Are we impressed?
Designer Rick Owen opened Paris Fashion Week last Thursday, September 26 with his show that showcased diverse, mainly black girls who make up the Step With Motion, Zetas and a few other black step dance squads from 3 other black sororities modeling his Spring 2014 collection in between performing an energetic routine on the runway.
Complete with the expressive facial contortions that one can expect to see from a gritty fierce Step routine, the women who ranged in sizes 10 and up stepped and fetched across the stage to the delight of the audience of elite fashion buyers, magazine editors, celebrities and fashion industry upper crust.
The buxom thick-thighed girls were the opposite of what one would expect to see on a Paris catwalk...
...instead of stilettos, they donned white-soled leather Rick Owens High top sneakers...
...and didn't spare a scowl or a turned up lip when busting every gruff and powerful move that made up their hand clapping and feet slapping number.
...at the end of the night, Owens got mad crazy amount of press and accolades from folks praising his bold, brave, different and props for being risque and pushing the envelope.
He wanted 40 thick black women with snarls and gritty faces to represent the martial arts aesthetic to his collection.
Their rough unkept looking hair is signature to how he had traditional models wear their hair in earlier shows
Nailed it!? Sort of...
*slow hand clap*
Bravo for going brave and exposing step culture and traditions which have roots in African dance to an audience of many who may never have seen it before!
Kudos for embracing larger women!
...'twas nothing less than what you'd expect from a designer who has fans in the likes of rapper A$AP Rocky...
How-the-ever....
....in Owens' courageous rejection of the stick-thin modeling world for one show, did the designer, known for clean futuristic lines, stoic usually all black color palette adequately make the case for using a variety of models from various ethnic backgrounds and sizes with this display?
It's not certain that the step show will entice fashion houses to go out and book girls that look like those on display Thursday--- complete with the grimacing mug and aggressive stature society has come to expect from black women.
...'cause more likely than not, after this week, it's pretty much going to go back to the same ole same ole where designers book one model of color per runway show or campaign.
As we saw in Owens' show in January this year:
Perhaps Owens or another designer some day will make a case for diversity in the industry that may have real effect of provoking actual change by...I dunno...maybe simply presenting a show with diverse industry models from different races in a size 6 to 12, wearing make up with their hair properly styled
That, in of itself, would be daring, different, innovative and risk-taking.
or I dunno...Maybe using 40 non-models for this spectacle bought Owens' tides for the next 40 years.
At the end of the day, there is a fine line to toe between embracing different sizes, shapes and beauty of women and parading big black girls out as props and entertainment in the hopes of creating a buzz-worthy show that gets people talking....
...Like we've seen before:
See the Routine for the Spring Women's wear collection here:
and the Ready to Wear 2014
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