Umit Benan AW14

Umit Benan previously strove to become a filmmaker, now transcending mere fashion in his collections to tell statement stories. For Autumn / Winter 2014 Umit told the story of muse Jackie Robinson, former Brooklyn Dodgers baseball player in the 1940s and a symbol of hope for his generation.

The selection of street-casted black-only models were encaged on the runway, separating the audience from the show, ultimately portraying the divide in black history. The isolated show consisted of tight crotch revealing jeans, quilted duffel jackets, baseball glove concealing masks, ‘B’ stamped coats and dapper high-rise trousers in an array of neutrals, blues and jail uniform orange. The racial integration production ended with Umit making a bold statement holding a banner stating: ‘No to Racism, for the Love of the Game’.