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yung_alexander<\/span><\/h1>\n

NONBINARY FASHION<\/span><\/h2>\n

Certainly we all know many male fashion designers are gay. However, the LGBTQ community has always been under-represented on the runways. Significantly, in the last couple of years we have started to see non binary fashion and transgender models turning up on the catwalks.<\/p>\n

So what is nonbinary ? Nonbinary gender<\/i>\u00a0is an umbrella term to describe any gender identity that does not fit into the gender binary of male and female. Nonbinary gender (also sometimes referred to as genderqueer) people may, for example, identify as having no gender, fall on a gender spectrum somewhere between male and female, or identify as totally outside binary gender identities.<\/p>\n

In the fashion world this means clothing that is not gender specific. Moreover, this\u00a0 exciting change was evident at Vancouver Fashion Week. From student designers to the brand\u00a0 I'm writing about today, yung_alexander.<\/p>\n

yung_alexander<\/span><\/h2>\n

Whenever, I see something on the runway that challenges me, I'm excited. Therefore the yung_alexander collection by Alexander Kershaw had me questioning and searching and thrilled. What I saw on the catwalk told me I was dealing with an intellectual designer who had thought out his every garment.<\/p>\n

While I don't want to describe too much what I saw, pictures will tell the story, I found several things that really stood out to me.<\/p>\n

First was the non-binary nature of the entire collection, there was really not a single garment that was gender specific. Whether I interpreted the first model as male or female was not relevant. The constant through out was the stark white quilted fabric, that had me think of a sterile environment, clean and stark. In more abstract terms, maybe I was seeing a visionary snowboard community on the runway. Neither male or female just being was the overall effect.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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yung_alexander<\/span><\/h2>\n

The second thing that stood out to me was the dynamic shapes, that appeared like puzzle pieces on the body. Furthermore, my mind started to look at these shapes as interchangeable, maybe the snaps might allow me to change the garment as I saw fit. The idea of being adaptable, whether it be gender, social or physical, stands out as these garments could morph into something else. My mind searched for a reference and I came up with a vision of my young nephews playing with their transformer toys, something about this collection says science fiction with other worldly silhouettes. Furthermore there is a sense of armor, protection from the elements and environments. The quilted nature of the garments pieces appear like shields guarding the wearer from whatever obstacles they may encounter.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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yung_alexander<\/span><\/h2>\n

Whenever, you look at a fashion designers work, it important to look at the designers history to understand their designs. While looking into Alexander Kershaw, I learned that as well as fashion, he studied architecture. At this point, the collection named \"Terminus,\" is seen through fresh eyes.<\/p>\n

Fashion designers who also work in architecture often use their materials as building blocks, constructing a wearable form in the same manner architects utilize concrete, cement, and glass to build up their structures. Indeed this is evident in the forms Kershaw uses to produce his looks. The garments are constructed by combining a variety of shapes, rather than using traditional pattern blocks.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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