Proper Dirty, the brainchild of its creator, Ashkan Alaie, is a cacophony that’s been building since I first stepped into the scene. We’ve done three interviews, with all three archived until further notice. The reasons are many, yet the most poignant remains the difficulty in truly capturing an artistic vision through my own art form.
What Ashkan is able to capture in a single cardigan I could spend, 3 words describing, or a thousand. And I’ve never been able to find the right balance for Proper Dirty. It’s multi-faceted; at once so firmly placed within Vancouver that Ashkan remains a denizen to this day. Yet, I see the brand begin to rise like few others. It’s creator a tad more haggard, a tad more weary, as collection #(?) commences. Only wiser with time passing. Doubling down on his intrinsic vision for a balance between what is Proper, and what society would deem Dirty.
A quick primer on Proper Dirty.
“We believe in blurring the boundaries between personal and play, creating a continual pursuit of ideas that link subcultures, offering more than mere aesthetics,” says Ashkan Alaie, Creative Director of Proper Dirty Clothing. “Our goal is to strike a balance between duality and juxtaposition, exploring conflicts and resolutions. We respect the creative process and strive to establish resonance within the complexities and experiences of humanity, leading to self-reflection through artistic expression and high-quality products.” – Courtesy of FOX59
Turmoil often breeds the best art, whether caused by the times in which we live, or the emotions as we live them, art remains a scholastic instrument in which we forget, and rediscover moments, and memories, and ultimately synthesize something out of such turmoil. Yet, clothing above all art forms is fascinating in its connotations as worn garments. Pieces of art shrouding an individual as they live their own lives.
Where a painting stagnates without a viewer, clothing remains an omnipresent presence that is meant for stolen glances, or abject attention depending on the wearer’s mood. Whether too woo, or too wow, the clothing in which we reside remains a focal point of self-expression. One as ancient as sufi-garbs, woolen and weighty, meant to codify a spiritual detachment from worldly conundrums. Or to those meant to captivate and cause contemplation of a different sort.
Those found within 50’s luxury, bright and effervescent, nearly alien within their design, yet meant to elicit an all to human emotion. Lust. Whether worn correctly or otherwise, the clothes we don are what we are assumed to be. Often irrespective of the creator, less so than any other art form. And yet, in attempting to create more than clothing Ashkan finds himself in waters that seem depthless in possibility, but also a limitless abyss to drown in.
All of that to say, Proper Dirty, plays in the nuance of a moment, or a scene. Finding beauty in the difference of a moment, rather than fearing its juxtaposition. And within the brand’s latest collection, Lavish Hippie, Ashkan returns with three facets paramount. Curated, Polished, and Perfected.
And I mean the last as a parahesian, screaming into a largely deaf crowd. Because this isn’t Ashkan’s first, third, or 5th collection. ? Deep, and spanning half a decade, he’s built system after system, working himself half to death to realize a goal that lies in neither narcissistic notoriety, nor narrow minded grandeur. Ashkan is building towards a precipice that dawns on few and far between. Of an empire built with a vision of a vanguard, with Proper Dirty eclipsing its forebears. Something to leave for your children as you age beyond this life, into the next.
Yet those thoughts are few and far between, for Lavish Hippie, truly lives within the moment of its time. Scattered crumbs of ecstasy, alongside the rhythmic dance of a flame, encroached by a dozen frames, on a cool and cloudless night. It’s a niche we’ve seen Alaie craft in on numerous occasions, and it’s one that lies in Americana spanning the decades. Whether 2021’s bike grease, and kerosene, inspired Harley americana, to a reinspired 60’s Amerio-Futurism, Alaie’s dabbled in the concept since he began.
In his latest collection following his yearly advent-release, Alaie showcases a psychedelic fueled fantasy masquerading between a vintage chique and 21st century hippies. This dialectic is best illustrated by the gorgeously wrought Zenith Cropped Jacket, and its modern equivalent, the heavy weight cotton Joplin Zip-Up Hoodie.
The clothing showcase was held at J2 Sneaker Box in Metropolis at Metrotown (I had to google, metros full title…) along with live music provided by the ever spinning, Kalani Rodriguez aka. 1kalcapone. Getting a chance to feel the clothing in person is always a treat. Whether it’s the universal heaviness to the jackets, and hoodies, to the sheen of the clothes hardware, it’s an experience in textures second to none.
A small venue alongside Capone’s elaborate mixes, had the space bumping as clients, family, friends, and contemporaries joined the space as the hours waned. With the conversations I shared with my fellow sycophants being summed up into two main categories. The first concerns the appreciation they had for Alaie continuing to pursue his craft, and their delight at how the clothing turned out. The second concerned their growing understanding on where Alaie’s been for the last year as he hunkered down and disappeared.
And the collection above all stands as a representation of what I’d perceive as the growing momentum, and thus weight Alaie has gone through in the creation of Lavish Hippie. Yet, we’ll let the clothing speak for the tribulations he’s gone through.
In comparison with Alaie’s past collections, Lavish Hippie highlights his keen eye for textiles above all else. From the mentioned Zenith Cropped Fabric to the collections pis de resistance, Roxy Overcoat, there’s sure to be a piece fulfilling a fashion fantasy of yours.
The t-shirts also get a shout out, I’d almost describe them as mid-weight. Heftier by a margin to supima cotton without feeling like you’re wearing a sweater. And the designs are immaculate. The Saratoga S/S tee, specifically, is going to be a classic, with its cigarette box of flowers, and its air of whimsy.
And as this article begins to come to a close, I’ll relate one last moment from the night, and it remains my favorite. About half way through the night, a man dressed in hypebeast outerwear, with his companion similarly done up, came to J2 to pick up a pair of sneakers. They strolled around the room as the employee sped off to the back, and they began eying Alaie’s pieces on display. Fondling the fabric, and perusing the pieces, the man begins to try them on.
Alaie quickly intercedes, grabbing sizes, and colors as the scent of a sale begins to intercede. And before I knew it, the man had grabbed four pieces, checked out, and sauntered off to live the rest of his days. It was a slightly startling transaction for the speed in which Alaie had sold a random Vancouver denizen his dream, and garms. Yet, it was the sheer quality of the garms that allowed the man to take one feel of the fabrics on display, and come to a decision. And if my bank statements looked a little bit neater, I would have likely been the same.
And so, as the true conclusion begins to coalesce I’ll leave it clean and simple.
For I bid, Proper Dirty, and Ashkan Alaie, Godspeed, for their path is ordained, and their future in the hands of a maverick. So go far, old friend of mine. May we see Proper Dirty eclipse the very sun one day.
Written by Hashnain
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