roll up, roll up! for rottingdean bazaar’s institute of fashion and costume

Rottingdean Bazaar: Knock knock!
i-D: Who's there?
RB: Rottingdean Bazaar's Institute of Fashion and Costume! We were looking at a costume website and also catwalk photos and noticed some similarities. We wanted to document them, so we found sets of twins to photograph. It was quite tricky to get all the specific looks together on a certain day.

Two designers walk into a joke shop. How (and why) do they find high fashion?
We both have a technique-oriented mindset. One of us [Luke] studied knitwear and the other [James] print and textiles. We appreciate highly crafted clothes and objects. Since we have been working together we have also been trying to explore image-making in a broader way; thinking about how wearable things can function culturally as motifs and symbols.

What do you call fashion that is also a joke?
Certain aspects of fashion and wearing clothes are quite absurd and we think a lot of fashion creatives visually acknowledge and explore that to some degree. We try not to make value judgements about materials, objects and clothes but instead observe and work with their individual qualities. We really enjoy working with high fashion but also think there is unexplored territory in low-cost things.

Read: Step into the surreal seaside world of Rottingdean Bazaar

Left: Alisha Willey wears pink dungarees style jumpsuit with cut out by Marta Jakubowski, black hood by Marta Jakubowski X Noel Stewart, shoes by Manolo Blahnik

Right: Ariana Willey wears "Adult Fuschia Monster Costume" from Jokers' Masquerade, shoes by Manolo Blahnik

Left: Sam Frarey wears "Adult Bondage Suit Costume" from Jokers' Masquerade

Right: Jack Frarey wears red and white-striped black rib harness, nude cotton crêpe jersey sleeveless crewneck sweater, black wool serge narrow pant, red and white-striped black rib inserts, d-ring detail by Dior

Left: Alisha Willey wears "Value Fancy Dress Male Burglar Costume" from Jokers' Masquerade, shoes by Manolo Blahnik

Right: Ariana Willey wears blue silk stripe shirt with cut-away sleeve, white poplin shirt dress & plasticized blue silk stripe oversize bag by Ports 1961, shoes by Manolo Blahnik

Left: Piers Lafond wears "Toilet Roll Fancy Dress Costume" from Jokers' Masquerade, shoes stylist's-own

Right: Trent Lafond wears top, trousers, shoes by Issey Miyake

Top: Sam Frarey wears hat and coat by Gucci

Bottom: Jack Frarey wears "Women's Red Crayon Fancy Dress Costume" from Jokers' Masquerade

Left: Mason Wright wears coat, shirt, trousers, shoes by Prada

Right: Oliver Wright wears "Astronaut Suit Costume" from Jokers' Masquerade

Left: Alisha Willey wears nylon inflatable top, balloon trousers, shoes by Hussein Chalayan

Right: Ariana Willey wears "Adult Inflatable Bodybuilder Costume" from Jokers' Masquerade, shoes by Manolo Blahnik

Left: Oliver wears "Bell End Body Suit" from Jokers' Masquerade

Right: Mason wears jumper by Lou Dalton, trousers by Dior Homme

Left: Trent Lafond wears vest and shorts by Gosha Rubchinskiy

Right: Piers Lafond wears "118 118 Male Runner Costume" from Jokers' Masquerade

Left: Mason Wright wears "Adult Groping Granny Costume" from Jokers' Masquerade, shoes by Issey Miyake

Right: Oliver Wright wears hat, top, shorts, shoes by Tommy Hilfiger

Credits

Photography Lucy Alex Mac
Art Direction and Styling Rottingdean Bazaar
Makeup Andrew Gallimore, CLM
Hair Adam Szabo, Atomo Management
Models Alisha Willey and Ariana Willey (Linden Staub), Mason Wright and Oliver Wright (Select Model Management), Sam Frarey and Jack Frarey (PRM Agency), Trent Lafond and Piers Lafond (IMG)