African inspired menswear brand JZO recently released the campaign for its critically acclaimed Spring/Summer 2020 collection tagged Scars.
How do you own your scars?
Finding answers to this question was fuel for our design explorations this season at JZO. All scars come from a release of energy and action directed towards a subject. We liken this to a designer imposing their will on fabric, some of the energy released is cathartic, some incidental, some deliberate. Whatever the intention, energy expended in this way alters its subject permanently. Fabric is the canvas on which we project our experiences, using necessary destruction as a tool to create. The relationship between people and their scars, physical and metaphysical are complex. They are a marker of time, evidence of experience, a physical reminder of actions and experiences that would otherwise be forgotten.
It is also a reminder of the power one gains by reclaiming one’s scars for one’s self. For this Collection, we use the “George Fabric”, a plaid print light cotton common in the South Eastern Parts of Nigeria, favoured by early missionaries in the area. The moniker “George” was given adopted by the locals to describe the fabric, “George” than being a common name among the missionaries.
This season, JZO continues its exploration of the place of history, culture and contemporary trends in expressions of masculinity. We take inspiration from the transformative power of our experiences to redirect, expand and challenge our conventions and question our long-held assumptions on excellence, craft and execution.
The JZO man this season wears his scars proudly
See the full SS20 editorial below
Credits
Photography: Reed Davies (@Reeddavisphotography)
Assisted by: Neec Nonso (@neecnonso)
Styling Assistant: Edwin Okolo (@edgothboy)
Model: Shamz Garuba (@shamzgaruba) via My Booker Models (@mybookermodel )