I was 12 when I fell in love with Bob Dylan and 16 when I fell in love with fashion. "Like a Rolling Stone" was probably the first Bobby D. song I heard, and only yesterday I made sure to sing the words to my new nephew when it started playing on the TV in order to slowly begin indoctrinating him into the folk club. Like most people, Dylan has been a fascinating human to keep tabs of. I wasn't alive for the majority of his explosively influential career, but thanks to the Internet, I've been able to do my research. And if there's anything that can shadow his music evolution (his move from acoustic to electric one of the most controversial music moments in the 20th century), it's his style evolution. Comparable only, perhaps, to that of David Bowie (who, coincidentally, is another love of mine). So you'll imagine my joy in discovering that a new campaign is channelling the fashions of both Dylan and Bowie, but in a re-vamped, pretty cool way: Model Daria Werbowy's new SS15 campaign for Equipment.
This is the second time Daria has made headlines for her collaborative work with Equipment (last year's selfie modeling taking the the Interweb by storm). Her self-portraits were grungy and sleek, and embodied Joan Jett circa "Cherry Bomb" pretty perfectly. But I'm even more impressed by the photography of this new campaign, and by the message it sends in celebrating humans like Bowie, Dylan, Lauren Bacall, Cher and even Daria's own mother. The images reveal that it's unnecessary to choose only one style icon — that it's crazy to limit yourself to one genre of fashion when so much of the beauty of design lies in its experimental qualities. I love that for the same photo set, Daria was able to impersonate both Bowie and Lauren Bacall. I love that she reveals her multifaceted persona, and reminds the world that there are more interesting style icons to be coveted and adored than those within the confines of the fashion industry.
Sometimes, the most interesting actors are those whose histories have very little to do with acting (I'm thinking Tavi Gevinson in This is Our Youth, for instance). And the same goes with fashion. Sometimes the most interesting style icons are those whose careers have very little to do with the sartorial. And that's why these photos are so awesome. For a fashion brand to call to mind non-traditional icons is far more interesting than your run-of-the-mill campaign. And for Daria to be able to embody all these different people — all these different looks — is a true testament to her talent. And kind of makes me want to go the model BFF route.
Images: Equipment
