SHIFT Magazine // Vol. 3 Iss. 2

SHIFT STATEMENT

SHEI MAGAZINE’s Monthly Digital Mini | Volume 3 Issue 2 | OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2016

SHIFT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Aaron Pelo

IN THIS ISSUE

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Courtney Evans FEATURES EDITORS PRINT Lauren Guldan DIGITAL Alexander Rakestraw FASHION EDITORS PRINT Mackenie Kimball Hannah Wasserman DIGITAL Audrey Klomparens DESIGN EDITORS PRINT Morgan Lovay Xinyi Liu DIGITAL Haley Fox PHOTO EDITORS PRINT Shannon Maiers Becca Rudman DIGITAL Brian Beckwith VIDEO EDITOR Maggie McMillin DIGITAL CONTENT DIRECTOR Regan Anderson

PUBLISHER Kassie Wallace

02. masthead 04. contributors 06. from the desk of the editor-in-chief

08. progress, misstated: fashion’s conflict with androgny 10. unnamed shoot 14. mods, rockers, & the bank holiday mayhem

When statement meant conflict; a rememberance of British subcultures in the 1950s.

ACCOUNTS DIRECTOR Colleen Natzke MARKETING DIRECTOR Maddy Moog ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Hali Levandoski DISTRIBUTION COORDINATOR Amber Lam FINANCE COORDINATOR Lauren Ayers EVENTS COORDINATOR Maggie O’Connor OUTREACH COORDINATOR Carly Dineen-Griffin SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR Sylvia Sankaran

Our mission is to inform, inspire and engage deeply with the University of Michigan ca provide a marketable media platform for students to push the boundaries of what has

Index | Volume 3 Issue 1

18. the proclaimer 20. the team the brand the impact

22. pins, patches, and how to stick the trend 28. cult of personality

ampus community at the intersection of student and professional life within the fashion industry. SHIFT is intended to s traditionally been possible within print without compromising the level of quality associated with the SHEI brand.

SHIFT

october/november contributors

FASHION Rishita Ghosh Harsha Kishore Cat Marchenko Annie Nie Elena Odulak Charlotte Pickard Alexandra Plosch Jamie Schneider FEATURES Pheobe Danaher Kai Mason

FASHION Molly Shulan Cam Starwalt Kristin Swad Maddie Thomas-Little Alana Valko Liv Velarde Jessica Vu Carly Wilson FEATURES Derin Ozen Natalie Sochaki

PHOTO Benjamin Bear Baishu Cui Elden Maynard

PHOTO Tina Yu Stone Zhang Kevin Zheng

VIDEO Paige Wilson

VIDEO Paige Wilson

DESIGN Aliya Falk Julia Margalit

DESIGN Emma Patterson Jordan Turkomani

MODELS Antara Afrin Sarah Agnone Taylor Carpenter MAKEUP ARTIST Tina Yu

MODELS Alexa Deford Gabrielle Fabre Luz Navarro

MASTER OF ARTS IN MASTER OF ARTS IN NEW ARTS JOURNALISM MASTER OF IN NEW ARTS ARTS JOURNALISM NEW ARTS JOURNALISM

The Master of Arts in New Arts Journalism program prepares students for the multitasking demands of contemporary cultural journalism, where text and image are intertwined The Master of Arts in New Arts Journalism program prepares students for the multitasking and journalists are often the initial writers, designers, and editors of their work.

demands of contemporary cultural journalism, where text and image are intertwined

Students construct reviews, essays, interviews and feature stories, and for examine The of Arts in New Arts Journalism program prepares students multitasking andMaster journalists are often the initial writers, designers, and editors of the their work. the contexts of investigative reporting, the opinion piece, documentary, critical demands of contemporary cultural journalism, where text and image areand intertwined Students reviews, essays, interviews feature stories, examine essay.

Theyconstruct design blogs, and examineand how web communication, and journalists are websites often the and initial writers, designers, and editors of theirand work. print, photography, and video design principles impact journalism today. the contexts of investigative reporting, the opinion piece, documentary, and critical Students construct essays, interviews feature stories, examine essay. They designreviews, websites and blogs, and and examine how web and communication, Students participate in at least one internship and write a concluding thesis that may take the contexts of investigative reporting, opinion piece, documentary, and critical print, photography, andzine, video designthe principles impact journalism today. the form of a publication, investigative piece, an extended narrative, or original research. essay. They design websites and blogs, and examine how web communication, print, photography, and design impact journalism today. thesis that may take Students participate invideo at least oneprinciples internship and write a concluding

the form of a publication, zine, investigative piece, an extended narrative, or original research.

Students participate in at least one internship and write a concluding thesis that may take APPLY

BY FEBRUARY 1 the form of a publication, zine, investigative piece, an extended narrative, or original research. saic.edu/gradapp APPLY BY FEBRUARY 1 APPLY

BY FEBRUARY 1 saic.edu/gradapp saic.edu/gradapp GRADUATE ADMISSIONS

800.232.7242 | 312.629.6100 gradmiss@saic.edu GRADUATE ADMISSIONS GRADUATE ADMISSIONS 800.232.7242 | 312.629.6100 800.232.7242 | 312.629.6100 gradmiss@saic.edu gradmiss@saic.edu

STATEMENT

conversation with conviciton; motion with meaning

written by Aaron Pelo photographed by Tina Yu

Letter from the Editor | Volume 3 Issue 1

T

h i s m o n t h we l oo ked at h o w f ashion h e l p s u s ma ke sta tements, whet her t h ey a re person a l or po l i ti cal. We id e n t i fi ed h o w a nd ro g y ny often shows a p re fe ren c e f o r th e ma scul i n e, and w or ked to wa rd s a n e w d efi n i ti on o f trul y gender n e u t r al c l o t h i n g .

We e x p l o re d p o l i ti ca l p o l a ri z a t ion in B r it a i n t h ro u g h th e aestheti cs of the Mod an d t h e R o c kers scenes, a n d ex amined wh at t h e U n i versi ty o f Mi chi gan at hlet ic d e p a r t men t ’s $ 1 6 9 mi l l i o n co n tra ct wit h N ike mea n s i n the g rea ter con t ext of at h le t i c fa sh i on. As you fl i p th rough t he

pages you’ll see an at t ent ion p aid to st at ement pieces, whet her it ’s a f lo ral shawl or a pair of black skinny j e an s w ith a gold arabesque design.

We’re also gear ing up f or th e c o ld season wit h a shoot all about s tate m e n t out er wear. Just because t he w e ath e r is get t ing bleak doesn’t mean your w ard ro b e has to. We hope you enjoy t his is s u e an d we encourage our readers to t h in k ab o u t how t hey make t heir own state m e n ts simply by get t ing dressed f or t he d ay.

SHIFT with us.

Progress, Misstated:

Fashion’s Conflict with Androgyny

W

hen you think of androgynous clothing, what comes to mind? If you’re like Google Images and most Americans, you probably think of some kind of menswear-inspired piece styled on a female or feminine body. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with this classic style of androgynous outfit. We always need an archetype.

However, there has to be more to androgyny than this one hyper-prevalent image of it.

The reason behind this myopia is as obvious as it is frustrating: by and large, the fashion industry operates with a narrow if traditional idea of what it is to be androgynous. Because human civilization developed using the word “man” to mean “person,” our world operates with a biased idea of gender defaults. While no reasonable person could say that there is no such thing as the “normal” gender binary, Western society still treats masculinity as normative, meaning femininity is a deviation rather an equally-valid expression.

As a result, when we consider “androgyny,” a term that denotes a combination of masculine and feminine elements that form a whole, the balance becomes tipped in favor of including

more masculine parts and fewer feminine parts.

This imbalance is why a gender-neutral outfit or fashion line usually includes more masculinecoded pieces of clothing. Pants, for example, are seen as having no gender, because they are the basis for masculine clothing in the Western world. Historically, women wearing menswear or masculine-coded clothing has been associated with a fight for equality. Think the 1980’s power suit or most of Hillary Clinton’s wardrobe. Skirts and dresses, on the other hand, are seen as being so tied to femininity that in European and American culture, men wearing skirts hasn’t been in vogue since the Renaissance. This old dynamic of gender presentation continues to affect clothing today, and as a result, what we think of as genderless clothing is anything but an even split between masculinity and femininity.

So, when clothing companies are creating gender-neutral lines, they often fall into the same trap that ZARA did earlier this year. They take drab-colored clothing that looks like especially baggy menswear, and they model it on a skinny man and a skinny woman. Bam! Androgyny. The

t-shirt, originally a menswear item, and the trouser, which has a longer history but is now still coded as masculine, have the focus, while any feminine clothing, like a dress or even a fitted garment, is excluded. Maybe this failure can spawn a test: If the pieces are essentially men’s clothing modeled on models of multiple genders, it’s still menswear.

So progressive.

This approach is lazy, faux-edgy, and perhaps even insulting. Are the curves of breasts and hips so irrevocably feminine that they have to be covered up? Why must they be disguised by baggy, shapeless clothing that merely mimics the dressing strategy followed in men’s clothing?

This clothing being marketed as androgynous disappoints potential consumers because we are part of a culture currently engaged in a conversation about what gender, and the expression of it, really means. When companies like ZARA release a line that is nothing but a repackaging of old ideas about gender, they aren’t driving any part of the

discussion we want to have. They say “genderneutral” but mean “masculine.” While these initial forays into androgynous clothing represent a step in the right direction for inclusive fashion, they are but a stepping stone towards positive change.

Especially now, with the unprecedented power that independent designers have, androgynous style appears poised for a breakout.

There’s not a straight solution to this highlynuanced problem. However, as history shows, there is one course of action that reliably promotes real change: consumers voting with their wallets. By investing in brands like Tilly and William, NotEqual, and Nicopanda who promote more diverse kinds of gender-neutral clothes and encouraging designers who champion androgyny as more than just a trend, the world at large can build the conversation. Only then will we figure out what it means to wear gender-neutral clothes in our changing world.

written by Phoebe Danaher layout by Jordan Turkomani

OUR LADY OF THE FLOWERS

DIRECTORS Annie Nie Madeline Pierpont STYLISTS Harsha Kishore Jamie Schneider Kristin Swad Maddie Thomas-Little Alana Valko PHOTOGRAPHER Kevin Sheng VIDEOGRAPHER Paige Wilson MODEL Antara Afrin

When Statement Meant Conflict

Mods, Rockers, and the

Bank Holiday Mayhem

written by Derin Ozen layout by Aliya Falk

L

ast June, the UK experienced one of the greatest shocks in its history by leaving the European Union. Society was polarized: young voters wanted to remain in the EU, while older generations appeared set to leave and never look back. Over the course of the summer, rallies choked the streets, public anxiety gripped the nation, and a political figure was even tragically murdered. To many, the United Kingdom seemed more divided than ever. However, such social conflict was wasn’t unprecedented. Fifty years ago, in the throes of the Swingin’ 60’s, the streets of London once again full of opposing parties whose destinies seemed irrevocably at odds: the Mods and the Rockers.

Before introducing these two warring parties, one must understand the society that created them. The emergence of these two opposing movements was a result of the booming postwar British economy. Wartime austerity measures officially repealed, economic demand hit an alltime high, creating unprecedented opportunity for working and middle class young people. In the early 60’s, even a modest paycheck meant a young person’s first taste of financial liberation

from their parents. In addition, thanks to the expansion of global trade, British society was gradually liberalizing: gone was the Churchill-era conservatism, replaced by a potently untraditional blend of European and American modernism.

To top it all off, the end of conscription with the abolition of the National Service in 1960 liberated young men from the obligation to live the same life as their GI-generation parents. Both freed and enriched, the youth of Britain were eager to make a statement in their brave new world. While this post-war generation had a lot in common, one central question divided them: were you a Mod, or were you a Rocker?

The Mod (or “Modernist”) movement started in and around South England in the late 1950’s.

Mods wore stylish suits and listened to “modern” jazz by the likes of Miles Davis and Charlie Parker.

Mod cliques prided themselves on appearing neat, sharp, hip and smart – essentially, like wealthy global jet-setters. Although many teenage Mods weren’t considered “upper class,” they spent what money they had on stylish luxury items like Vespa scooters, Italian clothing, and hard-to-find imported music. Mod cliques often congregated

around “coffee bars” (ballrooms) where they could dance “all day and all of the night” fueled with, then legal, prescription amphetamines.

While every aspect of their culture oozed style, the Mods were especially avid followers of fashion.

Favorite Mod brands included Gibson overcoats and Hathaway shirts, both favorites of musicians the Mods idolized. However, as long as something looked novel, it had the opportunity of becoming an overnight sensation in the Mod world. A newly imported coat could become a fashion trend; an accidental misstep on the dance floor could create a new dance style; a new shop on Saville Row could become a Mod temple. The message was clear: if it was novel, stylish, and consumable, it was for Mods. Just as importantly: it wasn’t for Rockers.

The Rockers (also known as “Café Racers” or “Ton-Up Boys”) represented almost everything that the Mods were opposed to. Contrary to popular belief, the name “Rocker” didn’t come from their musical tastes. Instead, the group took its name from the “rocker” arm of a motorcycle engine. You can probably guess where this is going.

Rockers were heavily influenced by “outlaw” movies like “Rebel Without a Cause” and “The Wild One.” Both films featured young, rebellious troublemakers with denim jeans, tough attitudes, and most importantly of all, motorcycles. While Mods flocked to jazz, Rockers listened to the emerging genre of American Rock ‘n’ Roll, favoring artists like Gene Vincent, Elvis Presley, and Eddie Cochran. While they were on paper less “modern” than the Mods, Rockers remained open to the new

post-war identity Britain was forging. In many ways, Rockers represented a contemporary expression of Victorian social culture. Traditional notions of male machismo were very common among Rockers, and while it may seem paradoxical, many women in turn identified as part of this highoctane social group, motorcycles and all.

While Mods leaned towards scooters, the “Wild One” Rockers were all about their bikes. Many customized their rides, chopping as much weight as possible to create superlight (and superfast) “Café Racers,” so called since Rockers usually raced each between cafes as a form of social competition. A typical leisure activity for young British Rockers involved meeting up, finding long stretch, and racing to beat one another to 100 MPH first.

Since the Rockers spent most of their lives on top of their bikes, their clothes and accessories were built around the harsh conditions of racing.

Italian suits simply wouldn’t last ten minutes on a Café Racer. As a result, Rockers favored selvedge denim jeans, thick leather boots, and most importantly of all, heavy-duty leather jackets.

While many Rockers appeared to favor identical black moto jackets, there was actually a deep customization subculture built around making these jackets as different as possible. Popular adornments included patches, badges and even studs. 30 years before reflective tape, metal studs were as functional as they were intimidating: polished studs served as reflectors, alerting drivers that Rockers were around, even on pitch black backroads. Although both Metal music and

the Hell’s Angels biker gang were yet to emerge, the subversive Rockers of post-war Britain are credited with influencing both.

Now that we know who’s who, let’s talk about the relationship between these two groups. At first, Mods and Rockers refrained from engaging one another. Yes, there were occasional fists thrown and curses yelled, but it never exceed the fan section of a Chelsea-Arsenal match. The main reason behind the tensions between the groups was that, the Mods hated the Rockers’ crude conception of masculinity, and the Rockers thought that the obsession of Mods’ with fashion was effeminate. As tensions grew, members of these groups began travelling together and carrying small weapons, like bike chains and switchblades. Although it may seem hard to picture armed teenagers in Italian suits, paradoxically, the Mods were the more aggressive of the two. Turns out “A Clockwork Orange” wasn’t far off.

However, it wasn’t long before these occasional skirmishes boiled over. Tensions between the groups came to a head during the “Bank Holiday” weekend (think Memorial Day) of May 1964. As proper Londoners, many Mods and Rockers alike travelled to the same popular seaside resort towns like Clacton, Brighton and Bournemouth. Instead of relaxing on the beach, the groups began openly fighting each other for the first time. Some say the initial brawls started out of pure boredom – you could either sleep in the sun, or start a fist fight. Hard choice for some. Minor brawls sparked between the two groups which accumulated all the way to all-out riotous fights on the streets and

the beaches. The infamous Brighton Riots were the worst of them all, with violence in the streets lasting nearly two full days.

As you may imagine, the media had a field day after these events. Both Mods and Rockers were demonized, dubbed “folk devils” by the press and television news alike. Mods were especially prime targets, since they opposed “traditional” British notions more explicitly than the seeminglyprovincial Rockers. Mods were also deemed more dangerous and unpredictable, since their clothes and mannerisms projected affluence, confusing locals as to why wealthy teenagers would engage in such criminal activity. When the dust finally settled post-Mayhem, many members of both groups were in either hospital beds or jail cells.

For both Mods and Rockers, the party was over – many became disillusioned and actually retired their bikes and clothes after realizing the damage their tribal subcultures could do to society at large.

Ironically, this outburst was not the end for these movements. Thanks to the media coverage of the Mayhem, Mods and Rockers became the dominant mainstream youth trends in Britain for the remainder of the 1960’s. As it turns out, millions far outside London related to the statements both cultures were making, propelling the movements to new heights. Yet, as with everything that becomes mainstream, the Mod and the Rocker subcultures soon lost their cool as many popular figures – especially musicians – appropriated each culture’s look to sell their audiences on their “coolness.” Even through Mayhem, the right statement comes through loud and clear.

THE PROCLAIMER DIRECTOR Elena Odulak STYLISTS Molly Shulan Liv Verlarde Jessica Vu Carly Wilson PHOTOGRAPHERS Baishu Cui Elden Maynard Tina Yu MODELS Sarah Agnone Gabrielle Fabre

THE

TEAM

THE

BRAND

THE

O

n the night of August 1st, 2016, downtown Ann Arbor ground to a halt. Traffic was routed around State Street. DJ’s blared music.

A crowd of thousands gathered. The Michigan Marching Band even made an appearance. Finally, just before midnight, a sole figure took the stand for a crowd-rousing speech. It was a scene straight from the campaign trail. The reason for it, for all of it—the celebration, the DJ, the shut down of a street—was not because of a big school victory, or a political rally, or a citywide festival. On the night of August 1st, 2016, the University of Michigan officially began its Nike sponsorship. It was a homecoming party for a clothing brand.

For a staggering $169 million – a little over $11 million annually over 15 years—The University of Michigan and Nike entered into one of the richest apparel deals in collegiate athletics. It’s a staggering amount of money, but in the realm of collegiate sponsorships, this number isn’t out of the ordinary. Other collegiate athletic programs and the athletic clothing giant have entered into similar agreements: Ohio State collects $16.8 million from the Swoosh every year annually, with the University of Texas not far behind at $16.6 million. However, far more than money is exchanged in these deals.

Every time a college signs an apparel deal, a statement is made. Collegiate sponsorships are

I M PAC T.

symbiotic relationships where fashion, sports, and status all merge in a way that has never been done before.

When a collegiate athletic program signs with a new sponsor, it’s a feeding frenzy for the school and its fans alike. Streets are shut down; social media is flooded with speculation over gear; and fans, most of the time, experience a rush of excitement, of pride. Not only do new sponsorships let fans redo their wardrobes with novel and trendy athletic clothing, but the very presence of a new top-dollar contract also makes a statement about their team’s worth.

In the realm of collegiate sponsorship, perhaps no brand is considered more worthy than Nike. The Portland-based sportswear giant is considered by many as the world leader in athletic apparel, consistently producing gear more innovative andaesthetically-pleasing than either of its two main competitors, Under Armor and Adidas.

Within college sports especially, the Swoosh – that simple, distinctive, high-contrast logo - stands for cutting-edge performance.

Yet, it is not merely the promise of new uniforms that makes brand sponsorships so thrilling; there is something much bigger on the line than hightech gear. When a college program partners with the leading athletic brand, status is conferred.

If a team can get a large contract with Nike, it suggests that the team has talent, a supportive fan base, and most importantly, a bright future. In short, a contract with the Swoosh says that the team is good. Not just good, either – but, good and in good company.

Statistics show that teams with Nike tend to down right be better. In 2015, Nike sponsored 61.7% of all college football teams (the highest of any brand). 20 of those teams were ranked in the preseason top 25 poll. What’s more: Nike-sponsored teams have won 15 of the last 17 FBS National Champions, and 11 of the last 17 FCS National Champions. With this history of excellence integral to the brand’s DNA, an environment is created where a single sponsorship can makes a profound statement about a team before they even take the field.

But it’s not just the team and the college program that receives benefits from these sponsorships.

While the reputation of the college program is enhanced, the brand gains recognition, a larger and dedicated consumer base, and is able to make a much larger mark on the athletic fashion world even outside just college apparel. Nike’s revenue has increased steadily over the last few years, from $20 billion in 2011 to $32 billion, vastly outperforming its competitors. This emphasis on

entering collegiate markets has also positioned Nike to enter the fashion scene in a way that no other athletic apparel brand has before. Thanks to the power of its brand and the recent athleisure trend, Nike performance gear is now sold as part of everyday fashion, not just to be worn during a workout or athletic match. When taken all together, it just shows how these huge contracts add up to more than just a contract with a single college program.

Every year, it seems as though larger and larger contracts are being drawn up between collegiate programs and big athletic clothing brands, especially Nike. With each new sponsorship comes news coverage, social media posts, and even traffic-stopping release parties to indulge diehards and spectators alike. And while fans revel in the new gear, the college program can see its status as an athletic program rise, and the brand gains unfettered access to trend-driven college markets. These deals merge often-opposite worlds – fashion and sports – into something wholly new: a statement.

written by Natalie Sochaki layout by Emma Patterson

Pins, Patches, & How to Stick the Trend.

B

rowsing this season’s online catalog at ZARA, it is easy for even the least fashionablyinclined to spot the trend. Through rows and rows of clothing items and accessories, the thread that connects them all is obvious: this season is about the embellishments.

For now, even the simplest of pieces find themselves spruced up with patches, pins, or embroidery marked by their eccentricity: bright colors, bold words, and unconventional images.

Of the countless jackets on offer for Fall/Winter 2016, one of the standouts is a denim number adorned with red and white strips of mysterious messages in an uppercase text: “NO IDEA,” “WILL BE SERIOUS,” “BOSSY BOOTS,” they read. Another jean jacket is decorated in a similar style, except this time with an increasingly incongruous hodgepodge of studs, script, and embroidered patches reminiscent of the verbs and the visuals of Jean-Michael Basquiat’s art. A puffed-up camouflage coat looks like a simple piece, just edgy enough until you see the back, plastered with the term “WHATEVER” in an enormous white uppercase font spanning its whole width.

Finally, a pair of high-waisted, dark denim trousers is embroidered with brilliant bursts of joyous flowers, evocative of the pants worn back in the uncomplicated days of the early 2000s.

It’s not as if this thing for embellishment is sudden, or unanticipated—it is anything but. At last fall’s Au Jour Le Jour show during Milan Fashion Week, where models sported otherwise ordinary looks decorated with impactful appliqué.

While most of these bore the letters AJLJ, others bore words and images (seemingly symbols), spread meaningfully across the front. Likewise, the recent seasons’ collections by Raf Simons and Virgil Abloh (through his iconic label Off-White) display similar styles. Preppy patches adorn Raf’s characteristic saggy sweaters Simons, while more modern, graphical patches line the black biker jackets and hoodies at Off-White. The latter brand’s upcoming Resort 2017 collection features perhaps the most interesting “custom” piece of them all: a structured, baby-blue pinstripe blouse that reads “WOMAN” across the front in large letters.

What sets this kind of embellishment apart

from the traditional print or pattern is the fact that physical combination evokes the impression of physical effort, and therefore meaning. Whereas print and pattern are simply part of a fabric’s design, pins and patches are automatically associated with making a statement.

Considering their history, it’s no wonder the fashion world associates adornments with selfexpression: individuals have broadcast their opinions with such emblematic embellishments for centuries. Perhaps one of the most obvious examples of this kind of representation is the political campaign button. While the history of campaign buttons can be traced back as far as George Washington’s presidency in 1789, the first widespread use of buttons as promotion is typically linked to the 1896 election between William McKinley and William Jennings-Bryan. In the centuries since, the concept of the tangible, wearable statement has remained an important part of nearly every election, from “I Like Ike” to Shephard Fairy’s iconic “Hope” t-shirts that promoted Barack Obama’s first presidential campaign just 8 years ago. Now, in the year of perhaps the most extreme election in modern American history, people have again turned to embellishments like pins, patches, and stickers to be their voice.

Yet, between election years, the business of personalization thrives. Recently, pins and patches have gained a second life in the fashion community, stoked by retailers like Urban Outfitters (which has an entire section devoted to the two items) and specialty shops like Pintrill, which fills a niche by producing only those particular products. Additionally, it is hard not to notice that for the last few years, students everywhere have been plastering the surface of their laptops with stickers, creating some sort of collage of personality. Obviously, it is much more than just an astonishing trend—it is a testament to our individuality.

Whether this notion of an embellishment as a testament to one’s own individuality comes from

the concept of the political campaign button or the concept of the letterman jacket sew-on, it is clear that when an emblem is added on to an item of clothing, it suggests personalization. Through personalization comes self-expression, and then as an embellishment first distinguishes an item, an item then goes on to distinguish an individual.

Essentially, embellishment through pins and patches is a way to establish oneself as an idiosyncratic “I” amongst everyone else; another way to say something about ourselves.

But why is it that we suddenly feel the need to say something about ourselves now? Perhaps it is that, in an age of mass media and widespread sharing, we are trying to make an anachronistic return to a more analog means of differentiation; to the initial, simpler days of pins and patches.

In those times, before the advent of the internet, before smartphones and social media, things were much more straightforward. Instead of Facebook and Twitter, we expressed whoever we were through embellishments like campaign buttons and the large letters of varsity jackets. Today, we find ourselves constantly connected through endless apps and platforms, consistently under the straining eyes of the whole world. Today, in these new virtual social spheres, everything is public and nothing is private; and this kind of pressure has made us turn to hiding, making it more and more of a challenge to express ourselves. Maybe, then, this recent, retrospective return to personalization through embellishment is rooted less in the trends of fashion world than in the vein of a statement.

Maybe, after all this hiding, we are trying to say that the time has come to reclaim our own selves again.

written by Kai Mason layout by Julia Margalit

THE CULT OF

PERSONALITY DIRECTORS Charlotte Pickard Cam Starwalt STYLISTS Rishita Gosh Cat Marchenko Alexandra Plosch PHOTOGRAPHERS Benjamin Bear Stone Zhang MODELS Alexa Deford Taylor Carpenter

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