Youths In Balaclava Presented Their Post-Apocalyptic Vision At Paris Fashion Week
Psycho Highway is the brand's most extensive collection to date.
By Imran Jalal,
Around 2018, Youths In Balaclava, or YIB as they are best known, popped on our radar as a creative/design collective of Singapore teenage punks striving to foster a tribe bound by their preoccupation with subcultures and their underground spirit.
We documented their maiden presentation at Paris Fashion Week, noting how this emerging Dover Street Market-backed label is bent on breaking free of the strait-laced imageoften associated with made in Singapore fashion.
READ MORE: Watch Video: Youths In Balaclava, The Singapore Label Inspiring Us All
Two years on, and with a reported over 30 stockists worldwide retailing their designs, it is evident that these folks have found their tribe. Earlier this week, the group presented their Fall/Winter 2022 Psycho Highway collection at Fashion Week – the group's sixth showing there – that confidently showcased that well-honed rebellious attitude.
The 22-look collection of ambigender designs pictured what a post-apocalyptic wardrobe would look like. That meant a mash-up of influences that drew from automotive design.
The rugged-meets-utilitarian references were obvious in the race car jacket emblazoned with the Psycho Highway slogan, the patchwork bike pants and the flame graphics. Surely, these are pieces that will resonate with YIB customers who count the likes of K-pop stars and the rapper Offset. More conceptual pieces in the collection included a deconstructed corset-slash-skirt and intricate lace detais on pants as well as a cape with a mesh veil.
READ MORE: The Female Forces Behind Youths In Balaclava
To tie in with the arc of their collection, YIB created a seven-and-a-half minute fashion film brimming with Mad Max-meets-The Matrix vibes. In it, the actors – comprising several YIB members and brand's muses – were seen standing up against a totalitarian regime called the Eye.
According to the press notes, it is a "metaphor wrapped in a narrative" that is meant to be "a reflection of our country and the different subcultures that (seemingly) stand all alone". While that may not be a rallying cry for everyone, the cool threads alone will make you want to sign up for a seat on the YIB train.