The dimmed green and blue lights create a sense of nature and coolness as I waited for Chromat’s Autumn/Winter 2019 show to begin. Having already walked by guests such as Chella Man, a deaf, trans-activist and artist, and Patrick Starr, a Filipino-American makeup artist and Youtube star, I realize that I too am one of the many diverse guests, forming a beautiful mosaic of inclusivity. Already familiar with Chromat’s diverse runway from past seasons, I was finally experiencing that sense of inclusivity first-hand—even before the show began.
The show begins with the sounds of birds chirping and the rushing of water, opening firstly my sense of hearing before presenting me with visuals. I am struck by the monologue that is played, with expressions of a woman’s connection with nature as she says there is “soil in my skin, saltwater in my blood,” and “I feel as if I am sunshine with a pulse”. All of a sudden, I am no longer in the commercialized and hectic city, but one with Mother Nature. As I take in the beauty of the natural noises, such as the thunder accompanying the monologue that is being played, I realize why the show is called “Climatic”. Designer Becca McCharen-Tran wants to remind us of the beauty and rawness of nature, persuading us to not only appreciate it, but to preserve it.
Chromat’s launching of a second studio in Miami, FL inspired the “Climatic” collection. While we like to imagine the paradise of such a city and idealize our experience, which a swimwear brand can often coax us to do, Chromat, on the other hand, is reminding us to reflect on the destruction of the tropics. Seeing Miami as a natural disaster and on the front lines of climate change, Chromat was prompted to take action. In this collection, they focused on using sustainable fabrics, such as nylon spun from fishing nets discovered in the world’s oceans. By making nature and climate change the focus of the show, Chromat was able to turn an issue into a trend, a trend that is necessary for the future of our earth, and a trend that hopefully other brands will begin to follow.
Flipping through the blue-green, beautifully printed zines left on each seat, my eyes stop at an Instagram poll printed on one of the pages that asks “Do you think sustainability and environmentalism as a brand is white-washed?” with 81% saying yes and 19% saying no. I am struck by a question I had never thought about before and realize the importance of such a question. Chromat presents the intersection between diversity and sustainability, revealing the often elitist and exclusive aspects of sustainability. In response to Chromat’s follow up question of “why?”, many people agree that sustainable products are only accessible and affordable to people of higher economic status. Furthermore, people of color are never given attention to—whether it is to POC owned brands or POC customers. It seems that a lot of people believe that sustainability is simply a label capitalized upon by companies while they ignore the true impact of their environmental footprint. Chromat bringing attention to this issue and the relationship between diversity and sustainability allows us as consumers to be more aware of our roles in feeding into the whitewashing and elitism of such companies.
While sustainability is addressed in the clothing, diversity is represented through the models. As Harling Ross of Manrepeller points out, “Chromat Just Gave Us Everything Victoria’s Secret Couldn’t”. Victoria’s Secret, a brand that explicitly serves one body type, seems to be the antithesis of Chromat—which celebrates every individual, regardless of size, ability, gender, and race. Some models on the runway included Mama Cax, an amputee, model, and activist and Emme, the first plus-sized model who began her career in the 1980s.
Watching the show, I felt that I was being transported to Miami in another dimension. In this dimension, filled with Spanish electric reggae music and decorated with an electric, neon color palette, I could embrace the beginning of sustainable fashion practices and become surrounded by a beautifully diverse crowd of people. Chromat’s slogan, “THE FUTURE IS EMPOWERING, INCLUSIVE, AND SUSTAINABLE” may seem idealistic, but in the ten minutes of their show, I was able to see it become a reality.
Chromat is a future-forward bodywear brand.
Check out their Instagram here.
See the all of the looks from the show here.
See a video of the show here.
Written and photographed by Editor-in-Chief Chloe Xiang.
