When I was asked to attend Marimacho clothing’s New York Fashion Week debut last weekend, I was thrilled! This is a company that is focused on sustainability–creating garments that are long-lasting, quality pieces that are meant to be investment pieces in wardrobes. Not just disposable fashion that you wear for one season or less, these are pieces made in New York City at a woman-owned business and not in sweat shops.
I have mixed feelings about NYFW. On the one hand, I see it as a celebration of art and a series of gallery shows about what people are doing with textiles, fabric and human bodies. But on the other of course fashion is an industry, extremely consumerist and the human bodies they focus on only represent about 5% of actual human bodies.
Unlike most of the participants in NYFW, Marimacho designs clothing for folks underrepresented in mainstream masculine fashion. “Classic fashion for the unconventionally masculine.” Their show featured models from a variety of gender origins and current presentations. Though lacking chubby models on the runway I was impressed at everything they had going on along the masculine/androgynous spectrum.
I’ve always preferred personal style over fashion and trends, and Marimacho’s selection this season shows off a variety of statement pieces as well as wardrobe staples.
My favorite pieces included these masculine harem pants. Seriously, harem pants have challenged me as a thing for years but on a masculine person there’s something so weird that it’s magical.
Photo by Architects.
I also think there’s going to be a time when every dapper queer is going to get a Marimacho suit.
This is the Short Suit with the Tuxedo Shirt underneath. Photo by Architects.
Photo by Manny Zoom.
As an event producer I need to give a shout out to the amazing installation art, lighting and DJs that were part of the event!
Folks really brought it out in terms of style for the event!
I was extra feeling this overalls/mesh shirt/leather vest situation.
I wore a dress I’ve had forever but haven’t hauled out in awhile.
Does it ever happen to you that you see someone you think you know and then you realize, “I don’t actually know them they are famous, I know them from TV?” That happened to me at the media meet and greet before the runway show. I spy this hot butch with cool blue glasses from the side and I’m all, “Whose that?” and then I realized it was Lea Delaria from Orange is the New Black (and decades of being a queer comedian).
Photo by Manny Zoom.
Check out Marimacho’s website, which will soon have their Spring/Summer 2014 collection available!
These photos are awesome, thanks for letting me live vicariously through them. I will say that the lack of chubby models is reflective of marimacho’s sizing. I bought a shirt for my size 12/14 butch and even the XXL, their largest size, was way too small. They were really nice about returning it, but I think their target market may be tiny people.