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Undercover AW06 "But Beautiful V Guru Guru" Insect Denim

Undercover’s “But Beautiful” series of collections are some of the most influential and impactful shows in the scene of modern fashion. Starting in AW2004 and continuing for two years up until AW2006, the “But Beautiful” collections were Jun Takahashi’s way of reworking and finding beauty in mundane and conventional pieces of clothing. Considered by many to be the “golden era” of Undercover, pieces from this time were often everyday garments reworked with contrasting fabrics and Jun’s iconic use of distressing. M-65 jackets were reconstructed with a mix of unique textiles. Wool overcoats were adored with an array of dissimilar buttons and patches. Various recycled military fabrics were reworked into tailored blazers. For the AW2006 collection “But Beautiful V Guru Guru” Jun chose to take a new approach, focusing on destroyed and disregarded luxury goods. Garments that would typically be considered only obtainable by the upper class were distressed and remade with the same motifs implemented throughout the “But Beautiful” collections, forcing the audience to view these pieces of clothing in a new light. The collection was a commentary on fashion consumer waste and the societal idea of social class. To take it a step further, each model was completely wrapped head to toe in a fabric, obscuring their faces and leaving the audience to make no presumptions as to the identity of the wearer and who these clothes were made for. 

This pair of distressed jeans from the AW2006 collection features a gray thread wrapped around the pockets and waistband, reminiscent of the textiles that engulfed the models on the runway. Multiple darning stitches are placed sporadically across both sides of the denim, something that would become a common motif for jeans of this era. The front features an array of flies, ants, and spiders all embroidered in black. Lastly, the iconic Undercover lightning bolt sits atop the knee, a nod to legendary rock musician Patti Smith.

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Rick Owens X Adidas SS16 Cargo Sandal

"CYCLOPS" was the title of Rick Owens' Spring 2016 show. A symbol of male aggression. Oversized tank tops and tunics combined with military-esq footwear. Clashing materials of denim and leathers with an aggressive and impetus energy to how they were joined together. This collection looked to answer the question posed by Rick himself; "...when does ambition and efficiency spill over into aggression?". Unbeknownst to anyone but a single model, the theme of male aggression would come to the forefront of the show in a now infamous stunt.

During look 25, Jera Diarc, a model and "muse" to Rick Owens, who had been working with the designer since 2004, is making his way down the catwalk in Palais de Tokyo. He reaches underneath his tank top and begins unraveling a white cloth with the words "Please kill Angela Merkel - Not" which he then shows to the photographers in the front row. In an instant the message conveyed by the clothing is overshadowed. Jera makes his way backstage where he is reportedly punched in the face by a furious Rick Owens.

Days before, during fitting, Jera presents Rick with three cards and asks him to choose one. They read: “Kill Angela Merkel - Not", "Kill Angela Merkel", and "Kill the Last Unicorn". Jera speaks very little English and Rick speaks no German. Rick mistakenly assumes "...it was just a little game, a wordplay thing he was doing for the moment”. He picks "Kill the Last Unicorn" and his wife, Michele Lamy, chooses none of them, saying, "I don't like killing at all".

The following days Rick does multiple interviews with different publications assuring them he had no involvement in the stunt and Jera’s statement does not reflect the views of the house. “It’s a crazy, rogue model that I punched when he came back out,” Rick said in The New York Times adding “Please say that I punched him.”. 

These sandals are the same ones worn by Jera Diarc but in an olive green colorway. They feature multiple cutouts which are reminiscent of a gladiator sandal. They also feature the now iconic "vicious" sole, velcro closures, oversized zipper pulls, and of course a cargo pocket. 

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Vetements AW18 "The Bulldog Spirit" Patchwork Bomber

Vetements has always been engulfed in controversy. Before Demna Gvasalia was a household name in the fashion zeitgeist one controversy he faced was constant accusations of unoriginality. Designing womenswear collections for Maison Margiela from 2009 to 2013, throughout his early career at Vetements he was often accused of plagiarizing ideas from the maison. From the oversized garments, to the unorthodox locations for his runway shows, and the deconstruction of everyday pieces, it's easy to draw connections between Demna and Margiela.  For his Fall 2018 collection for Vetements, Demna addressed these allegations head on in his show titled “The Elephant in the Room''. The elephant being the aforementioned similarity to many pieces and motifs from the legendary fashion house. This runway featured many references to Demna’s former employer including the unconventional model casting and Demna’s own take on the iconic tabi boot. The show also featured illustrations drawn by children being used as graphics for various garments. This is in reference to Martin having children draw the innovations to the Spring 1990 show. 

This oversized bomber features an array of patches, the foremost one reading “The Bulldog Spirit”. This is in reference to a British World War One propaganda campaign in which the bulldog represents strength and resilience. Placed under the previously mentioned patch is a portion of a Planet Hollywood shirt reimagined as a patch. This would later be referenced in the “Planet HollyMolly” graphic featured in Look 27 of Vetements Spring 2020 show. Other patches feature references to Antwerp, Belgium where Demna attended his formal training for fashion at the Royal Academy of Fine Art. At the very bottom a bright blue patch houses the word “weltschmerz”. The word weltschmerz is a term coined by Jean Paul, a German author in the 19th century. The term translates to “word pain” in German and refers to the feeling that reality could never amount to the romanticized world depicted in literature at the time. On the left arm above the iconic Alpha Industries “REMOVE BEFORE FLIGHT” tag is a small graphic of a shark and text reading “One size fits most”.