CONTRARY DEPT

In order to maintain attention towards creativity, it's important to ensure we don't become stuck in patterns. To that end, one must always work on breaking stereotypes.  I'm reminded by a story of the Contrary Warriors to remain true to oneself and the importance of being free.

Within the Native American Plains tribe, a group of soldiers existed known as Contrary Warriors. Heading into battles while riding horses facing backwards; greeting others by saying "goodbye"; attacking when ordered to retreat; as their name suggests, they were thought of as being backwards-forwards, upside-down, or contrary in nature. Those who witnessed them for the first time seemed to be unable to comprehend their actions, mistaking them for clowns of simply fools. However, these warriors viewed unconsciously repeated actions as a distraction from the freedom of choices and possibilities that exist, hence daring to take the extreme opposite actions in order to challenge the fixed concepts of tribe culture.

Rather than blindly accepting the customs that have been passed down from older generations, the desire to create and care for one's own culture, and in a sense, doubt, make it necessary to adapt to the times and ever-changing environment.

Most modern menswear is based on utility wear such as work, outdoor or military. Garments born for a specific purpose: to perform special tasks with, to fight or to survive in harsh environments. What if you were to reinterpret those purposes within yourself? What would we consider practical and useful in the present era?

Made with a different yet complimentary approach to visvim and Indigo Camping Trailer products, the concept of "CONTRARY DEPT" focuses on the reinterpretation and restructuring of utility wear; the disassembling of previous ideas to freely reconstruct to reflect the sense you have today.

Lookbook: CONTRARY DEPT 〉 

2022.7.12 Republished with revisions
2020.2.12 Original work published