FSR stands for For Safety Reasons — “the idea that the clothing you wear is still a shield, protection for your sensibilities.” The brand, founded in 2022, may be young, but the design power holds weight way beyond its years. Founded by Herzen Clerge and art directed/designed collaboratively by creatives Ianko Joseph, Chris Crary, and Josh Spainer, the brand’s design process includes inspiration drawn from the designers’ roots in Haiti. “Since I was a kid, my house has been filled with Haitian art, and I’ve always been drawn to the tones of revolution and the depictions of everyday life in the Haitian province through the paintings,” says the collective of their shared experiences.
Their recent A/W 23 collection is a reflection of “an optimistic take on the material future of our world.” The collection is filled with hand-beaded and dyed clothing with thoughtful love and care that the designers want their wearers to feel through the clothing. The physical manifestation of reflecting on the way that everything and everyone ages were highlighted in a natural process of degradation and “finding the beauty in materials such as rust and oxidized copper.”
The research that went into the collection was centered on the philosophy of Czech philosopher Franz Kafka. He ruminates on the idea of the unending cycle of labor and the nihilistic perception that we work with no intention. “For FSR, accepting the inevitable is what brings you closer to life, cherishing life’s ordinary and infinite possibilities brings hope, and through our collection, hope is what we aim to inspire, the collective tells ESSENCE. “We wanted to take what we learned from our last show and expand it both in terms of construction and concept. Our 2022 collection was a proof of concept for us. We have pushed ourselves to develop our language of tailoring and construction.”
As the brand grows, they don’t want to play it safe, so the designer finds himself pushing the boundaries of those concepts he holds near to him. It’s bigger than aesthetics. They share what he hopes for the future of FSR, saying, “Most importantly, we want to innovate new ways for the work we put into FSR to have a tangible impact on the communities that have supported and continue to support young creative voices. We hope to continue to empower people through our design and challenge people’s perceptions around the world. We hope to cultivate hope in the hearts of people young and old and to keep the fire of youth alive within.”
Learn more about the collective, and stay up to date on future drops at www.000fsr.net.