Bumsuk Choi, the designer and creative director of General Idea, took inspiration for his Spring/Summer 2018 collection from the millennial generation. Rebranding them as “nippies,” a portmanteau of net and hippies, he expresses that people of today’s world are so connected to each other, the internet, social media and technology in general, yet are still very much in touch with themselves and are able to coexist with one another, accepting all cultures and enjoying their freedom. In the show notes, Choi states that, “We are evolving from homo to phono sapiens. Just like hippies, we are full of freedom, coexistence and peace. We declare our generation “nippies” [net+hippies].”

The General Idea S/S 2018 runway was then an embodiment of this idea.  Loose, bright and breezy clothes trademarked the collection as well as an array of orange, yellow, green and blue fabrics. A common look featured throughout involved loosely fitted pants with a patterned design on the cuffs, paired with a plain shirt, a long scarf with a zig-zag patterned edging to match the pant cuffs and berets placed on the model’s heads. Big, color-tinted sunglasses, long jackets and stripes were also commonly featured.

Choi boldly had a few of his models walk the runway with cell phones in their hands, looking down every few steps to check it, staying true to his idea of a nippie. So as to epitomize his collection as one of a connected, yet natural society and not mistake it as one obsessed with materialistic needs, Choi contrasted this phone-holding with the bare faced models and their natural hair styles — down and long, afros and even bald.  Many models also wore piercings in one ear to represent the true hippie style.

General Idea S/S 18 reinvented the hippie to accommodate technology, effortlessly presented by Choi’s designs. Instead of concern over a tech-obsessed, media driven world, Choi offers a different take: one of a harmonious, connected society — by way of his easy fitting, brightly colored collection.

Email Caroline Zemsky at [email protected].