Full confession. I’m not really a diehard RuPaul’s Drag Race fan. I watched a couple of episodes when the show first came out. Thought it was cool. But moved on pretty quickly to other things after a season or two.
Still, every once in a while something from the show will make its way into my feed or pop up in a comment section.
And, holy hell do we need to talk about Gottmik.
High Fashion Isn't Shocking Anymore
“This season was all about black pant suits, but how many of those can you have? There didn’t seem to be much thinking behind these shifts. On the other hand, [Bottega] ‘the story of an Italian piazza’ was kind of a clever way of saving a very disparate collection[…] even though the multiplicity was there to maximize commercial gain.”
– Alexander Fury
In some ways we are living in the best and worst timeline for boundary pushing fashion editorials. And, I’m beginning to feel like I’ve seen it all.
When pretty-but-androgenous faces and genderfluid couture first became a thing, it was cool and dystopian stuff.
Textured. Highly structured. Metallic, gritty, industrial, and otherworldly. But over time, it morphed into this bland, minimalistic, back-to-basic, beige bullshit.
Occasionally, I’ll see someone like Lil Nas X who really understands that playing with gender expression is about more than just asking, “But what if men wore skirts?.”
Still, every time a new subculture is swallowed up by mainstream high-fashion brands, I am inundated by boring, soulless imitations that always feel like they’re trying way too hard to be edgy.
Fashion is a machine.
And even prominent fashion journalists like Angelo Flaccavento and Alexander Fury can acknowledge that hype and commercial gain have a tendancy to overshadow the clothes.
One minute, Vivienne Westwood is bringing punk fashion into the mainstream. The next we’re buying sanitized, fast-fashion garbage from Hot Topic.
We went from provocative, underground leather and latex. To poorly executed, cheap references to BDSM culture trying to convince people its still counterculture to wear spikes and leather.
And, I’m so bored with it.
So Where Is Gottmik in all of this?
The first time I heard about Gottmik. It was in reference to her “A Tale of Two Titties” runway look for week three of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars. Which received a lot of critical attention, both positive and negative.
And I was absolutely blown away.
The high-level of execution required to pull off a concept like that is mind boggling. The gory, horror VFX used to sculpt the life-like, color-matched, human arms that move when you walk was mesmerizing to watch in reels.
And the subject matter is especially challenging, yet inspiring coming from the first transman to participate in Drag Race. Which I’ll admit, took me a little bit to wrap my head around.
The look is fierce. The message is clear. And it leaves no room for debate. Either you like it. Or you don’t.
Alt Queen For The Goth Scene
On the surface. Gottmik’s brand is pure, in-your-face shock value. For the people that have a personal connection to the material. It’s fun, tongue-in-cheek, “Crash The Cis-tem” camp.
But, I think what’s makes it work so well is that her style feels authentic. And, the more I scrolled through her Instagram.
The more impressed I became with the way she’s managed to aggressively embody niche horror and goth/punk fashion trends that were heavily diluted in high-fashion circles once they became more mainstream.
Most of the time, Gottmik is sporting a full face of white makeup, dark eyeshadow, heavy eyeliner and black lipstick—reminiscent of glam rock icons like Kiss and your shock rock, Marilyn Manson types.
To the point that it has become a signature part of her often elaborate outfits and theatrical style. And, of course. All black everything.
And, maybe that’s because on some level. Gottmik’s brand and drag as a whole are heavily built around the foundational elements that made these subcultures meaningful to people in the first place.
Rejection of societal and cultural norms. Advocating for marginalized groups. And a dash of political activism.
So, it feels a lot less like a cosplay. And more like an homage or a continuation of where we left off when these things were first introduced to the general public.
It’s a strange thing to see in the world of high fashion.
But she’s managed to get a crazy amount of mileage out of that signature style. With outfits that range from elegant Mortia Adams-y leather-clad stuff.
To Beetlejuice stripes and checker print. Along with more than a few really out there Halloween looks and a boatload of glam rock pixie vibes.
Not Just A One Trick Pony
One of the most challenging aspects of putting together this lookbook has been choosing which looks to include. And which ones to cut. Because there are so many to choose from.
There’s a huge amount of variation between the concepts she put together for her runway looks on Drag Race. The “every day” looks she wears for Instagram photos.
As well as the many, many looks she’s repped for huge fashion brands like Dior and Versace. At a certain point. You really just have to check out her Instagram.
Because it would be impossible to include it all here.
Closing Thoughts
“When you look at a lot of other houses, it’s just piles upon piles of crap. The more we can put on, the more we can strip off and sell. If an outfit has 47 things to it, then that’s 47 different bits of merch we can sell.”
– Alexander Fury
Gottmik has done an incredible job building a memorable, cohesive personal image that high-fashion brands want to work with. Which has been a welcome breath of fresh air.
But its hard to say how long anything can remain authentic and bold. Part of commercializing products or services requires streamlining and repackaging ideas into something consumable.
Which will eventually lose its novelty factor.
Still, I’m hoping that the popularization of indie brands and niche personalities will create space for fresh blood in the design world. And continue to bring creative inspirations that are accessible and meaningful for more than a season.
To end this one, I’ll leave you with my favourite photoshoot so far. A collaboration between Gottmik and Betsey Johnson for Pride Month.
The colours are subtle but effective. I love the photography. And it just has the right amount of glam attitude, in my opinion.
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