Wk 11 — Artist OTW — Student Choice
About the artist:
The artist I chose for this essay is Kerby Jean- Raymond. He is a fashion designer and is well known for creating the brand Pyer Moss in 2013, in which he got the name from his mother. Kerby was born and raised in New York City, which heavily influenced him into the fashion department. He started to pursue his career from the age of thirteen and even had the opportunity to attend the High School of Fashion Industries. Then around his sixteenth birthday, he moved on to work with Marchesa and launched his first collection. From then on he has only climbed up and now is a very well-known and respected fashion designer.
Formal Analysis:
When I see Pyer Moss’ clothing, it is mostly either solid in colors or very colorful. The colors he chooses for his clothing are very unique and uncommon. One example would be the women “Boat neck midi silk dress” and this dress is covered in such designs where it is very colorful, yet the dress sculpt is very simple. It looks like a long t-shirt, but one thing that makes it stand out is that he designed the tall mamba boot, which has very similar designs on the boot. When the model wears the dress, she also wears the boots, and it looks like she is wearing leggings because of how tight and similar it is with the dress. It may seem like it would be off to mention that his clothing is full of rhythm, but it really does. His clothing move in a certain groove that no other designers can. And lastly, the shape of his clothing is mostly boxy and trendy. There are almost no slim-fit designs that make him and the brand very unique.
Content Analysis:
Kerby Jean Raymond is a Haitian-American; therefore, his fashion designing definitely takes an amazing impact on his culture that most Americans would not be able to produce without any influence or exposure to the culture of Haiti. Even when people go online to look up his clothing on the website all of his models are beautiful colored men and women. His female model shows off his clothing, but she is also able to shine through as herself by letting loose of her hair and allowing her afro to flow and show off through the camera. On the other hand, the male model is braided hair with a strand hanging on the side of his face. From seeing his designs and models it can be shown that even if Raymond is not physically in the picture of him wearing or showing he is very proud of his background and himself because he is able to create an environment where other audiences grow interested in his clothing and even his mother nature, which is very powerful these days!
Synthesis / My experience
I personally had a very fun time researching and learning more about his brand and his types of designs because they were definitely not clothing I was used to seeing when I would go out to the streets. I can sense a touch of the New York vibe and yet his mother nature aura. It was very encouraging to see a Haitian-American to represent as a fashion designer in America and become to huge from his own background, touch, and experience. It helped me understand that even if people do not always understand your art or your creativity, it can a positive influence to someone and it gave me some motivation or a encouragement push to be more comfortable in my shoes as as Korean- American here in California!