Puppets and Puppets SS24 Proves the Label Can Do More than Cookie Bags
Image Courtesy: Fillippo Fior / Gorunway.com
Grunge 2.0 is strutting back into the spotlight, ready to reclaim its throne! This Wednesday, September 12th, Puppets and Puppets debuted their spring and summer collection for 2024. Fashion enthusiasts are in for a real treat, as this collection proved that grunge and teenage angst can be elegantly reimagined for a romantic, sophisticated evening look.
Established in 2018 by Carly Mark and Ayla Argentina, Puppets and Puppets is a relatively new New York-based fashion label. Puppets and Puppets seamlessly navigate between streetwear and humorous designs. Mark uses irony to highlight the significance of the word "puppet" within the fashion industry, drawing attention to the treatment of models and the behavior of trend followers. The brand is celebrated for its bold silhouettes, grunge-inspired aesthetics, incorporation of recycled and repurposed materials, and food-themed items. A signature piece from the label is their Cookie Leather Top Handle Bag, a plain leather handbag with a chocolate chip cookie at its center. But the Spring/Summer 2024 collection proves that Puppets and Puppets is capable of much more than food fashion.
The show occurred in the gymnasium at the Immaculate Conception Church in the East Village, yet it exuded the ambiance of a subway station. A dancing moose, dog, cat, and other plush toys welcomed guests. The animals belonged to a saxophone player, Joe Ajilo, who incorporated them into his performances. Mark voices that the inspiration behind the collection comes from her daily commute to work. She explains, “It’s a lot about being a woman in New York. The saxophone player with all these little animals I see when I’m doing my commute from my house to the office. And I think about what I would want to wear while I’m doing that commute.”
The theme of this collection was taken from a 1964 Japanese movie titled Kwaidan. Mark expressed that this has been a challenging year for her and explained how “The idea of ghosts really resonated with me emotionally in terms of feelings and being haunted by them and how difficult that is, but how beautiful it is too because feelings are things that you experience, and we’re here to experience the world.” Mark goes on to voice that this collection is “really romantic, but also a bit goth.” One of Mark’s designs included a long pale white gown featuring Victorian-style sleeves. Various models paraded down the runway with the front train of their dresses in their mouths. Marks states, “There were fake happenings, and people would use cotton and have it dragging out of their mouths and things like that, and claim that it was ghosts or connecting with parallel universes.”
The collection was not only filled with romantic gothic pieces but also with everyday wear. In true Puppets and Puppets fashion, the collection featured heaps of black, but unlike their past collections, it did not feature any lace items. Mark and Peters presented an abundance of sophisticated evening attire featuring silver sequins, drapery, and khaki. The collection also showcased everyday attire like hoodies, polo shirts, and slacks.
Puppets and Puppets have rocked the grunge look, but this latest collection shows they've got the romantic goth and everyday wear on lock too!
Strike Out,
Anjali Kamath
Boca Raton
Anjali Kamath is a Content Writer for Strike Magazine Boca. When she’s not belting her heart out on karaoke she’s either at the yoga studio or spending all her money. She’s a textbook Aries and a Diet Coke enthusiast. You can reach her at anjalikamath460@gmail.com
