SATURATION

POWER

It's Just Fabric

Written by Shibo Chen

A collaboration with Nic,
T.J, Jean and Jason

Fashion is never just about how to look pretty. It is about how to look like yourself. It is the most direct and powerful way for us to show who we really are. The clothes that we choose to wear becomes a statement, an effective way of revealing identity, building self confidence and expressing feelings, especially for the new generation. We are in a really free time when self expressions are celebrated and thriving. We do not want to be labeled. We explore and experiment a lot. Rules are been broken and reinvented. We find out and advocate the power of fashion, using it to shape our society and people’s thoughts.

" I mean self-expression is important. I feel like for a lot of people clothing is a way to express that outwardly. It's always been a way for me to express outwardly and I've always found it helpful in freeing myself. I still remember the first time I bought this beautiful beautiful skirt, it's wool, it's got fringe, and it is beautiful. And I remember the first time I wore that skirt which was a big thing for me and it was a very freeing moment and it held a lot of weight in my life. Literally I remember talking to some friends of mine and being like, I can feel my thighs brushing against each other and that's an incredible experience. "
— Nic

Clothes is a huge part of the fashion world and is always associated with gender. However, it is, in facet, forced to have gender. Segmentation exists in gender and all the human behaviors that have relationships with gender. Society has an expected way for us to behave based on the traditional gender stereotypes. Masculinity and femininity is introduced to describe the qualities of the binary gender, both exist in the very opposite and end of the spectrum. Very still and against each other, which is toxic. Certain types of clothes is forced to categorized into binary gender and forced to represent masculinity and femininity. For instance, it is natural for a female to wear dress and high heels, however, a male should not wear them at all. During that time, everything associated with gender is binary, they stay in their own safe zone and never come out and communicate.

" One thing I really like about thrift shopping is that you could find different parts of you as you just go to different racks of clothes. And there's always a lack of conformity. Because when you go to a shopping mall, especially some multi-plazas, there is always the female level and the male level. Everything is sort of divided. But then when you go to the thrift store, there are no rules. You just wear anything you can put on your body. That really makes me at ease whenever I shop. And it’s like treasure hunting. "
— Jean

But nowadays, gender is no longer a binary term. More and more people tend not to be tied down into the very end of the spectrum of gender. It’s somehow in between, fluid and always changing. It’s more open ended. So it is natural that the old “rules” doesn’t work anymore. We are more willing to wear clothes based on their true identity rather than what the society think we should wear. It is a time to break the stereotypes and norms. What is the weapon then? Fashion it is. It’s like a flyer in human body. A bold, fearless, statement says I’m just going to wear whatever I want that can make me feel better about myself. Fuck the same old rules. It’s OK for a individual who is considered more masculine to wear clothes that is considered feminine. And the moment these binary terms meet together is actually quite delicate and fascinating. The fluidity exists in wearing clothes more freely, breaking the stereotypes and accepting our true self. The focus and standard shift from the society into the individual, us, and that is the true form of fluidity.

" There is this moment when I was dressing to impress other people. But then at a certain point I just realized that I just want to wear whatever I want and then I started wearing what I want to see in myself. It's the image that I'm looking for in myself. It's my opinion towards myself. That is a huge change for me. It wasn't about other people's feelings. It became a part of self care. I think the fact that I have control over what I want to wear and how I want to present my self to people was a huge change for me and I still love that. "
— Jean

I remember when I was growing up, I love shopping with my mom, which might be painful for most teenage boys. While, I just feel like it is enjoyable to look at different kinds of garments with different pattern, material and form. And sometimes I just think I would love to wear some of them cause they are beautiful in a way. Also my interest in popular culture introduces me a range of pop and fashion icons like Lady Gaga, David Bowie, Prince, Grace Jones, etc. They are just fearless and beautiful. And I find the moment when they break the gender stereotypes is so attracting. The time that I live right now is open and free. Gender is not binary anymore and our generation are really embracing the idea of fluidity, especially around things about gender. For me, sometimes I would go check womenswear and find some knitwear and sweaters are so attempting and  totally works for me. However, the size doesn’t fit me. To be honest, when I’m shopping, I think most clothes from the menswear section is just boring compared with the ones in womenswear section. But then the question is why do I need to go to a another section to search for that. There is no reason to separate them.

" Oh fuck it, I'm going to check out the menswear section and check out the women's wear section. I'm going to grab some stuff and I'm going to try it on. Because for me I'm actively searching for things that fit my body and that can be in womenswear or menswear. "
— Nic

Just Fabric collection is an experimental collection about fluidity. The method is to use a piece of fabric to form the clothes based on different ways to wrap it in human body and the goal is to break the segmentation. Cause right now most of the retail store is still divide into menswear and womenswear, which follows the binary gender rules. The binary segmentation is connected with the form of the clothes. Because it is a confirmed, already finished look, it is then been categorized into the binary area based on the notions of what a male or female should look like. So I feel like there is a need to have a more fluid shopping experience. And in order to create a fluid shopping experience, the clothes it self should be fluid. For this collection, there is a lack of conformity. The form and the way to construct are fluid and changeable. Without giving it a certain settled form gives it more power to become a statement or a tool for individuals to express themselves. It focused more on the side of the people who are going to wear it. And every stereotypes associated with a certain type of clothes are broken since the form of the clothes is always changing.

" It's bull shit. I don't like it. When I went to shopping with my girlfriend, I wanted to try on a few things or just go in with her in the women's side dressing rooms to try on clothes with her. They wouldn't let me. "
— T.J

In the first collection, there are 4 looks using just one piece of fabric to construct. Each of them are unique, with different color, texture and material, based on the model who is wearing it.

01

Nic is wearing a fashionable pants/dress made by two leather fabric, simply wrapping around his/her/their legs. It gives the David Bowie effect. The wonderful thing about this look is that you can not really tell if it’s a giant pants or a edgy dress, which blurs the boundary.

02

T.J is wearing a chic black leather dress that is made of the same fabric to construct Nic’ look. So the fabric can turn into any form based on people’s need.

03

Jean’s favorite color is gold and loves vintage clothes. So the look is made by a piece of golden fabric, wrapping around his/her/their shoulder to form a classical and vintage sleeve.

04

Jason is wearing a silver cape made of a piece of silver fabric. It’s royal and theatrical and has a nice contrast with the simple red dress he/she/they is/are wearing.

The goal of this collection is really to explore a way to build a fluid fashion experience, both clothing and shopping. We should all forget all the rules and stereotypes. Experiment and explore. And fashion is the weapon and tool. Fashion is always about empowering ourselves, from the first day when human race decided to wear clothes. It is time to just forget all the stereotypes and norms and really focus on our true self. Everyday, we should be able to wear anything that can makes us feel good, comfortable and confident, without second doubt. That is the moment we finally break free.

A fluid fashion
experience

01

02

03

04

In the first collection, there are 4 looks using just one piece of fabric to construct. Each of them are unique, with different color, texture and material, based on the model who is wearing it.

01: Nic is wearing a fashionable pants/dress made by two leather fabric, simply wrapping around his/her/their legs. It gives the David Bowie effect. The wonderful thing about this look is that you can not really tell if it’s a giant pants or a edgy dress, which blurs the boundary.

02: T.J is wearing a chic black leather dress that is made of the same fabric to construct Nic’ look. So the fabric can turn into any form based on people’s need.

03: Jean’s favorite color is gold and loves vintage clothes. So the look is made by a piece of golden fabric, wrapping around his/her/their shoulder to form a classical and vintage sleeve.

04: Jason is wearing a silver cape made of a piece of silver fabric. It’s royal and theatrical and has a nice contrast with the simple red dress he/she/they is/are wearing.

Saturation Magazine Issue 02 POWER. Editor in Chief Shibo Chen. Website designed and made by Shibo Chen.
04, 24, 2019 at CalArts.

Saturation

POWER

Editor's Letter

Issue 01 #youth

It's Just Fabric

A Fluid Fashion Experience
by Shibo Chen

Just Fabric collection is an experimental collection about fluidity. The method is to use a piece of fabric to form the clothes based on different ways to wrap it in human body and the goal is to break the segmentation. Cause right now most of the retail store is still divide into menswear and womenswear, which follows the binary gender rules. The binary segmentation is connected with the form of the clothes. Because it is a confirmed, already finished look, it is then been categorized into the binary area based on the notions of what a male or female should look like. So I feel like there is a need to have a more fluid shopping experience. And in order to create a fluid shopping experience, the clothes it self should be fluid. For this collection, there is a lack of conformity. The form and the way to construct are fluid and changeable. Without giving it a certain settled form gives it more power to become a statement or a tool for individuals to express themselves. It focused more on the side of the people who are going to wear it. And every stereotypes associated with a certain type of clothes are broken since the form of the clothes is always changing.

In the first collection, there are 4 looks using just one piece of fabric to construct. Each of them are unique, with different color, texture and material, based on the model who is wearing it.

01 Nic

Nic is wearing a fashionable pants/dress made by two leather fabric, simply wrapping around his/her/their legs. It gives the David Bowie effect. The wonderful thing about this look is that you can not really tell if it’s a giant pants or a edgy dress, which blurs the boundary.

02 T.J

T.J is wearing a chic black leather dress that is made of the same fabric to construct Nic’ look. So the fabric can turn into any form based on people’s need.

03 Jean

Jean’s favorite color is gold and loves vintage clothes. So the look is made by a piece of golden fabric, wrapping around his/her/their shoulder to form a classical and vintage sleeve.

04 Jason

Jason is wearing a silver cape made of a piece of silver fabric. It’s royal and theatrical and has a nice contrast with the simple red dress he/she/they is/are wearing.

The goal of this collection is really to explore a way to build a fluid fashion experience, both clothing and shopping. We should all forget all the rules and stereotypes. Experiment and explore. And fashion is the weapon and tool. Fashion is always about empowering ourselves, from the first day when human race decided to wear clothes. It is time to just forget all the stereotypes and norms and really focus on our true self. Everyday, we should be able to wear anything that can makes us feel good, comfortable and confident, without second doubt. That is the moment we finally break free.

Saturation Magazine Issue 02 POWER

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Made by Shibo Chen. Collaborating
with amazing Nic, Jean, Jason, T.J and Alex