Malcolm Harris
!["The one business [of my father's] that interested me the most was the dry cleaners. I got to see people bring in things that were just amazing. He had one that was in the ghetto, and these drug dealers would bring in some of the most elaborate outfits you've ever seen. Some of these drug dealers and pimps would go to jail, and after ninety days it became the property of the dry cleaners. I would show up to school in these things formally owned by pimps and drug dealers... my teachers had no idea what to do with me." Bottom of a Chanel Dress worn as a Cape, American Apparel Tank Top with Malcolm's Shoulder Pads, John Bartlett Pants, Hat from the street](http://stylelikeu.com/upload/photos/orig_tn_photo-5045-489465.png)
!["[Keith Haring] would combine these reggae symbols with something that, at that time, symbolized freeness and gayness, with probably the most homophobic culture on the planet. I always found that provocative and interesting. I’m not even sure if Keith fully understood it. He thought 'Why not?'" Jacket painted by Keith Haring, Camouflage Skirt/Pants made by Malcolm](http://stylelikeu.com/upload/photos/orig_tn_photo-5045-770392.png)
![On shopping: "I go to the store. I try it on. I stand in the mirror and I envision myself walking down the street in it, going to my favorite restaurant in it, coming home in it, hanging it up and loving it, and I do the same thing in the store. I put it back on the rack. If it’s not one of those things that you can’t live without and it really needs to be owned by you, I can just let it go. Certain things though, [if they] really resonate [with me], they're mine." Alexander McQueen Jacket, Camouflage Skirt/Pants made by Malcolm, Patrick Cox Shoes, Hat from the street](http://stylelikeu.com/upload/photos/orig_tn_photo-5045-707616.png)
!["I always got great joy from people just saying 'Hey, that’s a great jacket.' I like that. I like how it’s combining art and culture. For me, it was just a thrill every time I wear it. I cannot believe that I still have it and I can still fit in it. I was so scared that [Keith's handpainted baby on the back] would fade away, so I got it embroidered so it would never leave me." Jacket painted by Keith Haring](http://stylelikeu.com/upload/photos/orig_tn_photo-5045-126971.png)
!["There’s that thing that happens when you realize that you are going to be different today, [different] as a six, seven, and eight years old, and you’re going to be different as you get older. And you learn to embrace it. I’ve always understood that I was different and that I was fine just the way I was." Banana Republic T-Shirt with tulle around the neck, John Bartlett Pants, Balenciaga Sneakers](http://stylelikeu.com/upload/photos/orig_tn_photo-5045-805579.png)
In his camouflage pant complete with a skirt that zips off and can be worn as a cape, Malcolm’s clothes personify the super hero that he is. Unlike your average clothier, Malcolm has selflessly dedicated his career as a designer to creating a platform for a myriad of humanitarian causes. In addition, he has used his sense of style to demolish gender boundaries, open people’s minds, and break down unconscious, exclusionary societal belief systems. For Malcolm, even a walk to the grocery store is a conscious journey, reflecting what he feels inspired to wear and express at that moment. Most recently, his look have been inspired by the provocative romance in Leo Tolstoy’s “Anna Karenina.” You might find him merely on a bodega run adorned in a flowing skirt with a train attached, paired with a leather jacket. He describes a lot of what he wears, including one of his favorite lace tops, as fragile and tough, just like he is. However for me, the only “tough” thing about him is the comfort he exudes in his fragility and his resilience against conformity. Few are as boundless in their ability to create and transform any run of the mill piece of material into something with the grace and drama of the Haute Couture of the 18th Century, all while using his look to retool society’s boundaries between masculine and feminine. Malcolm creates a cape from a piece of fabric snipped from a channel Chanel dress and uses a piece of tulle around his neck to embellish a tee-shirt. He portrays a sacrosanct aura, personified not only in his ultra loving nature, but in his flowing, robe-like kaftans which lack an association to any brand. Though his clothing choices can be dramatic, his integrity and wide open spirit is quiet and forceful. Malcolm co-founded The Designers for Darfur and is now working with the Care.org, in conjunction with his brilliant, One Dress to end child marriages. At one point during the interview, I looked up in his closet and saw several pieces of designer luggage and boxes. When I asked about them, he mumbled, “that was from a past life” and skipped over my question. Later, during an unrelated moment he told me that he had decided to give a gift to himself. However, instead of buying something, this gift was to give away most of his designer clothes to the homeless over a recent Christmas. He recounted how inspiring it was for him to see people receive luxury clothes with no attachment to labels. He called it “pure fashion.” It seems fitting that Malcolm was very close to graffitti legend and all around lover of people, Keith Haring, in the ’80′s. Keith had autographed the back of Malcolm’s white leather jacket in his iconic, red infinite signature that is meant to denote the connection between all people. In reverence to his beloved friend, Malcolm hand-embroidered red yarn over the signature in order to ensure it’s longevity. In fact, Malcolm is always carrying on Keith’s message. When he is feeling at all threatened by any one’s preconceived notions regarding ethnicity, class and sex, he answers by making one of his most daring, guerilla-like fashion statements, by wearing a guerilla mask to sit alone at a restaurant or walk down the street. Style is an art and like all art should serve to unite. Malcolm Harris: 2010′s caped crusader?
Pingback: Fatima Al Qadiri « Style Like U
Pingback: Style Like U » Sheena Matheiken
Pingback: Men in Skirts | Style Like U
Pingback: Twisted Classic- The Black Tee | Style Like U
Pingback: Twisted Classic- The Black Tee- Friday | Style Like U
Pingback: Twisted Classic- The Black Tee- Saturday | Style Like U
Pingback: Twisted Classic- The Black Tee- Sunday | Style Like U
Pingback: Michael Liu | Style Like U
Pingback: Mario Monroe | Style Like U
Pingback: Fay Leshner | Style Like U
Pingback: SLU Inspiration | Style Like U
Pingback: Addictions: Sneaker Con « StyleLikeU
Pingback: Zandile Blay « StyleLikeU