story by Seth Friedermann
photos by Freda Henry
“Be mine sister salvation, juke joint jezebel’s comin for my cremation.” When industrial music powerhouse KMFDM wrote those lyrics almost two decades ago, they were referencing a particularly American female iconic woman, the backwoods siren. Poorer than poor and with mismatched homespun clothes, she nonetheless casts a bewitching spell on men and the American consciousness. Gary Graham’s Fall 2011 collection was made with this rockabilly razor in mind and this is a fairly typical muse for his work.
Mr Graham’s artistic sensibilities are very much his own and owe little to the marketplace. He’s always created intensely interesting clothes that are high on fabrics and techniques that don’t seem like they should work together, but they do, and do so very well. Mr. Graham is a bit of a mad scientist who likes to alter and change the nature of his fabrics before he works with them. His clothes are unique on their own just because of this, but when you add in his love of mixing and matching his work becomes even more significant. This collection worked really well and contains strong separates that can easily fit into a cool downtown New Yorker’s wardrobe. Or anyone in the world who wants to look like a cool downtown New Yorker.
