FASHION'S CASTRATION

published in A Magazine About #1: Fashion & Identity, p. 70-73

Michelangelo’s image of the male nude marks the origin of a ‘virile’ identity and self-perception. The body tense, in contrapposto pose. Nasolabial muscles are tight; the neck’s tendons stand out tautly. While these details of bulging muscles and veins implicate strength and fearlessness, the body in its unity remains relaxed, almost casual. Masculinity appears as an effortless, naturally given attribute – a fact that is only being revealed by undressing the male object. And even in this vulnerable position, the male seems to prevail, strong-, yet light-handedly. But what happens when this anatomy is manipulated and parts are removed? What happens when the Renaissance image of male beauty is confronted with the postmodern? In his installation work ‘Kopienkritik’, Oliver Laric multiplies and amputates the ancient Greek theme. His ‘David’ is a victim of loss. Each of his duplicates in lack of another constituting part: arms, legs, or even the head, are taken away. Yet, one thing remains untouched. It is the male genital, proud icon of primary gender definition. In the world of fashion, the final castration has been repetitively proposed, attempted and is yet to be performed. Gender-neglecting concepts of clothing suddenly allow the transformation of one’s naturally given gender through subtle nuances into new forms and identities. This text presents a short typology of garments that can constitute the male identity, presented via the work of contemporary fashion designers and their search for the ‘male image’ between minimalism and romanticism. T-shirt, experiment of form When minimalism touches the realms of gender theories, the T-shirt becomes an elongated version of itself. For Spring/Summer 2008, Raf Simons utilizes an oversized form of the established T-shirt shape and combines it with short, nearly invisible shorts. As a result, the classic, manly item becomes a mini dress. Bare legs and muscular thighs are declared as visual attractive zones. In an effective manner, his experiment with the rather feminine silhouette inherits the conceptual excuse of ‘just being a normal, oversized T-shirt’. Miuccia Prada propagandizes a similar idea translated via oversized T-shirt derivates put into slim-fitting contexts. Disguised as ‘just another layer’ and spontaneous, foremost practical addition to a relaxed everyday look, the combination of oversized tank top and cropped sweater stretches gender definitions, wafting between ‘shirt’ and ‘skirt’. This visual irritation recalls the idea of the amputated Greek statue. ‘David’, as depicted by Raf Simons or Miuccia Prada, is not only a representation of the moment between conscious choice and conscious action, he is also a symbol of choice between lyric tenderness and raw masculinity. Dress, awakening of the body-conscious A devotion to the men’s dress in its most direct and radical form is often being avoided by referring to visually similar concepts: the flare pants, the wide shorts, the floor-length coat. Nonetheless, it implicates the purest form of male beauty. By introducing thin, nearly sheer tube dresses, Romain Kremer proclaims the inevitable necessity of muscle-hugging robes. As a fact, his skin-tight designs retrace a post-romantic image of the male nude. In tradition of Petrarchan motives of beauty, every strand of muscular definition is on display. The chest, the arms, the ribs, the innominate bones. Through delicate layers of fine fabric, the physique of ‘David’ becomes manifest once again.

But this time, the perfectly polished, almost artificial surface of Miseglia marble is replaced by human flesh. The ancient and the modern man united by the right to be an object and to be admired. Rick Owens extends this philosophical dimension into ideas of historic mysticism. His concept of masculinity presents men as ethereal priests in long, sleeveless robes. Directing the beholder’s view onto arms and biceps, the defined structures of masculine strength. Thus, the men’s dress underlines the leadership of its wearer instead of negating their powers. By choosing the anti-masculine, the principle of castration is simultaneously being reverted and reversed. Skirt, femininity in homoeopathic doses In Donatello's and Verrocchio's version of the statue, ‘David’ is depicted with the head of Goliath. For Fall/Winter 2006, Vivienne Westwood ‘places’ the head of Medusa on ‘David’, paints his face white and dresses him in a tartan skirt. By referring to historical codes and iconographic indications of mythology, Westwood follows a continuous motif of ‘carving’ out an elevated image of the male archetype. The skirt itself does not function as mere sexual provocation but optical means to tell her story, to recall ancient fights between men and monsters. The contrary may apply to the skirt as repetitive element in the work of Jean Paul Gaultier. It is the significant symbol for his personal war against male restrictions and dress codes. As brave ambassador for a radical encounter with fashion’s paradigms, Jean Paul Gaultier arms his ‘David’ with pleated skirts and kilts. Motivated by the distinct mission that his actions may castrate the idea of gender, but not the male. Corset, a desired slender figure What may be interpreted as visual joke and gender provocation in the 2010s has been a widely accepted, aristocratic standard during the 1830s and 1840s. The corset has not only defined fashion as a whole, more precisely, it has provided the ideal male body type. At that time, a wasp-waisted, sleek and feminine appearance has been strongly associated with control. A man, who was able to form himself in order to achieve an hourglass silhouette, was regarded capable of achieving anything. John Galliano took this historic concept of dandyism and applied it onto the standardized codes of contemporary capitalism. Consequently, businessmen are endorsed with nude lingerie and garters. Ann Demeulemeester, in comparison, equips men with side-strapped, almost corseted, shields of protection in her Spring/Summer 2011 collection. By reducing and minimizing the extent of the male torso, the amputation of ‘David’ processes. Interestingly, both proposals present restraint as a positive approach and possibility for relief. Epilogue, the asexual butch Once reviewing the complex specifications and effects of gender-neglecting clothing, it becomes apparent that implications of feminity follow the logic, and very simple idea of ‘contrast’. Cuts and constructions that are regarded preferentially ‘female’ are opposed to extreme muscles, broad shoulders, tough gestures, bulky arms and harsh movements. Riccardo Tisci uses the skirt as a tool to emphasize the masculinity of its wearer – just as the nude statue of Michelangelo reveals the sovereignty of male anatomy. It could be stated that female codes, once applied onto men, result as an asset to eliminate potential weaknesses or defects. Eventually, fashion’s castration equals anti-castration.

THE WHITE STRIPE PROPHECY

published in SSAW Magazine Fall/Winter 2013, p. 174-179

Dirk Schönberger on freedom of creation and the collaboration principle for adidas by Raf Simons. As one of the most quintessential designers of the early 2000s, Dirk Schönberger defined and pushed the idea of what menswear could and should be. Patchwork trousers, ruffled shirts, slashed fabric and detached sleeve cuffs were recurrent themes and constituted his defined signature. in 2004, he presented a collection that featured athletic formal wear and striped track suit bottoms – an omen, prophecy and, maybe subconsciously, promise for his personal future and design career. After working for Joop and being celebrated as well as criticized for his progressive ideas, he joined the Adidas Sports Style division as creative director in 2010 where he is currently overseeing the y-3 and SlVr collections as well, and most importantly, the various designer collaborations. Here, Schönberger enters the dialogue not only with the brand’s symbols and history, but with other designers such as Rick Owens, Yohji Yamamoto and, most recently, Raf Simons. When do attitudes collide? What meaning do the three stripes hold? And how does one cater to the inevitable question of performance versus aesthetics, day to day? An interview with the golden boy turned big gun who, quietly, accomplishes it all. Hi Dirk, lovely to meet you. How are you today? I’m really well. Working on the Y-3 show and the Originals campaign in New York. The most important question to begin with, which shoes are you wearing right now? I’m wearing the energy boost shoe in neon yellow. I love this great combination of the most innovative technology for a running shoe and its pure modern design. How big is your team, how can we imagine the scene in your studio? I work with several teams in Herzogenaurach, Portland and Shanghai. The way I work with the Y-3 team is very different than with the Originals teams. There is no typical scene and that makes it exciting. Could you quickly talk us through your design career and personal history? I studied in Munich and right after i went to work for Dirk Bikkembergs who at that time was one of the most inspiring menswear designers. He encouraged me to start my own line which I did in 1995. Then, after 12 years I moved back to Germany to work as creative director for Joop. And in 2010, I joined Adidas as creative director for Sport Style. How would you define and describe the mood of the 2000s in retrospect? It was the decade of hedonism. It was a bit like dancing on a volcano. Then people got tired of that and started to look for content and not only super- ficial ideas. Networks, innovation, optimi-zation, multi-tasking, parallel identity. Can clothes answer those needs? If they would, they would be an overloaded mess. Tradition, handcraft, tribal culture, the archival. How do you think fashion can push forward humanist ideas and build heritage? If you look at fashion today and the references to the past – sometimes literally, sometimes deconstructed and totally overhauled – I think it is the field which will leave the biggest footprint in the history in modern life. Looking back at your own line and work for Joop which was often referred to as ‘avantgarde’ – did you feel misunderstood and ahead of your time? I did what I believed was right at that time and didn’t feel misunderstood. But I don’t like the word ‘avantgarde’ really. Can design ever be ‘too much’? Yes. When it is purely decorative and doesn’t have an innovative new look as an object.

Looking at your oeuvre, names such as Comme des Garçons, Calvin Klein and Dries van Noten come to mind. Deconstructing sportswear and traditional tailoring in a similar manner, what are your thoughts on these designers? For me, Comme des Garçons initiated the passion I have for fashion. And when you look back at Dries van Noten’s career, he is one of the most impressive creative designers there is. What is your connection to Raf, you know each other from Antwerp? We both started out around the same time in Antwerp and got to know each other. I am very pleased that we now have the possibility to work together through Adidas. Working together on the adidas sneakers collection, what was the leading principle? It is important that both sides bring something to the collaboration. For me there has to be a connection. With Raf, I know he has been a fan of the Adidas Stan Smith and his work always has a lot to do with youth culture. It is always forward thinking and questioning the status quo of fashion, and I think it’s important to challenge it. How important was the equation of performance and design for the final range? The performance and the technology side of sportswear is fascinating and it brings something completely new to fashion. The Adidas by Raf Simons range brings the fusion of sport and fashion to the next level. How many styles were developed and how can we envision the actual design process? 21 unique designs for Spring/ Summer 2014 and then there are 8 unisex models in up to four colors and material executions. Raf is given creative freedom. I don’t want to intervene at all. It would make the collaboration weaker. The moment i would step in is when an idea is too far off Adidas as a brand, but I haven’t experienced that so far. How does one reinvent the sneaker? Never look back nor be too literal. Have an own point of view. Be radical and uncompromising in your approach to challenging fashion and sportswear. If you had to pick one style from the Raf collaboration, which would it be? I can’t just pick one... With its current portfolio, Adidas is on the top of its game. How does it make you feel? Adidas has always been a pioneer in bringing sports to a fashion audience. Our collaboration with Yohji Yamamoto was the first of its kind, fusing sport and fashion. The appeal of this new look has surely opened doors and influenced other fashion brands to follow suit. What do the three stripes metaphorically stand for you? When I was kid, Adidas was a sports brand only. But I loved the look of their footwear and used it for daily use and not just for sports. Do you own art? Which are your preferred artist and most loved artworks? I’m into Gerhard Richter for example... How does the Dirk Schönberger closet look? I like tuxedos. I have also begun to match some casual items into my look, like chinos, and I like to mix and match few different styles together. I always like to incorporate some trendy and unique pieces. Are you emotional or analytical? Colours or black- and-white? Black is my light. black, and for the same reason, white are the perfect alternatives for revealing apparel silhouettes and creations. And black is the most stylish of all the achromatic colors. And one final, dear question: Will you come back? The idea of having my own label again is certainly in the back of my mind, but I like my job at Adidas. I might consider setting up my own label again on the side. We’ll have to wait and see. But won’t ever do only that.

THE MEN'S CORSETRAF SIMONS' WAISTED YOUTH

published in ZOO Magazine No. 27, p. 32-33

Men in elongated shirts, skin-tight jumpsuits and tube dresses. Raf Simons’ former collections have given us elusive evidence that the gender apocalypse has begun. In 2010, the Belgian fashion designer continues his aesthetic legacy, taking the next logical step in performing fashion’s castration. The male torso is shaped into a wasp-waisted figure. Men in corsets. Upon careful examination of the Raf Simons archive, the emphasis of the man’s waist appears as a repetitive element, gradually evolving in extremity. Military bomber jackets are cinched with leather belts (A/W 2001); widely cut paper bag trousers conquer the male body (A/W 2005); a white turtleneck is accentuated with a black waist cincher (A/W 2006); a jacket’s front is horizontally split into two identical parts in contrasting textures (A/W 2007); a similar jacket appears equipped with sportswear inspired cording elements that tie and narrow the waist (S/S 2008); and a bustier knit jumper emphasizes the area below the chest (A/W 2009). While subtly pursuing these principles of construction in a graphic manner and dividing the male anatomy in equal parts by the use of color blocking, material opposition and gathering, a cohesive story evolves, told with a muted voice and fragmented into diminutive chapters that, almost unnoticed, gain serial character. Consequently, Raf Simons declares the waist as the main focus point for S/S 2010. It’s a collection that appears as a strictly calculated manifesto. Belts wind around the waist, arm and neck. Men appear possessed and delivered to an invisible force. Their bodies are molded and the space for untold masculinity limited – a breath of restraint and abandonment that correlates with its historic complement and the original archetype: the corset. It was originally intended to slim the female figure and transform the torso into a desired shape, but in fact, it was the men, dandies, who made the corset popular in the 1830s and 1840s. Those decades declared the aristocratic body type as the new ideal, mostly associated with a slender and therefore feminine appearance. Corsets allowed men to control their proportions and achieve the highly desired wasp-waisted figure. A French dandy of the era insisted, “The secret of the dress lies in the thinness and narrowness of the waist. Shoulders large, the skirts of the coat ample and flowing, the waist strangled.”

As dandyism established a new body- consciousness and put the notion of the men’s corset into the public sphere, controversies arose. Society associated corseting with a loss of male identity, and therefore effeminacy. Fearing the incongruity between ideals of masculine beauty and sartorial practices, the prevailing bourgeois worldview increasingly held that men should not think about trivialities such as fashion. And so, after 1850, the men’s corset disappeared. Now, in 2010, the boundaries of gender are dissolving again. Men feel encouraged to wear dresses and the corset undergoes a renaissance. Jean-Paul Gaultier proposes strapless bustier tops and cinched vests. John Galliano pictures today’s businessman in nude lingerie and garters. Raf Simons, in turn, presents underbust corsets that extend over the hips and reach the knees – the symbiosis of a bulletproof waistcoat and a wasp-waisted mini dress. It’s the aesthetic answer for a generation marked by feminism and femininity – modernized re-interpretations of a short-lived phenomenon. While one can draw analogies to cross- dressing and assume efforts of androgyny, Raf Simons’ creations do not deny the man’s masculinity and strength. His approach is analytic, architectural and exceedingly technological. The corset appears in its purest form, translated in a literal manner but reversed and rebuilt as outerwear worn over a suit jacket. Principles of boning and lacing are discarded and replaced with aerodynamic buffering and water-repellent surfaces. Hooks and eyelets become redundant, substituted by their post-millennium counterpart: the Velcro strip. The result is dedicated to protection and function: the slender silhouette appears as an accidental side effect for the benefit of performance. The corset is regarded as a constituting component, a piece of construction to form the body, comparable to a car’s mudguard or a plane’s cover panel. Finally, the body does not serve an ideal of beauty anymore. Instead, it is enhanced and optimized in terms of its logical and practical use – yet for a cause unknown. The Raf Simons man faces new environmental conditions and challenging scenarios. He is fully equipped to accomplish his task. And this task may be the final reconstitution of a former concept called manhood.

LATEX

published in ZOO Magazine No. 32, p. 58-59

A typology of polymer liquid in popular culture and contemporary fashion. A sheet of semi-transparent beige latex. Partially covered with pale pink flocking. A wall installation by Keith Sonnier, the American minimalist artist. Entitled ‘Mustee’ and created in 1968, the artwork subtly evokes a virgin-like notion of latex as surface of sensual appeal. In Sonnier’s oeuvre, latex is introduced as an ambiguous material that unites both: the natural and the artificial. Primarily an organic substance that is sourced as latex milk from hevea brasiliensis, the rubber tree, it is pressed, heated and vulcanized with sulphur until it transforms into a stable structure. The final product is commonly known as rubber and derives in thinner qualities as latex. While the sleek, jelly-like surface of latex draws visual reference to the fat sculptures of Joseph Beuys, Sonnier’s wall pieces elevate the uncomfortably flabby matter from motifs of disgust and human decadence. Instead, they promote a new beauty and catalyze thoughts on a material that is still oppressed by connotations of sexual fetish. Undeniably, the manifestation of latex had its strongest impact in the BDSM scene. And one cannot deny the artistic genius of latex fanzines like Dressing For Pleasure or Vellum, portraying a phenomenon that struck 1960s pastel flowered bedrooms. A well-kept secret that subtly marked its spot in the fetish scene, side to side with the sexual projections inherent in wetlook, bondage or klismaphilia. The core reason why latex and other tight shiny fabrics may be fetishised lies within its second skin feel. People describe the touch of latex as comforting and stimulating. The thin, impervious material acts as a fetishistic surrogate for the wearer's own skin. Consequently, it evokes the illusion of nakedness, and at the same time, simulates a tightness that is related to sexual bondage. Thus, the latex experience might be summarized as ‘wet transparency’. It radically unveils the wearer’s anatomy and primary sexual characteristics, but also provokes the accumulation of sweat between skin and garment. The fabric’s duality leads to an interesting technical specification that fundamentally defines the degree of wearability as well as its potential use in fashion: As latex is a natural product, it is easily being manipulated and affected by other substances such as oil and fat, temperature and light. Elasticity, shine and smoothness are in constant danger, especially once it is worn and exposed to human skin. Therefore, it requests explicit care and continuous conservation. Wearing latex becomes a science and ritual in itself. Putting on a respective garment demands the use of talc, lube or chlorine to reduce friction against the skin. Interestingly, chlorine bonds to the first few molecules on the surface of latex and transforms the isoprene into neoprene.

Body and material create a symbiosis, a bio-chemical act. An idea that seems to challenge and attract fashion designers who are continuously exploring the material. Since Thierry Mugler introduced fetish-inspired materials within the ‘Too Funky’ video era, female celebrities in popular culture have been embracing the ‘forbidden’ garment. Beyoncé Knowles is wearing a red latex dress in her music video for ‘Green Light’. Lady Gaga is wearing a white latex catsuit in her music video for ‘Bad Romance’. And Britney Spears is wearing a red catsuit in her music video for ‘Oops, I did it again’ – the bubble pop naivety of the 90s has turned latex into a harmless yet glamorous accessory. Dramatic statements that demand instant admiration from the viewer. Latex screams: ‘Look at me, I am fabulous!’ Besides this narcissistic, fun-oriented and irony-driven use in Pop, there are three contributors of contemporary fashion who have recently translated the artistic tradition of latex into fashion design: Raf Simons, Hussein Chalayan and Nicolas Ghesquière. Despite all difficulties and its naturally instable appeal, pastel pigmented latex occurs in 2011 as part of Raf Simons’ menswear collection. Loosely related to its clinical heritage, the material is used in wide, scrubs-like tops. Most remarkably, Simons reverses the tightness principle of latex and consequently negates its sexual connotation. This approach is perpetuated with his collection for Fall/Winter 2011 that features extremely loose fitted PVC trousers. A material that is made of polyvinyl chloride, a synthetic plastic closely related to latex. In contrary to its niche existence in the BDSM scene, Raf Simons’ garments are built to be radically anti-touch and anti-bondage. They appear distant, remotely wafting around the wearer’s body, and are therefore removed from any erotic context. While Raf Simons’ pieces are revolting against a ‘dirty’ sub-cultural heritage, Hussein Chalayan uses bonded jersey with foam and rubber edging as a plastic 3D experiment. In some way, the dresses presented within his ‘Inertia’ collection for Spring/Summer 2009 imitate the movement of liquid latex and illustrate the complex moulding production process. Clothing itself becomes the monumentalisation of a fetishised material. Considering the natural restrictions to latex, incorporating the material in fashion demands highest artistry. It is the archetype material of luxury. It emblematizes rarity, delicacy and short-lived intensity. The absolute climax is reached by a series of pieces that perfectly illustrate the transformation of latex into luminous canvases: the hand painted latex coats and dresses by Nicolas Ghesquière for Balenciaga Fall/Winter 2008. Stiff moulded latex jackets are decorated with filigree naturalistic drawings. It is a shockingly beautiful and rich presentation of a material that may be regarded as the developed, wearable version of Keith Sonnier’s ‘Mustee’. In the end, there is latex and there is latex.