NYFW: Men’s designers have been feeling a little cagey. So far, we’ve seen Thom Browne’s mirrored selfie cube, Public School’s prison lineup, and last night, a pen full of boys in boxers at The Hole Gallery. The installation was part of underwear brand YUASA Studios‘ ongoing Artist Series in which creatives collaborate on seasonal campaigns. For the fourth such series, the brand tapped i-D regular Michael Bailey Gates to shoot portraits of pals, presented alongside its cage of dudes.
“I was making work with Alexandra Marzella for a while — these black and white photocopy scans,” Michael told us of his collaborative commission. “I shot close friends wearing the collection and had people fall off ladders or jump on trampolines in my apartment. The images are meant to be read from left to right, like a comic book or text. I was really into body language and saying something without using words.”
This range of motion is evident in the scans, pairing a joyful energy with a DIY vibe. “I was taking portraits of people for a while and I wasn’t really getting anything I felt was honest,” the photographer continued. “I thought these really showed relationships well, especially between Ally and Jasper [Briggs].”
Michael is a familiar face on NYFW runways, having walked in past shows for Eckhaus Latta and DKNY. But this week, he’s happy to keep the focus on his work: “This is kind of my dream fashion week because in the past I’ve been doing shows, but this time, I only had to worry about art.”
Credits
Text Emily Manning
Images courtesy YUASA Studios