Style Like U

Malcolm Harris Closets
Filed Under: Avante Garde | Designer | Eclectic | Philanthropist | Purist
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Malcolm from Stylelikeu.com from Stylelikeu on YouTube.

occupation: fashion designer, creative activist, and philanthropist

Keith (Haring) was one of those guys that believed we should all love each other. He never looked at black, white, Chinese, red, green, whatever; he just saw the humanity in all of us. That we all wanted one thing, and that was to be happy. Malcolm Harris

Malcolm has a camouflage skirt/pant that he made that makes him feel like a superhero when wearing it, especially when the skirt zips off and he can wear it as a cape. This piece exemplifies what a visionary Malcolm is in his freedom to express himself so precisely in what he wears, designs, and stands for. From purely a design point-of-view, it embodies his reflection of masculine and feminine, contemporary urban culture and ancient Asian-inspired nobility (when a robe was considered the height of manliness). I wanted him to make me one right then and there. His skirt/pant/cape is of super human dimensions in composition, but is only emblematic of the designers larger than life status as a person. Malcom personifies a rare and quiet integrity and a wide open spirit that is world encompassing in influence (his life is dedicated to the betterment of mankind in many ways, including the founding of Designers for Darfur). He describes a lot of what he wears, including one of his favorite lace tops, as fragile and tough, like himself. It is true that few can wear a skirt like he does and transcend gender connotations. However, for me, the only tough thing about him is the comfort with his fragility and his resilience to conformity. Malcolm is boundless in his ability to create and transform, like wearing the cut-off bottom of a Chanel dress as a cape and a piece of tulle around his neck to embellish a t-shirt. At ten-years-old, he found a way to be unique in suburban Florida, by taking the pimps and drug dealers clothes that were left at his fathers dry cleaners - when they went to jail, he would take their things and rework them so that he could wear them to school. He is always evolving, and the essence of everything is paramount to him. At one point during the interview, I looked up in his closet and saw several pieces of designer luggage and boxes. When asked about them, he kind of mumbled, that was from a past life. Notibly self-reflective, unboastful, and not looking for accolades, at an unrelated moment he told the story of how he had decided to give a gift to himself by giving away most of his designer clothes last Christmas to the homeless. And with childlike excitement, he recounted how inspiring it was for him to see fashion in the purist way, with no attachment to a label. Malcolm was very close to graffitti legend Keith Haring in the 80s. He wears a lot of things that are in memory of Keith, and the artists belief that we are all connected by a thread of humanity. In reference to this, Malcolm wrapped red yarn over the shoulder of the white leather jacket that Keith had given to him and hand-embroidered Keiths signature drawing (that the artist had painted) on the back of it to ensure its longevity. When Malcolm feels the need to shed all preconcieved associations related to ones ethnicity or class, he triumphs probably one of his most daring fashion statements by wearing a mask. A 21st century trailblazer, Malcolm does not exist in a box and with his powerful good energy is chipping away at demolishing it.

Check out the website for Malcolms famous One Dress.

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• Malcolm Harris
• Keith Haring
• Madonna