New York’s own Hood By Air bills itself as “ghetto goth.” That’s a niche market if we’ve ever seen one. But in spite (or perhaps because) of its cult appeal, HBA can certainly draw a crowd. Theophilus London, Nicola Formichetti, and his two Pomeranians, Tank and Bambi, were in the front row at the label’s Fall ’13 show at Milk Studios yesterday afternoon. The theme was techno-tribal-street-zombie—a concept that was magnified by performance artist Boy Child, who would sporadically interrupt the catwalking by creeping through a cloud of smoke and contorting his body into morbid positions.
Designer Shayne Oliver moved away from his usual all-black palette this season with splashes of yellow, blue, and X-ray green. “Before, I enjoyed black because I thought it looked the best,” Oliver told Style.com, “Now I’m learning how to express that darkness without actually doing black.” This collection is also markedly more complex than what we’ve seen on the racks in previous seasons. Sweatshirts are done in oversize neoprene to distort the body, Bermudas are slit open and worn over skinny pants, and zippers transform one garment into something else entirely, like a pair of loose shorts into a kilt. It’s an aesthetic that really appealed to A$AP Rocky, whom Oliver enlisted to close the show. “Growing up in Harlem, hanging out in Soho, I had to deal with the transition between different worlds. Shayne’s stuff is totally something I can get with.” Thanks to A$AP, HBA’s niche might soon get a little bit bigger—Oliver will be dressing the rapper as he opens for Rihanna on her world tour this spring.
—Todd Plummer
Photo:Carly Otness/BFAnyc.com
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