Other Fashion Weeks Part 1: The Foundry

New York Fashion Week was book ended by alternative fashion week events, which were, unfortunately, scarcely written about. Prior to the official beginning of fashion week, a number of independent designers staged a show in Long Island City inside a great industrial space—a repurposed foundry.

I was late to the show—and, oddly, was admitted to the backstage area as opposed to the actual venue. Despite its timely nature, the format of the show seemed similar to a traditional fashion show (at least judging from the view from backstage). It was organized by a boutique-cum-gallery in Queens called Subdivision, whose mission is to promote designers working across media; it hosts performances as well as art shows and carries an array of clothes and design wares.

Dress, Death by Drones

Among the most interesting designers were Feral Childe, the artist/designer duo of Moriah Carlson and Alice Wu, whose whimsical prints adorn their detailed garments. Another interesting designer, the young Brooklyn-based duo Death by Drone, was equally print-heavy. I had been meaning to write about them on occasion of their graduation exhibition at Parsons, where they hung their mostly black and white, heavily printed dresses from white and black balloons.

The palette for their work in the Foundry show was equally minimal. The prints adorning their clothes are deceivingly child-like. Upon closer look, they reveal disturbing, slightly perverse undercurrents. Their work reminds me of the Japanese artist Yumiko Inada, who was featured in the very first issue of Fashion Projects. Their pieces are similarly toying with the category of cuteness and turning it on its head. In addition to their clothes, their standalone Ubi Roi-esque illustrations "Tiny People" are not to be missed!