselves on equal standing in work sectors that are predominately male. But it’s problematic to associate the suit as the ultimate symbol of professionalism because it automatically places restrictions on women in their choices of clothing compared to men, who are often much more lenient in their option for suits. The question of why women are pressured to wear much nicer professional clothing, such as the suits that act as their uniform in male-centric fields, is still not fully answered. Until women and men have the same freedom and leniency in their clothing choices in the professional world, the suit will always be a contentious symbol of professionalism between men and women.
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sub rosa
Models: Reo Kimora, Livia Miller, Gabrielle Smith & Olivia Vizzini Photos: Julia Rose Camus Makeup: Hannah Burnstein & Dani O’Connell Shot at the Sophy Hotel
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FIELD DAY Models: Daniel Byeon, Amelia Frank & Elizabeth Winkler Photos: Daniel Chae Clothing: Luxury Garage Sale Shot at the Field Museum
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Models: Hunter Hidalgo, Ethan MacCumber, Lily Min Ren & Malavika Rajagopal Photos: Natalia Rodriguez Clothing: Wendy Xiao
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in full color
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