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  Humans are like computer programs. We are raised up to perceive the world around us in binary – things are either a 1 or a 0, male or female, black or white. Anything in between is almost seen as a virus, a threat – an abnormality. Our obsession goes that far to perceive dogs & cats as two separate sides of the same coin, when in fact they are completely separate species. Somewhere along the way of evolution, we decided that everything needed a category, or a box, otherwise it wouldn’t fit. In reality, life isn’t black and white, it’s not even 5000 shades of grey – it’s blue, orange, pink, green, yellow, purple and every other color you can imagine.

  Even in fashion, people and designers are expected to stick to a certain aesthetic, a certain sense of style that becomes their brand. If you’re a minimalist, god forbid you go out in a tie-dyed fringe top and floral shorts, or if you’re into grunge you’re positively forbidden to wear something too upscale. From a business point of view, it makes sense, you want people to come into your store and get what they expect. This has lead to many designers being doomed to producing repetitive collections baring the design influences of people they didn’t even know. When designers change around brands, unless they stick to their true heritage, they’re basically doomed to be slated for the first few years. For instance, take Hedi Slimane and YSL (or should I say Saint Laurent) – the man took an old and basically dying brand and renewed it with an innovative direction that retailed better than anything else had in years. However, his redesign was met with criticism from 90% of the fashion world, with comments ranging from comparisons with forever 21 to flat-out statements he was ruining the brand’s name. Even now, once most of the fashion world has accepted him, Hedi can’t just pick up and change direction; he’s expected to consistently turn out young rock-influenced clothing. 

  Unless it’s a complete overhaul in image, with a new distinct & clear direction, change is seen as a bad thing. Change goes with indecisiveness, and the inability to commit. Whereas, in actuality, change is never a one-stop trip, it’s constant and eternal. Even in history, we’ve never changed overnight, its taken centuries. Why then, do we expect everybody around us to fit themselves in one box or the other? We push for people to think outside of the box but despise if this doesn’t lead to them fitting into another one. In my opinion, there is no box, unless you decide to build one. Setting up limits stifles creativity, and puts us into neatly packaged finished products divided by style on shelves labeled with generalistions. But life isn’t a supermarket, and we aren’t cans of soup – stop labeling yourself and you allow the opportunity to be anything you want, which is the best feeling in the world. 

Coat by H&M

Top from Topman

Jeans from Asos

Platform Sneakers from Asos

Sunglasses from Topman

Bag from H&M