a world without mirrors - styled by indra
bushwick buyer indra explores the concept of fashion as a vehicle of identity. their progressive approach manifests in a timeless style that transcends societal binaries.
describe your style..
i try to create a style for myself that is timeless, without dimension & beyond binaries of gender, age, sexuality. i really like thinking of fashion in a context of a world without mirrors… i’m really inspired by the work of yuriko takagi, a japanese photographer that focuses on the parallel textures of nature & textiles. my absolute favorite imagery in the world is in her photo set for issey miyake titled “pleats please travel the world” — google it!
i love exploring the concept of fashion in a world without mirrors, where self expression comes from an effort to see oneself rather than of just being seen by others.
what or who is currently influencing your style?
i’ve been really thinking about minimalism & zero waste lifestyles lately, & how to incorporate certain lifestyles into fashion. the idea of a capsule wardrobe really intrigues me, especially considering the throwaway culture of our society. living with like 20 pieces of clothing or less is seen as weird or even frowned upon in new york where what- or *who* you wear is who you are — but it starts a conversation. consumer culture forces us to bypass these necessary conversations, we never want to consider things we actually need versus what we are compelled to own just because we can. working in buy sell trade retail makes me think of these things every day because we’re literally surrounded by it, a constant cycle of disposal & accumulation. i definitely think this mode of retail is so much better than regular fast fashion, & cyclical fashion can be empowering bc you’re constantly reinventing yourself, but i’m interested in how you can take away that aspect & feel empowered by dressing simply instead, or creating unique pieces that you can wear multiple ways!
what meaning do clothes have for you?
clothes are a vehicle of identity, they tell a story about the person wearing them, & i will always support any mode of self expression or individuality because it’s fun! but i’m also trying to be aware of how labels can place you in positions lower & higher than others. i think the fashion industry is generally really toxic as it relates to money & fake visibility so i’m learning to separate those politics from the freedom of self expression & it’s very hard. when you’re walking in the streets your clothing, as an outward extension of yourself, places you in an unspoken hierarchy, which can be hard to separate from. i’m trying really hard to unlearn that though & just have fun with clothes.
earliest fashion memory?
i feel like this is a memory many of us share, but maybe not… whenever i took baths as a child & my grandma wrapped me in a white towel, i’d insist on going out wearing just the towel because it looked pretty enough on its own. she always told me it would be shameful but i remember thinking it looked soooo good. i told her i wanted my wedding dress to be a white towel wrapped around my torso.
special things in your closet?
all of the most important things in my closet once belonged to my grandmother, or have something to do with her. whether they be a super old fashioned corset she passed to me when i started wearing bras, or the super breezy batik dresses we bought together in indonesia that she always wore around the house. i will never get rid of the reversible kimono she bought me when we traveled to singapore together. the pieces i have that hold her memory are my most treasured clothing items, everything else i could honestly live without because i don’t often get sentimental about clothes!!
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