ALOK describes their second look as "something with more grit and stamina: representative of how we can and will trudge through this, cultivate the kind of conviction that ensures there is no going back."
PS: Prabal's new collection encourages self-expression. That is something you value and make known every day, especially with your #DeGenderFashion movement. How do your outfits today speak to that idea?
ALOK: I believe fashion should be a celebration of beauty, not binary. Dividing silhouettes, articles of clothing, colors, and prints on gender lines is actually contrary to fashion. My looks today are a celebration of wearing whatever the hell you want, regardless what other people think you should. It felt fitting to have my quarantine roommate photograph these outside. So often, self-expression is only permissible on a runway or a TV show, but I think it's important to bring it everywhere we go.
"I believe fashion should be a celebration of beauty, not binary. Dividing silhouettes, articles of clothing, colors, and prints on gender lines is actually contrary to fashion."
PS: What would you say is a Fashion Week outfit essential pre-pandemic, and what is a Fashion Week outfit essential now, even if it's just something you wear at home?
ALOK: For me, fashion has always been less about what you wear, and more about how you wear it. I say curiosity was and continues to be essential. Curiosity is the anecdote to stagnancy. It helps us continually move in new and exciting directions.
PS: In your opinion, what does it mean to dress with courage?
ALOK: It means to prioritize your joy over their shame. It means to dress for yourself, not other people's ideas of what you should look like.
