Today’s celebrated jester-clothiers include men like Demna of Balenciaga, who designs handbags that look like Ikea totes, trash bags and cheap souvenirs, or Jonathan Anderson of Loewe, who adorns shoes with deflated balloons, patches of fake grass and heels shaped like bars of soap. But these designers operate within fashion’s upper echelon, charging between $1,000 to $2,000 for their little jokes.
Ms. Gazin is more of a comedian for the everywoman, writhing around her dojo, indifferent to the mainstream fashion industry’s seasonal schedule and show circuit. A tote bag resembling an old-timey bank robber’s sack sells for $69; a shirtdress covered in long gloves, layered like fringe, is $448. The sizes are inclusive, offered up to 6X in some designs.
“It’s hard to find silly, fun, joyful clothes that are plus size,” said Carlee Rhodaback, 30, an office manager from Albany, Ore., who wears the color green every day. She owns about 20 pieces from Fashion Brand Company, including a busty milkmaid minidress made from an unusually thick cotton that, she said, “could stand up to a nuclear bomb.”
Sara Camposarcone, a Toronto content creator with an acidic-maximalist sense of style, owns a beige sweater covered in pink nipples and yellow “Swiss cheese” pants punched with holes. She concedes that her outfits are not considered, by most people, realistic for everyday dressing. But these Fashion Brand Company pieces are among the most “wearable” in her closet, she said.
“You can wear those cheese pants with a button-down and a black boot,” said Ms. Camposarcone, 27. “You can totally wear that to the office.”