Leather: A charistmatic uniform

Without even knowing it, about a year and a half ago I designed a wardrobe simply out of necessity, if you could remember this set of clothing where I just changed the colors and patterns. At the time I also felt like I didn’t want to force any new ideas, ‘if you don’t have a new idea, don’t pretend like you have one’ was my feeling at the time..and then I just thought well I like wearing the same thing everyday anyway so I might as well… I needed some kind of uniform to make things stable, and I love this idea of things repeating in exactly the same pattern…Which led me to think..is it really a uniform I want? Maybe it doesn’t have to be forever, but for a sustained period of time, it was exactly what one wanted. Somehow a set of four men wearing the same outfit makes for a powerful image.

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I don’t believe that uniforms need to be applied to those who work in the military, or for an airline. While looking at this book, I realized that it wasn’t just about leather (one of my favorite subjects) but an underlying theme was appearing right before my eyes, uniforms. You can see them in the motorcycle jackets, the MA-1′s and Hermes Bags. And another thing is that these uniforms coincide with one material, leather that is. Why leather is so important, at least for me… it adds substance to an otherwise flimsy outfit of separates, maybe it has the ability to anchor you.

Below a set of four shearling aviator jackets in subtle (or not so subtle, depending on your definition of subtlety) variation. Again an image here that leaves a profound impact, at least for me. I love it. Repetition, samness, sexy.

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There is power in numbers, and a dose of bada$$ is definitely added when a group of men stand in a group pose with similar outfits.

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Leather for Bikers

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Leather for Musicians.

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A leather uniform for those people who want to show others that they are ‘going against the grain’.

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60′s form.

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Leather is so seductive, that Helmut Lang developed a scent around it. But say you love leather, you probably wear it, why would you need it’s scent.

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This book I guess really inspires me to continue on with this uniform thing, at least for my wardrobe. And it helps you when you design a series..as a person who doesn’t have many good ideas, a variety of garments based on a uniform is a wonderful cop out! You only need one substantial idea. But really, in the future, I feel like fashion will be more about uniform. I don’t know, I just feel it.