Is the future of fashion collaborative? we hope so!
We tend to consider fashion to be about a single designer even when we know that there are several people behind the names of the individual figure. In recent years collaborative design emerged as a way of acknowledging and celebrating teamwork in fashion. As the industry becomes more inclusive, fashion collectives provide an alternative concept of what diversity looks like.
ASFOUR: the darlings of downtown NYC in early aughts who then became threeASFOUR –are often cited as role models for young designers who work collaboratively
Fashion collectives and collaborative brands have a unique identity as they formed through the meeting of many. The “many” can refer to several concepts; a core group of founders; designers and their community as collaborators; a collection of artists and designers who come and go; the meaning of collective design is endless. In earlier examples of collectives such as Vetements and threeASFOUR (formerly called AsFour), the creative identity was always about combined minds. These brands consisted of multiple founders and directors in contrast to the typical mould of a single designer as the brand’s face, brain and icon.
Here are 3 Fashion Collectives We Have Our Eye On
No Sesso
Arin Hayes, Pierre Davis and Autumn Randolph, No Sesso’s Depop Exclusive, No Sesso NYFW SS2020
ABOUT
No Sesso was founded in Los Angeles by Pierre Davis. She works with Autumn Randolph and Arin Hayes to create clothes for their community.
WHAT MAKES THEM UNIQUE
With the creative directors all being Black creatives, founder Pierre Davis has stated that for No Sesso “It’s Black trans femmes…Black femmes to the front”. A community powered brand that focuses on empowering people of all colors, shapes, and identities, No Sesso embraces nonconformity and inclusivity while empowering the community it serves through their collections, parties, educational events, and more. In many ways No Sesso’s vibrant colorful designers are a celebration of their California base as the home for their community.
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CONGREGATION Design
3 looks from the anonymous design collective, Congregation Design, last image is from a collaboration with Fashion Revolution
ABOUT
Based in London with the founders and collaborators remaining anonymous, CONGREGATION design aims to disrupt the fashion industry through sustainability and collective craft.
WHAT MAKES THEM UNIQUE
CONGREGATION Design makes designs that are one-of-a-kinds, limited editions, and made-to-orders. The teams for each collection are fluid but the sustainability initiative remains as a constant means of conveying their goals of industry interruption. Perhaps the difficulty to pinpoint the identity of CONGREGATION Design is the ingenuity of the collective. This lack of clarity fosters curiosity from viewers and designers alike.
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Women’s History Museum
Women’s History Museum founders Mattie Rivkah Barringer and Amanda McGowan, 3 looks from different shows on the Lower East Side NYC
ABOUT
Beginning as an underground New York City art scene event by college friends Amanda McGowan and Rivkah Barringer, Women’s History Museum is an intersection of art and fashion.
What makes them unique
Women’s History Museum invites women and femme adjacent artists as collaborators and muses. In their task of reconstructing femininity, the collective uses literal garment deconstruction in their designs. Women’s History Museum’s name holds true as they investigate and approach visual femininity as something to investigate and archive.
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-Julia Yi
