Issue Ten Runway Show: An Anthemic Collection of Angst and Liberation

Enraptured by an air of adolescent anguish and chaotic elegance, runway director Daniela Rodriguez describes the runway collection of Strike Magazine’s tenth issue as a cathartic conduit to reconcile with one’s angst, authenticity, and agency, her youthfully unruly models painted against the backdrop of our coming-of-age reality.

The show was designed as an homage to the revolutionary influences of Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen, featuring a redux of classic couture reclaimed through the contemporized lens of avant-garde high fashion. In a ballad of freedom, Rodriguez alludes to the canonical anglomania of Westwood’s Fall 1993 Paris show in a satirical revulsion of institutional authority. The show hopes to converge the unifying esotericism of adolescence with the shared suppressed urge for rebellion, catering to the unique desires of our punk alter egos. Rodriguez hinted at incorporating elements of baroque refinement and archaic romanticism in a look akin to that of Westwood’s, crafting a portrait of insatiable extravagance and hedonism from the bourgeois, Marie Antoinette-esque Parisian, gilded in haute couture and enshrined by gaudy rose rouge. This acknowledges the recent revival of regal corset tops with ornate, lace embellishments, where monarchist connotations are juxtaposed against the innate anarchism of our angsty pursuit for freedom.

Westwood’s anglomania was characterized by the wild indigeneity of layered tartan ensembles. The term anglomania denotes the reigning dominance of the English empire, but Westwood revived the term to acknowledge those subjugated and marginalized by the preeminence of anglocentrism. Preceding a devastating end to the Jacobite risings, the Scottish culture of unassailable rebellion was symbolized through clan heraldry, where distinctive insignia for each clan was developed from thousands of tartan patterns to represent their ancestral and indigenous claims to Scottish lands. As tartan emblematically served as an affront against English imperialism, Westwood’s use of tartan ascribes a sense of freedom and rebellion to the collection. In a similar way, Rodriguez hopes to apply nodes of freedom and rebellion to the Strike collection.

In addition, the collection’s ensembles naturally align with Daniela’s personal sense of style. After spending months curating a series of looks that incorporate streetwear, high-fashion, and couture, Rodriguez shared that her work is reflective of her dream persona. While our runway team’s work serves as a nod to a collective sense of nostalgia for the unpredictable nature of our youthful selves, there is certainly more to this collection than meets the eye.

Inspired by the idea of unapologetic authenticity, Rodriguez shares that she and her team created these looks to promote the importance of expressive freedom. As individuals, we rarely allow our alter egos to reach the surface, perhaps for fear of judgment. However, this collection encompasses the beauty in being truly authentic, and calls upon the audience to do the same. Such an event is meant to be more than simply a night of indulgence, for it is meant to create a palpable sense of liberation that we can carry with us, long after the night has ended. Our individuality is what makes us remarkable, a sight to be seen, a force to be reckoned with.