Fashion

7 pieces

To me, fashion has never felt superficial. Growing up I’ve always understood it is a theory that can be understood as a shared language spoken through fabric, gesture and texture. Fashion has been shaped by history, migration and memory. It lives on the body and carries meanings far beyond. It reveals who is seen, celebrated and who stories can endure through what is viewed as mere pieces. Growing up between cultures, I’ve become aware of the way identity and expression is constructed and performed. Clothing is an immediate expression: it reflects a negotiation of belonging, of heritage and visibility without needing to utter a word. Writing about fashion in a broader cultural world allows me to slow these moments down and to view garments as cultural texts where social and political conditions can be traced with justified meaning. For The Brief, my writing lays at an intersection: where fashion meets art, theory and lived craftsmanship and experience. Through this I can explore the questions of representation, authenticity, identity and creativity. These are the quiet powers of a craft that is enabled through culture and memory.

°07Doubt, Dressed DifferentlyDoubt. Such a scary word, a wearisome one. A word we’ve all dealt with, experienced in its raw and true form. As humans, we may doubt the way we look; we may doubt the little gestures we make. It’s so silly at the end of the day, isn’t it?by Onelia Helene · 2 min read

°05The Art of Looking: Wild Instincts and Modern Muses“Inspiration, the creative spark, the thing that arrives in a flash, as if it were a lightning strike of genius, a timed revelation, a mood board assembled through Pinterest via fate. Though often spoken about through spontaneous combinations of ideas, the most enduring creative figures understood something quite different. Inspiration is rarely an accident; it is an act of looking.”by Onelia Helene · 3 min read

A Field Day with NostalgiaThe moment the clock struck midnight with the arrival of 2026, the calendar flipped, and we branded the new year as 2016. A decade has seemingly become the new shelf life for cultural expiration. Though this isn’t the typical retro-recycling, it’ s a full throated, deliberate dive into the recent past, a yearning dressed in Y2K kitten heels and 90s minimalistic tailoring.by Onelia Helene · 3 min read

Impulse Truly Matters.Fashion has never been one to wait. To pause. Fashion lunges, it reacts, and it interrupts itself. Fashion is built on anticipation, what will be presented seasons ahead or forecasting trends two years in advance. Paradoxically, impulsivity gives fashion a pulse. The idea is to act now, make decisions on back-of-the-napkin ideas before certainty settles. This is what prevents fashion from collapsing into a state of repetition.by Onelia Helene · 2 min read

The Anatomy of the StareThe silence before the show buzzes with anticipation. Before the subtle vibrations murmur against the floors or the lights begin to dim, curiosity weaves itself through the room. Moments where editors lean in, pens in hand and cameras rise, the audience sits quietly, ready. We are all on the edge of our seats. Something unexpected could happen at any moment.by Onelia Helene · 3 min read

Guess 2026: The power of nostalgia within identity — The Tumblrification of 2026How Guess Jeans signalled the return of low-slung jeans, baby tees and washed-out denim tones mirrors Gen-Z’s craving for nostalgia through the trendy Tumblrification, redefining a previous youth subculture into a retail context, shaping GUESS JEANS new campaign.by Onelia Helene · 2 min read

Grace Wales Bonner at Hermès: A Cultural Reset for Black Representation in FashionIn 2025, Hermès appointed Grace Wales Bonner as their new creative direction. A striking shift in the historic luxury houses. For the first time, a woman of colour is appointed, signaling the defining expansion in its history. This piece explores how Wales Bonner’s arrival will redefine heritage and identity, placing Black cultural authorship at the forefront of one of fashion’s most impactful houses.by Onelia Helene · 2 min read