Underbass takes the raw, sexy, and utilitarian trance of underground partying and turns it into a raver’s fever dream of a collection. Through upcycled denim, bodycon, and military styles, the core essence of thumping in a trance-like state represents this pill popping party community.
Raves often take place in industrial, abandoned, even dystopian settings, therefore, there is plenty of street style. Being casual is essential, as it results in the most practical of choices, making use of utilitarian pockets, zippers and snaps. Despite the casual nature of a rave, human as we are, we choose to show off our bodies through fitting fashion, deconstructing the silhouette to have a very exaggerated slim and elongated, yet solid and grounded feel.
Through the upcycling of denim, a way to give worn and undesirable clothes a second usable life, a very dynamic look is developed, taking functional garments and highlighting their most utilitarian aspects, such as pockets, metal fittings, zippers and industrial finishings. This deconstruction and reconstruction results in extremely dramatic yet casual pieces of important visual impact for their unconventionality, as well as their aesthetic complexity. Upcycling allows the creation of fashion aware pieces without sacrificing the comfort of a pair of well worn jeans.
As silhouette is crucial in rave style, there must be a balance to exaggerated and voluminous deconstruction, which comes in the form of bodycon tops cut from technical textiles, highlighting a slim and sleek upper body and letting the brunt of the weight to the legs. Deconstruction is also present in the bodycon aspects of this collection, distorting the upper body with unconventional strap placement, transforming human proportions by means of dynamic diagonal lines that sinuously yet firmly delineate cutouts on the figure. The use of technical textiles results in close fitting pieces, setting the arms free for any kind of free form movement
Tying the rave style together is the authoritarian and dystopian stiffness of military garb. As in the upcycling of denim, metallic fittings and structural stitching take centre stage and lend a serious air to the proportions of rave style. A military inspiration comes from the use of practical cargo trousers and their generously sized pockets, perfect for omitting any bags or clutches, enabling the raver to trance freely. From a military inspiration, textiles are also taken, mainly used vintage tents from the American troops, an extremely difficult textile to source, but which has its perfect textural impact on the cut of the garments.
Underbass embodies the spirit of raves through a thorough analysis and observation of the style, reinventing its codes to create any raver’s dream collection.
