#Alectra Rothschild

[therunwayarchive]

Alectra Rothschild for The Royal Danish Academy, Spring 2023

[caintooth]

outfits i think luke skywalker should wear

[lennys-criticaldesign]

第２話 【前半】 - 異服 (queer clothes)

hello everyone, this is the first part of my series on conceptual samples which is all about (sustainable) fashion! the title 「異服」 is a play on the word 衣服 (i-fuku) meaning clothes and the character 異 (i) which stands for different or queerness. this post is for anyone who is sick of fast fashion, boring designs & heterosexual, cisgender norms that are embedded in fashion. interested in the concept of slow fashion, i will introduce you to 5 queer designers that embrace ecological, ethical & sustainable approaches to fashion.

i already have my 🌈gay socks🌈 on, so let's go!

Mark Baigent uses fashion to address social & political themes, creating gender-free clothing. although their designs might seem to engender either a more feminine or masculine appearance, in understanding gender as simply being human, Baigent’s clothes create gender-neutral silhouettes. these garments are not tailored to certain body types, thus they’re intended to be worn by anybody. they aim to design fashion that creates a dialogue between convention and avant-garde. minimalistic & geometric shapes characterize the clothes of the designer who supports slow fashion as well as sustainability. accordingly, Baigent makes a point of following fair trade ethics by using natural, locally sourced materials from which they craft the various clothing items in their small manufactury in bali.

the following collection focuses on the concepts “Gender Is A Lie” & “I Am Not Your Binary”. these two phrases can also be seen on several items. the collection embraces everything Mark Baigent stands for: gender-free & ethical clothing.

God Era by Nino Goderidze is a notable representative when it comes to ethical fashion. the designer who avidly supports sustainability has also worked on creating biodegradable vegan leather. she views the human body as an “object and inspiration for developing an organic art medium”. her work depicts a future of queered technology where the human becomes a genderless organism that possesses both natural & synthetic qualities. In this context, I want to introduce 2 of God Era’s collections: 

digital ark: in a post-apocalyptic future where humans have lost their physical state, the memories of every inhabitant of earth are preserved in the digital ark. with this collection, God Era seeks to criticize the consumerism intrinsic to the (mainstream) fashion industry which ignores its effects on the planet's resources in favor of making a profit. not only does this practice endangers the existence of human but also that of animals. hence, the collection features several items made from the designer’s vegan leather.

(white) apocalypse: the cyborg, half human & half robot, emerges as a hybrid organism from the human being who has been losing its humanistic features. this highly intelligent creature could be described as transhuman as it comes to possess superhuman abilities. this project is meant to reflect the chaotic nature of organisms’ evolutionary processes. 

Alectra Rothschild celebrates trans (& queer) identities through her fashion designs. she subscribes to the concept of subversive glamor & “decadent glamour in a rotten way”. she states, “the people I design for are like myself, trans people, and people who subscribe to glamour and femininity.” the designer describes her designs as “flamboyant, high femme, and quite shameless”.

people (some of them terfs) have criticized Rothschild’s work as relying on stereotypes and, in essence, constituting a caricature of femininity. however, as a matter of fact, the designer honors the impactful women in her life and puts femininity & femmes on a pedestal. in her work, she focuses on the idea of community before consumption. further, she uses various techniques when creating her designs that allow for her clothes to fit on many different bodies.

Rothschild’s collection Messages from the Stars is her “love letter to the trans community” & seeks to effect a shift from perceiving being trans as abnormal to appreciating the beauty & divinity of the trans experience & community. she explores the concept of multiplicity in oneself, drawing on the idea that context influences who we are in that moment. for this purpose, the designer created different characters that represent different aspects of herself that co-exist within her. These include the witch, the pirate & the showgirl, sporting outfits such as three-piece suits and burlesque minidresses.

“the point of the collection was to say that you can be a lot of things all at once. stop minimising yourself into one box when you can be 15 boxes.”

in another collection, Rothschild focuses on the lifestyle of people "at the fringes of respectable society", such as the djs, artists, drag queens & voguers. this collection embodies a mix of several different aesthetics, from drapery to bodysuits, showing Rothschild’s refusal to follow one clear style. As such, the danish designer distances herself from mainstream scandinavian fashion which is characterized by its clean & homogenous look. in Rothschild’s own words, “fuck the clean narrative! chaos reigns!”

Levau Shveldize focuses on LGBTQ+ activism with clothes & addresses queer oppression as he views fashion as a vital tool for communicating social or political messages. surrounded by conservative rules of behavior, he feels that the freedom of self-expression is severely limited, especially for queer people. for this reason, the aim of his work is to transform society’s hatred & fear of the LGBTQ+ community into understanding & acceptance.

“I want to cause a reaction with my collections”

the designer gets his inspiration & motivation from other queer people working in fields of his interest. Shveldize envisions that his clothing can enable (queer) people to express themselves free from heteronormative standards.

sustainable & ethical practices are of high importance to Shveldize as he recognizes that the fashion industry is among the biggest polluters in the world. his devotion can be seen in one of his “gender-fucking collections” where he presents unisex eco- & LGBTQ-friendly clothing. the garments are created by recycling & upcycling second-hand fabrics & materials; the designs are inspired by gothic art, social simulation games & pop culture, but also sexual fetishes. the items in this collection are characterized by asymmetrical cuts, the combination of different materials & experimental details.

in his collection The Interview with Death, Shvelidze reinterprets bedtime stories told by his grandfather, full of strange & beautiful creatures, as pink bloody nightmares. distorted see-through dresses, tight belts & blood drips imprint the feeling of fear into the different garments. with his grotesque & gender-fluid presentation, the designer intended to highlight the queer communities that are facing oppression in post-soviet georgia. 

Raffa Reuther is a self-described nonbinary dyke & an interdisciplinary artist working in the fields of fashion, photography & printmaking, among others. they create handmade garments from locally sourced materials with a focus on shape, identity, construction & play in their designs.

the designer criticizes the idea that one is expected to wear only clothing which flatters, as prescribed by patriarchy, one’s body shape. being someone whose existence defies binary notions of gender, Reuther seeks to present themself in a way that doesn’t conform to society’s expectation of feminine or masculine presentation. accordingly, Reuther designs their clothes to be worn by anyone of any gender & of any body size. the colorful garments are made for people to boldly express who they are, while at the same serving their practical purpose of, e.g. keeping warm & holding stuff, as well as go with the wearer’s existing wardrobe. there is an emphasis on fun, which can be seen in the combining of different fabrics & colors in the designs. this is meant to represent the unique personalities of the people who wear the garments.

i hope you enjoyed this little journey into queer & sustainable fashion 😊 (stay tuned for part 2)

―　つづく　―

[whosafraidofsophialamar]

Sophia Lamar for Alectra Rothschild F/W2024 Copenhagen Denmark Jan 2024

[news-locus]

A Star Is Reborn at Copenhagen Fashion Week—Her Name Is Alectra Rothschild

[biglisbonnews]

Alectra Rothschild staged her own funeral at Copenhagen Fashion Week ...and more fashion news you missed https://www.dazeddigital.com/fashion/article/58112/1/copenhagen-fashion-week-i-want-masculina-gucci-jenna-ortega-nike-tiffany-news

[4me4you]

Designer: ALECTRA ROTHSCHILD / MASCULINA

[therunwayarchive]

Alectra Rothschild for The Royal Danish Academy, Spring 2023

[therunwayarchive]

Alectra Rothschild for The Royal Danish Academy, Spring 2023

[whosafraidofsophialamar]

Sophia Lamar for Alectra Rothschild F/W2024. Copenhagen Denmark Jan 2024

[4me4you]

4ME4YOU FEATURES “ALECTRA ROTHSCHILD / MASCULINA DURING COPENHAGEN FASHION WEEK AW24.

Designer: ALECTRA ROTHSCHILD / MASCULINA

Alectra Rothschild / Masculina is a brand built on the notions of craftsmanship, femininity, and high glamour.

Alectra is a trained tailor before starting to study fashion. She studied at Beckmans College of Design, MA Fashion under Fabio Piras at Central Saint Martins, and studied sustainability and fashion at The Royal Danish Academy.

At this time Alectra trained with the likes of Iris Van Herpen and Anne Sofie Madsen, Alectra got her first job in the fashion industry at Mugler under the creative direction of Casey Cadwallader and has since done freelance work for Alexander McQueen and a collab with Birkenstock.

Since graduating, i-D mentioned Alectra Rothschild as "best of CPHFW SS23+FW23", she was chosen for Dazed100 List 2022 by Dazed and was selected as the first CPHFW NEWTALENT: One to Watch for FW23 and latest Alectra had a performance for CPHFW SS24 presented by Viscose Journal Masculina has had the pleasure of dressing stars like Arca, MØ, Zara Larsson and Michéle Lamy.

WEBSITE: https://www.iwantmasculina.com

[4me4you]

4ME4YOU FEATURES “ALECTRA ROTHSCHILD / MASCULINA DURING COPENHAGEN FASHION WEEK AW24.

Designer: ALECTRA ROTHSCHILD / MASCULINA

Alectra Rothschild / Masculina is a brand built on the notions of craftsmanship, femininity, and high glamour.

Alectra is a trained tailor before starting to study fashion. She studied at Beckmans College of Design, MA Fashion under Fabio Piras at Central Saint Martins, and studied sustainability and fashion at The Royal Danish Academy.

At this time Alectra trained with the likes of Iris Van Herpen and Anne Sofie Madsen, Alectra got her first job in the fashion industry at Mugler under the creative direction of Casey Cadwallader and has since done freelance work for Alexander McQueen and a collab with Birkenstock.

Since graduating, i-D mentioned Alectra Rothschild as "best of CPHFW SS23+FW23", she was chosen for Dazed100 List 2022 by Dazed and was selected as the first CPHFW NEWTALENT: One to Watch for FW23 and latest Alectra had a performance for CPHFW SS24 presented by Viscose Journal Masculina has had the pleasure of dressing stars like Arca, MØ, Zara Larsson and Michéle Lamy.

WEBSITE: https://www.iwantmasculina.com

[4me4you]

4ME4YOU FEATURES “ALECTRA ROTHSCHILD / MASCULINA DURING COPENHAGEN FASHION WEEK AW24.

Designer: ALECTRA ROTHSCHILD / MASCULINA

Alectra Rothschild / Masculina is a brand built on the notions of craftsmanship, femininity, and high glamour.

Alectra is a trained tailor before starting to study fashion. She studied at Beckmans College of Design, MA Fashion under Fabio Piras at Central Saint Martins, and studied sustainability and fashion at The Royal Danish Academy.

At this time Alectra trained with the likes of Iris Van Herpen and Anne Sofie Madsen, Alectra got her first job in the fashion industry at Mugler under the creative direction of Casey Cadwallader and has since done freelance work for Alexander McQueen and a collab with Birkenstock.

Since graduating, i-D mentioned Alectra Rothschild as "best of CPHFW SS23+FW23", she was chosen for Dazed100 List 2022 by Dazed and was selected as the first CPHFW NEWTALENT: One to Watch for FW23 and latest Alectra had a performance for CPHFW SS24 presented by Viscose Journal Masculina has had the pleasure of dressing stars like Arca, MØ, Zara Larsson and Michéle Lamy.

WEBSITE: https://www.iwantmasculina.com