Parker is a fashion designer whose work focuses on futuristic androgynous wear heavily influenced by past decades. She uses modern fabrics and graphics to juxtapose historical references. Her work pairs 1990’s-era silhouettes with qualities from the late 1800s, with a hyper-flattened two-dimensional standard with a strong line quality throughout. Her work delves into the world of Generation Z and what impacts them.
Nature Verse, Look 1: AVERY Luck, Lore, Strength
Tight mesh top, rouged sleeves, short gloves, corset, pants
Nature Verse, Look 2: ELLA Vitality, Cunning, Speed
Mini skirt (pant loops attached), evening gloves, button up shirt
Nature Verse, Look 2: ELLA Vitality, Cunning, Speed
Mini skirt (pant loops attached), evening gloves, button up shirt
Nature Verse, Look 3: ANNABELLE Intellect, Jump, Will
Tight Mesh top, roughed sleeves, thong, baggy pants, short gloves
Nature Verse, Look 4: ANDREW Magic, Spirit, Speed
Neoprene sweater, garter belt (short loops attached), underwear
Nature Verse, Look 5: EM Power, Stamina, Stealth
Quilted warmers, evening gloves, fanny pack top, quilted belt, pants, ribbon
Nature Verse, Look 5: EM Power, Stamina, Stealth
Quilted warmers, evening gloves, fanny pack top, quilted belt, pants, ribbon
Nature Verse, Look 6: ALEX Speed, Power, Dexterity
Balaclava, glasses, tall gloves, tight dress
Nature Verse, Look 7: IZZI Charisma, Agility, Jump
Pleather jacket, high waisted thong, extreme low rise jeans
Nature Verse, Look 8: JOSHIE Patience, Fomo, Phone Charge
Sunglasses, evening gloves, wrist ribbon, timothy dress, pants
My collection “Nature Verse” is based on the idea of the natural internet, focusing on the experience of Generation Z and how we interpret the world around us – specifically nature and the internet. The garments are meant to portray an unbiased representation of nature and the internet through our eyes, and could be more aptly interpreted as the answer to a different question: How can using the internet as a young person on social media be compared to experiencing nature? To highlight this, my documentation employs faux-nature, video game-like animations, simulating the metaverse – artificial hypernaturalism.
The original inspiration for the natural internet concept that my collection is meant to embody came from mycelium, a yeast-like fungus that makes up mushrooms, with branches that often grow underground or on rotting nature, and connect to create a large-scale network. This network is often called Earth’s “natural internet”. All plants communicate with deep, inwoven connections underground, similar to how Gen Z utilizes our version of the internet, but instead of underground, our mutual interconnectivity exists in the “cloud.” With this in mind, the internet can be an expression of a natural environment – one that Gen Z is particularly drawn to. This juxtaposition led me to consider the idea of cognitive dissonance as it affects nature; when one pictures a natural environment they are likely to picture something that looks “untouched by man,” however, man’s interference is what most often gives an environment this appearance.
Additional influences on this collection came from internet trends and contemporary meme culture. I have noticed a recent resurgence of trends born in the 1990s, the same decade that the internet became a global network. Gen Z and our use of social media and the internet are a huge factor, if not the most important component, in the return of these trends, which include whale tails, balaclavas, and the use of cut-out holes in garments. At face value, these trends seem ugly and are often considered as such, especially in hindsight. However, I chose to highlight these styles in my collection, to exemplify the bold sexy nature of Gen Z and our use of the internet.