Saturday, September 18, 2010
Monday, September 13, 2010
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Proenza Schouler + Harmony Korine
I'm not sure how I feel about this Harmony Korine film for Proenza Schouler. Proenza Schouler are some of my favourite designers. And I guess I've been watching Harmony Korine films since I was pretty impressionable, the thing is I've always felt kind of uncomfortable about his work, which is his intention I guess. I've just never been able to sing his praises like many of my peers. Obviously the juxtaposition of high fashion and poverty is nothing new, but it's still a conversation that I feel is unresolved, and is still offensive in some instances. I guess enlisting Harmony Korine to make your fashion film means you've got some idea of what is to come, but I wonder how the designers feel about the final product, whether they see these social issues as interesting, offensive, etc etc.
I also wonder who these models are. I googled some of their names, just in case they were in fact working models, instead of real people, which is what I would expect from Harmony Korine. It seems that this film is the full extent of all of their modeling experience.
Another thing that springs to mind is the pretty constant question of why there are so few black models in mainstream fashion. Does using black women who are not working models in this fashion film add anything to this debate? Does showing these women, who are presumably lower class, and unlikely to be the intended consumer for Proenza Schouler, wearing these clothes mean anything?
Does it make the intended consumer feel like they are connecting with some authentic outsider experience?
Is this film even really meant to sell the clothes or to simply garner attention ? The truth is, the quality is so low that unless you've already seen these clothes, and you know what you're looking at, it's kind of hard to decipher any real detail or design.
Am I doing that thing that overpriveleged feminists do, trying to force agency upon other women by interpreting this film in all of these ways?
Fashion and Feminism are two of my favourite things, and I can never really figure out where the positive influence of either on each other starts and ends.
Here's the film.
UPDATE
This interview exists.
I don't really think it adds much to the conversation though...
I also wonder who these models are. I googled some of their names, just in case they were in fact working models, instead of real people, which is what I would expect from Harmony Korine. It seems that this film is the full extent of all of their modeling experience.
Another thing that springs to mind is the pretty constant question of why there are so few black models in mainstream fashion. Does using black women who are not working models in this fashion film add anything to this debate? Does showing these women, who are presumably lower class, and unlikely to be the intended consumer for Proenza Schouler, wearing these clothes mean anything?
Does it make the intended consumer feel like they are connecting with some authentic outsider experience?
Is this film even really meant to sell the clothes or to simply garner attention ? The truth is, the quality is so low that unless you've already seen these clothes, and you know what you're looking at, it's kind of hard to decipher any real detail or design.
Am I doing that thing that overpriveleged feminists do, trying to force agency upon other women by interpreting this film in all of these ways?
Fashion and Feminism are two of my favourite things, and I can never really figure out where the positive influence of either on each other starts and ends.
Here's the film.
UPDATE
This interview exists.
I don't really think it adds much to the conversation though...
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