PYER MOSS ss16 NYFW
Menswear styled to raise awareness. For ss16 NYFW, Pyer Moss collaborated with LA artist Gregory Siff bringing art x fashion to another level of artistic freedom + brilliance. Both Kerby Jean-Raymond, the Creative director of Pyer Moss and Siff put together a fashion show that told a story through art and choreography; one of brutality towards black Americans in the United States.
The duo silenced the talkative room. The lights turned off, signaling the show was about to start. The expectation was for models to start walking down the runway. Instead, a projection appeared; it was a ten minute documentary video including but not limited to violent assaults on black Americans, police brutality, and interviews of those families affected and left behind. Their stories became our stories.
The projection ended and the models began to walk out and take their places. Models were strategically Placed in lines around the squared, “caged” runway where they were surrounded by viewers at every side. Contained in the middle of the square space was a large empty space with small stage for artist Gregory Siff to perform live painting. Siff walked to the middle of the room and took his position.
The designs were structural, the colors were black and white with small hints of red geometric lines. The Pyer Moss x Gregory Siff collab included words of pain, of defeat, of surrender. Pieces of the collection had been defiled with red and black paint, with some pieces left blank, white like a canvas. Right before everyone’s eyes, Siff began to defile the blank canvases. The designs on the models were (violently) painted as we sat and watched the live performance art piece.
Model Alyssa Arce, was the centerpiece painted in the middle of the room on stage with Siff. Once he finished painting her, she was pushed into her place at the front of the room directly in view of the cameras, the photo pit.
Dario Calmese comes forward and pushes her at all angles. Arce is provoked, poked, prodded, and pushed to leave the runway. This was a choreographed act of violence towards the designs and this white model. She was left defenseless and on view like an animal. It was uncomfortable and alarming. Pyer moss x Gregory Siff made their point. We cannot look away from this topic in our world.
Thank you Kerby Jean-Raymond, Creative director and founder of Pyer Moss and artist Gregory Siff for bringing life to the clothing. True fashion tells us what we need to know – and thank you for including us in the bigger picture while reminding us of this brutality in the United States. PYER MOSS ss16 NYFW selects by Brigitte Segura, written by Audrey Froggatt.
photo credit: Audrey Froggatt | FashionDailyMag
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