(gif: cause and yvette)
Called the ‘Interchangeable Workwear for the Hybrid Worker’, designer Olivia Le Blanc’s AW 2017 collection not only breaks gender barriers but also repurposes utilitarian looks with futuristic appeal under her brand ØBLANC.
Deconstructed to be worn in multiple ways, you have lots of “helper” to make it happen. Using various fasteners, bag straps + zippers, change the look of the wearer in several ways. Different pieces get to show some skin or distort one’s silhouette. By allowing the user to change the item’s fit every time, you really can’t get bored here. Let’s face it, who likes to be seen in the same thing twice, let alone pay more money to own more than one of the same? According to HUNGER magazine, this all ties into ‘ØBLANC’s focus on longevity + multi-purpose fashion, as well as paying homage to the functional + historic styles worn for work.’
If you love really long sleeves, you’ll love these. Why not just attach longer ones to it with the help of straps? Then consider removing them later? If you want to avoid getting them dirty when you reach for your hot cocoa come Fall of course. But what would inspire New York’s own to create such beauty with items most dismiss as looking too much like a uniform? Simply, Le Blanc told HUNGER how “the functionality + durability of workwear combined with interchangeability + unconventional materials” inspired this collection. Le Blanc’s sensitivity for the environment is made possible by using recycled materials + giving them that ‘little extra something special’ with her own spin to the final creation. In fact, Le Blanc told HUNGER how she’s been repurposing items dating back to her high school days. Le Blanc said, ” I think it is a great way to eliminate overproduction + influence DIY creativity for the masses,” adding, “I also think using unconventional materials such as inflatables +d rubber boots are an interesting trend in sustainability.”
Of course, don’t think for one second that Le Blanc is on the gender fluidity bandwagon simply because it is popular + the direction of the future, but it’s part of the founding philosophy for ØBLANC. As she told HUNGER, “The philosophy for ØBLANC is creating iterations of hybrid gender through the clothes. There is a need in American fashion for reducing the divide of femininity + masculinity in fashion. There needs to be more boldness in this realm of style.”
(gif: cause and yvette)
Overall, ØBLANC’s AW 2017 collection is not only interesting, unique + wearable but definitely one to keep watching for seasons to come.
(gif: cause and yvette)
(photos: HUNGER)
(via HUNGER)