Business As Usual

“Business As Usual” is an exploration into the ideas of capitalism and fashion, and the never-ending battle of consumerism over humanism. To Johnson, it feels as though capitalism is fighting its hardest to stay afloat during devastation, confusion, and panic.

The models, or barbies, in this case, are dressed up in outfits created by Naomi Tarazi that are directly inspired by Balenciaga’s apocalypse collection. The FW20 collection was shown in Paris on a flooded catwalk to bring attention to the threat of climate change. It was ominous, dark, and smart. “For me, this was one of the only collections that really brought anything to the table that season in terms of garments, casting, and creative direction—it felt like it was fashioning the apocalypse. This show was at the end of the season that was still happening as Italy started to plummet into its epidemic state. These are the only looks I saw when I pictured these images in my mind.”

“Fashion is a hyper commodified art form, and I’m still on the fence about my feelings on it as a medium to truly be able to express and tell stories due to its ties with commerciality, which essentially drives its cut-throat nature you see across the process from production to marketing,” Johnson says. “It’s an interesting internal dialogue I get into in my own mind sometimes.”

Check out the editorial below.