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Matty Bovan Spring/Summer 2023
Source: YouTube, screenshot of video
Runway presentation at Milan Fashion Week 2022
Model: Hou Jing (@houjingcui)
“Dopamine-Core”, as defined by Architectural Digest--“brilliantly bold colors and patterns, eclectic prints, inviting textures, and a nostalgia-infused, unmissable vibe”
Matty Bovan, Spring/Summer ‘23 was dopamine core on a runway. The designer took a maximalist approach to dressing, and provided as many Gen-Z coded signals as possible in a single outfit--checkerboard, corsets, bags, elaborate patterns and colors, wild and voluminous garments, and shape augmenting hats. It was almost super-human, the attempt to expand what humans can look like while walking down the street. It was a rebellion, an exaggeration of the human silhouette. Seeing ensembles like these made me wonder:
What does wearing an outfit like this signal to the viewer?
How much can we change our shape and still be recognized as human?
Do we use clothing to cover ourselves in hiding, or show who we really are?
Fashion, at its core, is a human-based study reaching for the answers to these questions.