American actress, author and businesswoman Gwyneth Paltrow has teamed up with Netflix to bring out an upcoming documentary series called The Goop Lab, based on her own lifestyle and wellness company, Goop. The series will examine in depth the various practices of energy healing, cold therapy, anti-aging, psychedelic drugs and how they impact different aspects of female sexuality.

The first trailer was released earlier this month, and promises glimpses into intimate scenes of experimental therapy sessions and spiritual awakenings for a number of women, with one of them confessing ‘I went through five years of therapy in about five hours’. This claim seems to reinforce Goop’s description on their company website which states,

‘We start hard conversations, crack open taboos, and look for connection and resonance everywhere we can find it.’

This six-part series, produced by Paltrow herself, is then shown to centre upon acts of transgression, namely female masturbation, exorcism and intoxication, and doesn’t seem to hold back on their meticulous treatment of these marginal topics and taboos.

The Goop Lab is set to premiere on January 24 on Netflix.

Words by Shir Ariya

Graphics by Katie Janes

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The post Get the Scoop From ‘The Goop Lab’ appeared first on Voir Fashion.

Recently, D.C. rapper Goldlink angered the rap community after posting a letter on his Instagram about the deceased Mac Miller, implying that Miller stole the theme for his album The Divine Feminine in 2016. While the ‘Crew’ rapper displayed extraordinary disrespect by publicizing his resentment for a man who passed away just last year; I feel like this was a great time to brush aside the foolishness and highlight the positivity, celebrating what The Divine Feminine represents in Hip-Hop, which is a definitive phase of expression within the artform’s relatively short life.

Over the years, the combination of the genre’s growth — along with the internet’s addiction to transparency, has caused the new generation growing through social media to welcome more unique concepts; often describing themselves as ‘woke’ in the process. Subjects such as gender fluidity, feminism, and masculinity, are normally involved. I’ve noticed specific instances of ignorance that surround the topic of masculinity — like the restriction from wearing ‘feminine clothing’; while now a person’s sense of comfortability is perceived as a positive characteristic, coming from the 90s at the time that I did, it couldn’t have been more different.

Although I credit the ability to be free down to social media’s acceptance, I tip my hat off to the impact Hip-Hop has on cultures throughout the world and the complete clarity the genre has provided since its creation (let us not forget, Hip-Hop was created as a way of expression for the black communities struggle in the Bronx). So with that being said; I want to celebrate the influence of Hip-Hop and how the evolution of femininity has impacted the new generation, by picking out the most impactful examples of pink in rap.

It’s 2002, the height of the Dipset era and the Roc-A-Fella dynasty — the city of New York is hosting the biggest fashion event of the year, the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. The foresight of Label boss Dame Dash and the ingenuity of Cam’ron was always a combination that produced magic; So there was no surprise that with the help of Dash, the Dipset commander pulled up in one of the most legendary fits to ever grace Hip-Hop: the illustrious pink mink jacket, along with the hat and burner phone. As both Dash and Cam were born and raised in the fashion-focused neighbourhood of Harlem; the influence was clear to see at the moment. While most people from their area were used to the abrasiveness of the duo, within the wider scope of Hip-Hop — it was a statement, to say the least. Ever since then, the idea of what femininity represented, spread throughout Hip-Hop.

A few years later, Cam’ron’s label mate; Kanye West, popularised a new kind of pink style to the mainstream. A much more conventional proclamation, Kanye would normally rock a pink polo with a classy backpack to match. Not only was this merge important to the extension of the movement led by Cam, but more importantly — this verified Kanye as the influence for the geeks, as opposed to Cam’s influence on the streets. Because of this diversification, this continued to bring even more conversation surrounding Hip-Hop and it’s identity.

Moving towards the late 2000s, Kanye continued to lift pink rap to new heights. This was the era in Hip-Hop where the nerdy rap was dominating the gangsta rap; Kanye West had just convincingly beaten 50 Cent to the number one spot with his album Graduation – the album that is infamous for it’s powerful, intense colouration. The transition was in motion.

And because of Hip-Hop tycoon, Pharrell’s love for intense colour styles and powerful visuals with brands like Bape, to name a few – it helped these combos crossover into the streetwear world. And by the end of the decade, it would be hard to find a guy without a pink polo in his wardrobe. As the new decade began, the surprising amalgamation of up and coming, contemporary streetwear brand Supreme, and the profound new suburban rap crew, Odd Future, hit the wide-eyed internet world by storm. As Tyler, the Creator and his squad took over 2010; this was the beginning of pre-teens involvement within mainstream rap. While the group’s own fashion line Golf Wang epitomized the crew’s sarcastic wit; the ignorant motifs complemented the dynamic undertones displayed on the ensembles perfectly — from lime to magenta, and indeed pink. Odd Future embodied the new era, fusing Hip-Hop, fashion, and their own originality; allowing people from anywhere to connect with their vision.

Tyler even said in his 2016 note to Pharrell, proclaiming the influence he took from the Virginia native: “I never had brothers, uncles or my father around so thank you [Pharrel] for being the male figure I gravitated towards. Allowing me to embrace being different and trusting my ideas.” While men in previous decades would rather be caught dead in some coral clothing, guys like Tyler embrace their uniqueness. Even though Hip-Hop was built on these very same morals; it’s refreshing to see how the integrity has always been there, at the same time — continuing to grow into the culture-crossing genre it is today; whilst simultaneously co-existing within the unforgiving world of modern technology and ‘cancel culture’.

Words by Charlie Miller

Graphics by Katie Janes

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The post Pink Matter: The Evolution of Femininity in Hip-Hop appeared first on Voir Fashion.

For some years now, the line between masculine and feminine has been narrowing. Society demands fewer distinctions, and brands are aiming to eliminate gender frontiers.

A tendency towards genderless clothing is arising, in favour for ambiguity in form and style – becoming ever-present both on the catwalk, and in our wardrobes.

Minimalist but colourful designs in the edge of androgyny that seek the support of a chameleonic industry to erase the social borders of gender forever.

From large firms to low cost textile companies, there is an emerging change of mentality towards genderless fashion that has been echoed through the launch of collections that blur the frontier of sexes. This does not imply femme men or masculine women, but a nod to a point where both sexes merge together, redrawing a neutral space in which the masculine and feminine peacefully coexist.

The conventional assignment of shapes and colours by gender – for example, believing that pink is effeminate and blue is for boys – has turned out to be a social construction that is losing more and more strength. Nowadays, genderless fashion goes far beyond a simple trend and represents an authentic reflection of social transformations. After all, the rules and stereotypes from the past are there just to be broken.

In recent years, we have been witnessing a progressive reduction of gender polarisation in clothing by reputed designers as Alessandro Michele. Creative director of Gucci and sponsor of a fashion without gender barriers, his debut was in 2015 Milan Fashion Week. He decided to go one step further and introduced this tendency straightforward to the catwalks: long-haired male models proudly wearing pink and historically feminine textiles like lace, velvet or satin. Female models walking around with shaved heads, tucked in XXL clothes. And this is not all: he presented the transsexual model Hari Nef as part of this edgy and vibrant AW16 Menswear Show – where she absolutely rocked it.

Following this trend, Zara launched its first unisex collection in 2016 under the name “Ungendered”, characterised by neutral hues and basic lines that share sizes and designs. Since then, other affordable textile brands, like H&M or ASOS, have also joined the concept of gender fluid.

Androgyny is not something brand new in the fashion industry: Coco Chanel’s tailored suits were the first clothing expression to empower women and fight gender stereotypes. Others, such as Yves Saint Laurent in the 60s or Calvin Klein in the 90s, were pioneers in betting on a unisex wardrobe. Today, millennials are the undisputed protagonists of these cultural transformations. The referents of the new generations -Cara Delevingne, Harry Styles or Zendaya- play with ambiguity and run away from labels.

So, what does agender fashion offer us? Skinny jeans, wide t-shirts, classic hats and tailored suits. Women who are willing to turn a maxi-shirt into a dress with just a belt and men who dare to wear patterns that were previously forbidden, such as flowers or animal print. In gender-fluid fashion, there are no right or wrong garments. Perhaps, genderless is the future of fashion. Blurred lines and more fluidity in the designs, freedom of choice and no differences between collections and creating clothes only thinking of the personality, not of the gender. At a time when young people do not feel the need to define themselves, the gender-fluid tendency has crossed the barriers of fashion and is presented as a new inclusive reality, where nothing is either black or white. The main challenge is to overcome prejudices and forget about what people say. Feel free to choose, free to dress, free to be yourself.

Words by Marta Eireos

Graphics by Sasha Green

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The post Genderless Fashion: The Fashion That Refuses to be Labelled appeared first on Voir Fashion.