3.Paradis Models Wear Oxygen Masks On Runway

Toronto Fashion Week just wrapped, and overall the event brought out some pretty interesting designs. #TheGaySweater, made entirely from the hair of, yes, gay people, was probably the coolest thing to happen to fashion in a long time, and it hailed from the Canadian runways so kudos for that. One specific collection, however, pushed the boundary between artistic and just utterly disrespectful. Menswear brand 3.Paradis sent models wearing oxygen masks down the runway at Toronto Fashion Week, and it was the farthest thing from "cool".

The collection, titled 0.4:Placebo, was inspired by the connection of the human mind and body. According to The Kinsky , "For this collection, the two designers studied the power of the mind and took their inspiration from the chemistry, biology and the Japanese culture by reinventing their new age luxury kimonos, lab jacket, scrub shirt and much more." In theory, this concept is actually really interesting, but the brand's execution was all wrong. Dressing models in respiratory devices in order to emphasize the biological theme of the designs is not "interesting" at all, it's just straight up offensive, at least IMO.

The actual clothing from the line is pretty cool, embodying a modern minimalist type of vibe with geometric shapes, bold colors, and clean lines. But the very strange addition of the oxygen masks made it look more like a scene from American Horror Story's insane asylum season (i.e. super eerie). Fashion trends are known for pushing the envelope, but these are two things that definitely should not be mixed.

Here are the images.

Image: Fotolia.com/g215