SS21 FS The Bizarre Hunt

By Scott Yo   6.9.2021

     There are two that I firmly believe that everyone should do. The first is that they should support the people they care about, especially in their creative efforts. The second is to give honest and constructive feedback about that effort. The reason that these two things are so important is because they allow for beautiful things to happen. It is difficult to be confident in the things that you make. The support of people that you care about and that care about you makes all the difference in the world. The romanticization of the "reclusive artist" just doesn't seem productive to me, we should prop up those we care about and support and help when we can. The importance of honest and constructive feedback is also vital because this is how great things can be made. The sad truth is that not everything you do is going to be good, every creative person makes something that just isn't that great. It is okay to think that something isn't good, that a movie is bad, or a popular song just is not worth listening to. All of this leads me to writing about what two close friends of mine, Meredith and Jacob, did, their Germ clothing brand and the fashion show that they held.
     I am not going to pretend that I know anything about fashion or what "good" style actually is. I mean, my idea of looking cool is wearing a band shirt that known of my friends know about or a flannel shirt when the weather turns colder. I wear two different pairs of black pants basically every day. I certainly know nothing about making clothes or what goes into a fashion show. When I first found out about all of this, I was mostly just confused but somewhat excited because I knew it would be another thing my friends and I would go watch and just another excuse to hang out and do something cool. Like I said, it is important to support the creative endeavors of those you care about. It wasn't until I actually saw the fashion show that I realized just how special and interesting what they were doing was. The whole thing was just so cool.
     The place was crowded, plenty of people I knew but also plenty of people I did not. No one is talking and the room is dark, a video begins to play and shows all the models walking through the woods, showing off the clothes. There is music backing the whole thing, as the video begins to play, the models do their first walk down the runway, which is lined with leaves. All of the models are wearing masks (fitting for the world we currently live in), which the booklet that everyone was provided describes as "To unite is to find balance. Our masks embody traits that connect us while giving each character a distinct flavor". The models leave the runway then return and do three more walk throughs, the crowd cheering after the second. The third and final walkthrough seemed to be the most memorable, as the models walk out one by one dancing and putting their own personality behind what they are doing. They finish standing back-to-back and the place erupts in cheers and claps. The atmosphere is electric, everyone is excited by what they have just seen. Meredith and Jacob finally come out to well-deserved applause and give a two very gracious and genuine thank yours, but we, the crowd, are also thankful for being able to witness what we just saw.
     Obviously, this fashion show was to show off what they had created for the Germ brand. All of the clothing were earth tones, and all of clothes are upcycled. The importance of the upcycling is outlined in the booklet, saying "upcycling exemplifies the heart of this brand. Every garment holds true to this principle through both material and design, whether it be by alterations made to existing garments or by small batch manufacturing using scavenged materials." It is sustainable fashion in a time where sustainability is now cool. All of clothes look unique and interesting. You can tell a lot of work went into them; they aren't just thrifted clothing but something completely new. While they defined what the masks meant, one thing I noticed was that a mask is something that hides the face of something. By hiding the face of models, it no longer matters who is behind the mask, it can be anyone, it could be you and it could be me.
     While it may seem like I am just gushing over something that my friends did, which I am, I really do mean all of this. It really was a special event and I think that everyone there would agree. When I think of what Germ is as a brand, I think of my two friends creating something together, something that they really believe in. When looking at the amount of work that went into this, seeing the finished product come together in such a magical way, I believe in it too. Since I really do believe that you should support the creative endeavors of those you care about and that you should give honest feedback about it, this what I have to say. That as it stands right now Germ is something that I believe in and that Meredith and Jacob really do create something beautiful. 

 

GERM earthwear - The Bizarre Hunt: Looks 1 through 15