alking towards the rack, I was dumbfounded by the words strewn across the oversized white t-shirt. It read, “YOU FUCK’N ASSHOLE.”A colloquial, vulgar phrase, imprinted on a t-shirt, had now become high fashion.
Vetements is the brand of this shirt, and like the phrase imprinted on the clothes, the meaning is very straightforward. The brand means “clothes” in French and has permeated throughout the fashion world. The head designer of Vetements is Gvasalia; however, the rest of collective remains unknown. The simplicity of the garments forces us to question: what is fashion? And what can be considered fashion? Vetements’ oversized black hoodies, with the name of the brand written across the front, are priced at $1,215. Do people buy this because they find the garment aesthetically pleasing, or because they want to be a part of the tribe?
The introduction of athleisure through brands such as Vetements and Moschino have forced consumers to question the fashion industry as a whole. Athleisure has transformed the decadence of the industry into street-style casual. Vetements has taken the simplicity of a garment and transformed it into a symbol of wealth and status. It is similar to Hermès’ Birkin bag. Is it the look of the bag that attracts consumers, or is it the status associated with the purchase? These brands force us to decide whether we, as individuals, are taken by the brand because of its aesthetic appeal, or because someone else deemed it worth wearing.
-Danielle Kramer
Images courtesy of the Vetements Lookbook.