Garmento Zine: Review for FoRMATS

“The Outsiders” is the theme of the third issue of the New York fashion zine Garmento, a theme that simultaneously celebrates the issue's content and positions the publication within the greater discourse of the fashion press. Printed on newsprint in traditional black and white, Garmento's minimal design expresses a classic timelessness.

One of the zine’s most interesting and refreshing features is its “Resource” section, in which an expansive and diverse list of source texts demonstrates the extensive research that goes into the production of each issue. Editor-in-Chief Jeremy Lewis looks beyond the cyclical nature of fashion, considering both the contemporary and historical realms of the garment industry.

As a result, Garmento reads more like a survey of fashion culture than a report on the latest trends. Visual content is streamlined. Excessively stylized photographs replaced by images that convey an almost archival sensibility.

In this issue, designers from the past and present — including Charles James, Geoffrey Beene, and André Walker — are positioned within a larger discourse on fashion culture that includes articles discussing minimalism in 1980s fashion, the Buffalo trend, and even a reflection on the DIY style of one artists’ grandmother.

Originally published on FoRMATS Facebook page: January 22nd, 2014