Tag: body positivity

Gypsy Sport: A rising leader of consciousness in fashion

Having showcased in major fashion capitals such as New York, Paris and Milan, Gypsy Sport has proven to be insurgent in disrupting the elite fashion scene with its honest and progressive social commentary. The New York-based urban street wear label founded in 2012 by Rio Uribe is inspired by the ideals of inclusivity, true diversity and community.

It Is almost impossible to divorce the socio-political statements that Gypsy Sport makes from its garments. The authentic and soulful label offers gender-fluid, non-binary clothing that incorporates highly creative silhouettes as well as eclectic textiles and prints. Gypsy Sport takes a pan-ethnic approach to fashion in which their clothing is derived from a mash up of various cultural influences whilst managing to absolve themselves from cultural appropriation.

Another refreshing aspect from the label is the demographic of models that are featured in their runway shows and global campaigns. With the emergence of Gypsy Sport, Uribe began scouting for models within his community and group of friends which resulted in vibrant shows and photoshoots. The label which also champions for body positivity has since become a beacon of representation for marginalized groups such as black folk, brown folk, trans folk, queer folk and Muslim folk.

The multidimensional and layered nature of the label has equipped it with the ability to manoeuvre itself through different creative and political spaces. Their musical ventures include a mixtape in collaboration with New York-based DJ Anthony Dicap which was released for the label’s Fall 2017 collection. Gypsy Sport was also thoroughly involved in 2017’s LGBTQ celebrations by volunteering at LGBTQ youth centres across four cities, namely Los Angeles, New York, Portland and San Francisco. The Pride celebrations comprised of a trans march advocating for transgender and non-binary rights, queer parties, clothing drives and pop-up shops in which all proceeds were donated towards youth community development.

Gypsy Sport recognizes the great significance in positively impacting the community and has a deep-rooted understanding that it can be achieved through multiple channels. Their passion for the community is evident in their casting calls with the most recent one being open to whole families and seeking for artists, dancers, singers, activists, athletes and geeks to model the label’s clothing at New York Fashion Week.

It’s quite fitting that Gypsy Sport identifies as rebels because that is exactly what they are – they defy the status quo, triumphantly dismantle binaries, challenge various fronts of injustices and essentially disrupt stagnant spaces. They manage to do all of that whilst setting the bar high with their fashion forward brand. 2018 will be an exciting year to see how this dynamic and intentional label will continue to stretch limitations in the fashion industry to expand Uribe’s vision in creating a worldwide fashion tribe.

18 January 2018
‘Bigger, Rounder, Blacker’ // Body Positivity with Rochelle Brock

Rochelle Brock is a young photographer of colour from Brooklyn, New York. With her brand Fat Leopard Photography she has been revolutionizing the concept of the ideal body type. Her work challenges conventional beauty standards in America featuring beautiful curvy women of colour styled in the latest fashion trends. Here I will analyse Rochelle’s methodology and technique.

Her work can be deemed out of the ordinary by the way in which she documents the confidence that radiates from her models. Using colour palettes that shift from very vibrant tones to nitty gritty and the concrete jungle, Rochelle seems to have an uncanny know-how of evoking mood with her colour choices. While Rochelle’s work focuses predominantly on the bodies of women of colour and their curves she does not leave out slimmer body types and some of her series’ revolve around slim women.

Photograph from ‘Kidnap snap’

Rochelle has an amazing ability to move from a studio set up with soft defused light and pastels that amplify her subjects to a more documentary style of shooting which is an outstanding achievement to ascertain as so many photographers are stuck in one form of image creation.

Rochelle’s motivation behind celebrating marginalized body types came from her frustration with not seeing her own body type represented in any fashion campaigns and she set out to change that. Today, Rochelle has worked on various fashion campaigns and is a true ambassador of body positivity who expresses that she wants a bigger, rounder, blacker movement.

Photograph from ‘Jarae Hollieway’

What Rochelle enjoys about the body positive movement is that it has helped her come to terms with her own body shape and love herself for all that she is. Her advice to women who have larger body types is this, “Take up more space. If we don’t fit the ideal norm in society or even in the BOPO movement, we need to make sure we step into that “room” when we get the chance. Take up space and be heard!”

Femme photographers like Rochelle are actively trying to normalize larger body types and the fact that this kind of intervention is necessary is dismaying. Why should larger women have to fight or campaign or have movements for body positivity and acceptance when they are already beautiful? I am thankful for the body positive movement, as this is a societal problem that requires resolve. I do hope that with time the movement will have a larger impact and create more change into what is considered the ideal body type. Fair and accurate representation of all women is the norm that we need to strive for. All women are beautiful, and that’s that.

Photograph from ‘Jarae Hollieway’

Photograph from ‘Girls Girls Girls’

Photograph from ‘Girls Girls Girls’

20 October 2017
The Tembisa fashion show at the forefront of fashion presentation

Fashion 4 Sho an annual fashion show, now in its third years was held on Sunday the 14th of February in Tembisa, a large township situated in the north-east of Johannesburg. The event has little institutional recognition and no social currency within South African fashion industry circles. But despite being ignored by the mainstream its approach and presentation is actually far closer to the current innovation in international fashion presentation than the more famous South African events.

The event had all the features that currently define an “industry shifting” approach towards fashion presentation. Through the event curation, the organisers and the designers engaged in topical fashion industry conversations such as Gender fluidity and body positive casting, the democratisation of fashion transmission and the reimagining of the traditional runway show model.

Mapungubwe street was blocked off for the event, with two white twin-pole tents running about a hundred metres down the street. Green astroturf was draped over a low platform and flowed onto the runway. A red carpet was laid along the length of the runway and was flanked on either side by black plastic chairs. Where the chairs ended a row of centre-fold tables (also on either side of the runway) continued along the road marking out a second part of the runway intended for designers to exhibit and sell their show pieces directly after the shows when the event transformed into a pop up market.

The British luxury fashion brand Burberry, which is at the vanguard of important shifts in the fashion industry has been experimenting with a similar model in recent years. Burberry makes pieces from its collections available immediately after the runway show, in what they describe as “shop the runway”.

Givenchy is another leading international fashion brand which has been taking similar bold steps, making moves which Women’s Wear Daily suggests “could dramatically change the fashion show system for the long haul”. Givenchy opened their September 11 2015 show to the public, showing an acknowledgement of the change in the way fashion is disseminated, shifting from a hierarchical model where collections are for insiders such as editors and buyers to a democratic model described by Vogue as “open-access entertainment”. For the most part fashion shows in South Africa have existed as a form of entertainment even though concerted efforts have been made by local fashion week organisers for them to reflect the Western commercial system.

Fashion 4 Sho rejected this system outright, exploring further the concept of fashion presentation as performance art. The show started with a sole performer dressed only in a pair of green and and blue color-blocked underpants, sitting still on the platform at the top of the runway with a noose tied around his neck. Then another performer emerged on the opposite end of the runway, reciting a haunting poem as she made her way toward the platform. Behind them, models who had been standing still in a caged trailer began banging on its sides as the recital progressed. Just as the poem reached its climax the models broke through the trailer doors gently spilling onto the platform and then lethargically disappearing down the runway. Where the poet left off the Master of Ceremonies continued with improvisational ad-libs delivered in a raspy rolling voice, adding a futher layer of the fantastic and mysticism to the fashion presentation.

Models of all shapes and sizes were cast to walk the runway, and many of the labels on show presented gender fluid looks such as “Tangz” distressed genderless streetwear pieces, which were modelled by both men and women. At times the idea of gender was subverted altogether with “Yayaz Accessories” a predominantly female targeted jewellery collection shown on men. The New York times describes this as “fashion’s gender blur, the narrowing of the sexual divide” calling it a “seismic shift in fashion, a widening acceptance of a style with no boundaries”.

In the South African fashion industry new practices and ideas are recognized or become legitimate only if they are channeled down from the overseas. It is through a more inclusive system where local fashion media and institutions begin to look at, and start taking the creative production developing outside of established and privileged spaces more seriously, that South Africa can become the place where the agenda is being set.

16 February 2016