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For those of you unaware of the new drop, Corona Szn is here and thriving. It’s bigger than Paris Fashion Week, the Olympics, and even Coachella. We may have successfully eluded the ever tawdry flower crowns, true; but what else lies ahead for the world of fashion in the parenthesis of Covid-19?
So far, we’ve tried to stave off the spread of the virus with vigorous hand- washing and bad memes, both of which are doing their best to corral the madness. Perhaps a key character that has been left out of the narrative due to scarcity is one that predates all of this: the face mask.
The face mask has been a pillar in famed and famished designers’ portfolios alike for years, but 2020 hits different: this pandemic shines a spotlight on the otherwise superfluous accessory that’s now at the forefront of everyone’s mind— those fashion-minded as well as those exempt from the culture altogether. In light of the end of the world, let’s take a dive into the best of masks, from functional to freaky and everything in between.
Katsuya Kamo
https://twitter.com/5paradox55
Enter Fashion Week ‘06: Junya Watanabe. Here we find the recently deceased Katsuya Kamo (rest in power) as a baby in his couture career. The MUA-turned-designer’s tactile mask/headdress hybrid paves the way for his eponymous Tokyo exhibit. Kamo’s raw and thorny edges provide an air of armor that leaves us with a pang in our chests.
Mason Margiela
https://mintsquare.com Maison Martin Margiela Masks (used in Primal Scream’s video by SHOWstudio) & The Lovers, Rene Magritte, 2013
If couture giant Mason Margiela’s Tabi boots have one too many openings, his masks have one too few. Margiela’s beautiful (if not claustrophobic) creations feature ornate beading of hundreds of crystals. Purely tastemakers, these silhouettes limit motion. They are not for the faint of breath nor creativity.
Alexander Mcqueen
https://anothermag.com
McQueen’s anthropomorphic and skeletal mask in his Dante AW96 show was heavily informed by photographer Joel Peter-Witkin. Witkin’s exhibit flaunted the grotesque spirit of humanity cradled amongst Biblical themes. In similar taste, Mcqueen’s show bore unorthodox images as well as models. “I don’t find it extreme. I know it looks extreme to other people... I find it poetic. It relates to my work” –McQueen on Witkin.
Marine Serre
https://whatdropsnow.com
Marine Serre is one of the younger distinguished artists in this mix: at only 28, she’s made a splash by winning the 2017 LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers. The French creator’s famed mask, dubbed the Anti-Pollution Mask, seems to have welcomed the potential for quarantine long before any of us had. Serre’s look also comes in fresh monogrammed patterns, true to modern times. If anyone can make this dire situation chic, it’s Serre.
Marco Morante
https://123rf.com
Marco Morante of Marco Marco clothing line specializes in sleek men’s underwear. Flirty and unabashed, his prurient masks double as muzzles in the bedroom. Marco’s runway consists entirely of trans models, starring drag queens of the likes of RuPaul’s Drag Race and Pose-- after all, his work is a love letter to the gay and trans community. The collection’s bright color-blocking brings queerhood and kink out from the shameful dark.
Leikeli47
https://www.amazon.com/Leikeli47/e/B074KN8NY9
On the homemade end of the spectrum, we have Leikeli47, a burgeoning performer making waves with her recent rap album, Acrylic. Leikeli is no stranger to the mask. In an intimate interview with Vice, Leikeli “was insistent that anything [the interviewer] write should mention [his]...dreamy eyes.” The writer followed up to posit, “I think [that] speaks to the way [Leikeli] encourages us to look at the world. If you’re wearing a mask, your eyes are one of the only things people can see—incidentally, they are maybe our most honest physical feature, the most suggestive of our interior lives.”
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These paragons of fashion-- some classics while some emerging-- highlight the many faces of maskware. A mask’s function is not limited to that of hygiene, embellishment, play, physical or psychological protection: it is all of the above. We are empowered in more ways than one by a mask’s anonymity.
So before you sneeze into the ether (or your hands, and get your grimy little paws all over your keys), do yourself a favor and pick up the fashion industry’s day one accessory. Your face, and the world, will thank you.
Written by Tovya Goodwin
Resources:
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/ryzvey/leikeli47-interview-profile-2015 https://www.dazeddigital.com/fashion/article/26031/1/if-you-like-mcqueen-s-ss01-vos s-you-ll-like-joel-peter-witkin
https://www.dazeddigital.com/fashion/article/26031/1/if-you-like-mcqueen-s-ss01-vos s-you-ll-like-joel-peter-witkin
https://remezcla.com/lists/culture/meet-marco-morante-domirican-designer-behind-ny fws-first-trans-show/
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