Beam Me Up!
photo from Dirty Dirty Dancing
The birth of New Rave in London two years ago paved the way for fashion’s acceptance for everything theatrical and somewhat futuristic. And as trends do in Europe, they spread like wildfire to the cities of Bangkok, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and other South East Asian cities.
Picture from Bangkok Recorder
Picture from Jakarta Street Looks
Picture from Singapore’s Ready Set Glo
Designers such as Cassette Playa and musicians like MIA personified a neon excess that was so fresh and exciting that the world gobbled it up as quickly as it was spewed out. Pretty soon, no one wanted to have anything to do with fluoro and glow sticks.
But in all seriousness, many fashion snobs do not give New Rave enough credit. The death of this genre breathed new life to an aesthetic that is a little bit The Jetsons, part Milky Way and a lot of imagination. While most fashion designers seek the past for inspiration, there are some out there that seek this brand of muse to create something fresh and spectacular.
Aussie darlings Ksubi’s digital printed Japanese silk T shirt dresses from their Spring Summer 07/08 line. I have one myself, and it is seriously the most comfortable and lightweight piece of art that you will ever wear.
The Peter Pilotto label channels Luke Skywalker and the intergalactic for its Autumn Winter 08/09 collection. If there ever was a Star Wars spin-off, these numbers will be the outshine the stars.
And of course, it-designer Maison Martin Margiela fuses elements of rock & roll and the cosmos to recreate the intergalactic cowboy for Spring 2008 Ready To Wear collection. There is a Topshop knockoff of the Wild Horses print top but please, don’t ever kid yourself that it is ever the real thing.
Written by Anna T.
