Blog

Derelict Chic!

John Galliano once drew fire for his Dior collection based on homeless looks, and Zoolander famously parodied the idea with the “Derelicte” collection. In January, Vivienne Westwood presented a “homeless chic” collection and Erin Wasson, model and sometime designer, once said, "When I... see the homeless, like, I'm like, 'Oh my God, they're pulling out, like, crazy looks and they, like, pull shit out of like garbage cans.'" Last year, W Magazine dressed model Sasha Pivarova in luxury carry bags and propped her on park benches and Italian Vogue ran a big fashion story. The fashion world seems to have a fascination with the way homeless people dress, taking “street style” to its logical conclusion. Is it tasteless or inspired? Raising awareness or exploiting people for a quick trend? In China this month, a homeless man has become a fashion icon, known as “Brother Sharp”. Although he apparently wants to be alone, the man, who lives in the city of Ningbo, has inspired hundreds of web pages. His look: layered jackets, is remarkably similar to a recent Dolce & Gabbana men’s collection. It doesn’t hurt that the man is also considered quite handsome. He also adopts women’s clothing at times, and China’s young, over-indulged generation, apparently admire his rugged style, a marked contrast to the pampered, hyper-groomed looks of the current crop of pop stars and idols.

Kirsty Munro