There s no question that Shayne Oliver uses the Hood by Air runway to make statements—about gender, about power, about class, about beauty. And more. But it s also true that he s trying to sell clothes. Talking to Oliver, one doesn t get the impression that commerce is uppermost in his mind. But among the many interesting things about today s Hood by Air show was that sound of ka-ching you could just make out amid the bombastic soundtrack. Oversize football jerseys with a magnified bruise print? Ka-ching. Grommeted suede and leather bombers? Ka-ching. HBA zip-embellished jeans? Ka-ching, ka-ching, ka-ching. The denim in particular seems like it will have a very short trajectory from cult must-have to mainstream phenomenon. Oliver seems to get the appeal: In a perfect mash-up of art and commerce, he concluded the show with an extraordinary performance, as about a dozen muscular young menall in Hood by Air denimtook to the runway for a vogueing extravaganza (although this was such an athletic, aggressive style of vogueing, it probably deserves another name). The dancing was unforgettable. So were the jeans.
