This Fashion Show Went Full ‘Zoolander’ With Tone Deaf ‘Homeless’ Show

Because the world isn’t already a tragic parody of popular media, a fashion house decided to take the terrible, awful, no good ridiculousness even further. That’s right, friend reading this: A Japanese label went full-on ‘Derelicte’ by designing a fashion show based on the homeless. Let that sink in and I’ll meet you in the next paragraph!

Cosmopolitan reports that the show, created by N.Hoolywood for New York Fashion Week: Men, wasn’t just offensive on the runway, but off it, as well. First, the attendees all sat on “mismatched chairs and benches” to really give them the feel of living outside (while, you know, enjoying Fashion Week); second, they had to read the following before the show even started:

“As our designer traveled the cities of America, he witnessed the various ways in which people there lived on the streets and the knowledge they have acquired while doing so,” the notes placed on each seat informed guests. “His observations of these so-called homeless or street people revealed that them [sic] to be full of clever ideas for covering the necessities of life.”

Did this brand not understand that the joke in Zoolander was commentary? Who has the brilliant idea of seeing a down-and-out person and thinking “I’m going to present this to the rich people who will love it and pay so much money to dress just like them!”?

But wait, in the immortal words of Billy Mays, there’s more:

The line sheet went on to congratulate the homeless for their inventiveness. Calling out the use of blankets as ingenious “coats for cold days,” and garbage bags that “can double as waterproof boots when it rains.” It also was a particular fan of “experimental sizing,” implying that their baggy pants were just a fun way to play with proportions. Bad, right?

Of course, the show wasn’t any better. The models wandering down the runway carried trash bags full of clothes in their arms, wore mismatched clothing that was meant to look like it had just been salvaged from the Goodwill reject pile, and covered themselves, as mentioned above, in layers of blankets to emulate what a homeless person might wear on a particularly unfriendly day.

If you’re wondering “is this real life? Could someone really be so out of touch with the world?” You’re not alone. The show’s been widely criticized for using the downtrodden for fashion show fodder. N. Hoolywood hasn’t apologized yet, but considering the backlash they’re currently receiving, it’s likely only a matter of time.

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