23 March, 2023
Xylk (pronounced ‘silk’) Lorena was riding the subway when he noticed a grocery bag with a picture of Barack Obama on it. “I thought I wouldn’t rock an Obama bag but I would if it was Pharrell [Williams],” he says. With the help of Photoshop, Lorena superimposed an image of Hermès Birkin on a grocery bag.
If the recent popularity of luxury brands has taught us anything, it is that fashion is in its viral era where high meets low. Think Virgil Abloh’s Ikea bags or his work with Pyrex or Demna Gvasalia’s work with Champion logos or his Balenciaga Simpsons collection. “It picked up in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic because the one thing people could do during the lockdown was shop for groceries,” adds Lorena.
Dapper Dan’s (aka Daniel Day) collaboration with Gucci after Alessandro Michelle referenced a jacket similar to Dan’s bootleg made-to-order designs from the 1980s making its way to the Italian luxury brand’s 2017 runway was an exception. In the case of Lorena, that hasn’t been the case.
"It picked up in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic because the one thing people could do during the lockdown was shop for groceries,” says Xylk Lorena. Image: Instagram.com/tania_shroff
Despite gaining worldwide attention from fashion’s cool girls like Tania Shroff and Reese Blustein among others, earlier this year, in February, the Canadian-Filipino designer lost 20,000 followers overnight when Instagram shut his account down. His Shopify account was suspended shortly thereafter. The reason? Copyright infringement—a phrase now commonly associated with the fashion industry.
Nike sued Bape, Hermès sued Meta Birkin and Adidas sued Thomas Browne. “That’s why there’s no branding on the bag, I want people to see them on the street and get into them just because they look cool. I want the concept to go beyond the brand," Lorena had told Highsnobiety.
"For me, appropriation is homage without respect, perspective and energy"
"I think plagiarism is rooted in a very possessive, greedy system that insists that original creations or thoughts are made by an individual purely from their own mind when really nothing is new, nothing is ours"
But where does one draw the line between paying homage and copyright infringement? The Established spoke with Lorena to find out more.
I see ideas like music. It’s all just floating around in the thought realm and as a creator, my job is to bring that idea into the tangible world and communicate it to as many people as possible. I don’t really know how to put it into words but I think that genuine creativity that’s rooted in expression and thought is something you can feel good about instantly. I try not to be possessive of ideas or get attached to the point that my ego takes over and taints the overall purpose. I think plagiarism is rooted in a very possessive, greedy system that insists that original creations or thoughts are made by an individual purely from their own mind when really nothing is new, nothing is ours. For me, appropriation is homage without respect, perspective and energy. You can feel it instantly.
“BILLIONAIRES ARE THE RICHEST THEY’VE EVER BEEN SO NO, I DON’T THINK THEY’RE TIRED OF ‘LUXURY FASHION’. THEY’RE TIRED OF NOT BEING A PART OF SOMETHING”Xylk Lorena
A hundred per cent – people doing their own thing without going the traditional, hierarchical route is the most organic, honest indicator of how a community is feeling. Time will always express itself through the people, especially outside of the systems built by corporations that then become super detached and disconnected from the community it claims it serves.
It doesn’t. I think there are huge differences between that case and what I’m doing. I hope that’s obvious. My job as a designer is to offer creative solutions and provoke thought, so that’s what I will do.
I think we need to start accepting the fact that everything has been done; nothing is new, nothing is ours and, at the same time, everything is ours. I understand that it’s rooted in greed, a false sense of protection and control. To me, ‘intellectual property’ is an oxymoron.
Everything is up for interpretation. I think the crucial part is for the audience to know the perspective of what they are consuming, the context in which it is presented and how what we indulge in impacts the community.
"As a designer, I only follow three words: humour, emotion, aesthetic. All three words have to be incorporated in some way into everything I do"
As a designer, I only follow three words: humour, emotion, aesthetic. All three words have to be incorporated in some way into everything I do. As a Filipino, I just gotta stay proud. Ultimately, if I do my job properly, you’ll be able to see and feel who I am and where I come from, based on the products and concepts.
"Time will always express itself through the people, especially outside of the systems built by corporations that then become super detached and disconnected from the community it claims it serves," says Lorena
"I think the crucial part is for the audience to know the perspective of what they are consuming, the context in which it is presented and how what we indulge in impacts the community" Image: Instagram.com/double3xposure
I don’t think I have any helpful advice but I do believe that if you’re truly a creator, you’ll create. Especially if it scares you. Especially if it makes you uncomfortable. Especially if you’re rooted in purpose and self-love. And, to be honest, as someone who runs on all of it, there’s nothing anyone can say to them. They’ll do whatever it is to make it happen.
That it’s terminally ill.
Billionaires are the richest they’ve ever been so no, I don’t think they’re tired of ‘luxury fashion’. They’re tired of not being a part of something.
I have no idea. I guess you’ll have to tune in.