Sarah Abney x Thom Browne

Between the consumption of hair, doggies donning suits, and the overall whimsicality of the piece, we certainly had a couple questions for these ladies.

Watch the collaboration below, and read on to find out what Abney and Chang had to say about their artistic synergy, the point where fashion and performance intersect, and how we resemble our pets.

Fashion is a realm historically linked to notions of beauty, composure, grace etc. The second scene of your piece (the consumption of the hair) is profoundly unsettling. What was the intention, if any, of that inclusion, especially so early on?

SC—I don’t think of fashion in that way. I see it as the subconscious, a subversion of order, and a means to cover/uncover identity. All of my collaborations with Sarah have involved hair. We had recently finished a piece for MoMA PS1 on the hair trade, and there was more left to be said, mainly regarding the paradox of hair as parasite: it is estranged (grows outwards) yet is dependent on the skin for its life (new life, if speaking of wigs and extensions). The cycle of relinquishing/distributing/consuming hair as crop in this scene is to demonstrate the contradictions involved in the consumption of labor.

What are some of the aesthetic qualities unique to Thom Browne that you tried to encapsulate within the content of your video?

SA—The video, like art works in general, is not to be taken literally, but is open to interpretation. It does not not have one specific meaning, but seeks to stimulate a creative response in the viewer. Thom Browne is an artist and designer who often takes the familiar, such as a style or garment, and re-interprets it. His creations, like my videos, can be wildly whimsical to generate a fresh response.

Office Magazine x Sarah Abney x Thom Browne

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Explain what you consider to be the relationship between fashion and performance. How was this relationship demonstrated in your piece?

SA—Both fashion and performance are stylized formats, that is, the artist has basic material/aesthetics that must be employed. For fashion, it is fabric and for performance/video it is the stage/film/video. They both utilize color, movement, composition, scale, and other principles of design to communicate. For example, in my video, hair is consumed which can be seen as an analogy for how we devour fashion and creative energy.

SC—I think of garments worn during a performance in a ceremonial or ritualistic manner. Here we wear a uniform of suits and nightgowns, and our performance is the obscurity and unity of a pack of dogs. Browne's best friend and most frequent muse is his dachshund, Hector.

How was the dog head mask used during the video?

SA—People and their pets share their identities. In many ways, we are like dogs and dogs are like us. Playful, curious, affectionate, funny animals. We have symbiotic relationships. We partake of the dog and the dogs become us.

SC—There wasn’t meant to be a difference in wearer and non wearer. There is no difference between human, non-human, the invented “other.”

What was the significance of location within the video? Was there a correlation between location and behavior?

SA—In the video, there are houses, playgrounds, festive venues and dream spaces. We inhabit all of these environments and each evokes a different behavior. They are the stages that surround and describe our passions and energies.

Directed by Sarah Abney
Creative Direction by Soojin Chang
Costume by Thom Browne
Performance by Sarah Abney, Soojin Chang, Alan Gaynor & Alexander Stephen Haddad
Cinematography by Alan Gaynor, Brett Millspaw, Jon Knox, Sarah Abney & Soojin Chang
Edit & Sound by Sarah Abney & Soojin Chang

Fashion

I am the makeup on your eyes

PRINCESS GOLLUM wears HAT by HELENA EISENHART, SHIRT by CD1974, EARRINGS by KARTHUR all c/o RETAIL PHARMACY, and BRACELET by MARTINE ALI

PRINCESS GOLLUM wears NECKLACE by CHRIS HABANA, SCARF by ALEXANDER WANG, EARRINGS by MARTINE ALI

PRINCESS GOLLUM wears JACKET by ALEXANDER WANG, SHIRT by BLONDITA SHOP, SKIRT by GOOD MANNERS, BOOTS by FERRAGAMO, JEWELRY by MARTINE ALI

PRINCESS GOLLUM wears DRESS and BODYSUIT by RUI, BELT by HOLLYWOOD LOWBROW c/o RETAIL PHARMACY, BOOTS by FERRAGAMO

Fashion

Go-See Situation

Agnès is wearing a top from Peng Tai, a skirt from IRO Paris and boots from GmbH

Moli is wearing a top from Mengche Chiang, a dress from r . l . e with with tights from Wolford, ring from Julia Bartsch and shoes from empty behavior

Chloe is wearing a top from Acne Studios, pants from MM6 with a belt from Julia Bartsch, sunglasses from Uvex and shoes from Proenza Schouler

Glory is wearing a shirt from IRO Paris, pants from peng tai and shoes from Yume Yume

Timothée is wearing a shirt from Paloma Wool, pants from helios Emil and shoes from Yume Yume

Youssef is wearing a shirt from Dries Van Noten, pants, boots and underwear from GmbH, and a vintage hat

Fashion

The People of Lang

April 05, 2024

“The person gives meaning and value to the clothes and not the other way around,” said Peter Do of Helmut Lang SS24, his debut collection for the brand, which has finally hit the shelves.

It is an interesting, if not provocative choice — not only to ont put the garments primary, but to focus not on the “people,” as in a collective, but the “person,” as singular. It's a nod to what the brand has set out to establish since Do’s arrival, framing dressing as a system. It's a democratic formula which feeds off individuality and personal expression, relying upon character as opposed to custom. It’s a manifestation of personality, a farewell to performance. And it leaves us with one question, who is person enough to embody such a humble request?

By Vilda Krog
Photography by Huy Luoung
Styling by Jason Rider

The person in motion, the person of passion, the people passing by on the street who don’t care where you’re going, because they’re on a mission of their own. As Do crafts his garments, likewise do these individuals carve out their paths for themselves. No rules, no guidelines, and if there were — aren’t those meant to be broken? Suggestively, Do broke several rules once he interrogated assumptions around everyday dress back in September last year. Criticism came from more than one place at once. However, by staying true to his vision, he’s already beginning to see the fruits of his labor: his system of dressing, crystallized. It's subtly arrogant, yet widely accessible, dynamic, and utilitarian: it's a blazer, those striped trousers, that turtleneck top, and the traditional flattering denims. In other words, it's your carte blanche, thus let their personality be the color.

Who are they? The campaign, photographed by Huy Luoung and styled by Jason Rider, stars An-My Le, Armina Howanda Mussa, Ash Owens, Connor Sen Warnick, Devin B. Johnson, Eli Ping, Frederique Thiollet, John Yuyi, Kai Avent-Deleon, Linda Rodin, Michael Abel, Mindy Seu, Minjae Kim, Oscar Yi Hou, Sam Stewart, Sophia Roe, Steph Shiu, Yahdon Israel.

Usually, I’d hesitate to spell out more than four names, but in this case, perhaps we should consider them adjectives. Not at the expense of individuality. But rather, the definition of it.