W
hether you recognize him from
Freeform’s new Grown-ish or the
oversized coat meme from this
past winter, Luka Sabbat has been
heralded as “the coolest kid on the internet” since
he was 18. That was when the native New Yorker
began his modeling career by walking at Yeezy’s
Season 1 presentation at New York Fashion Week
in 2015. Now the digital sensation has stretched his
career out far past just modeling. As a self-titled
“creative entrepreneur,” Sabbat has ambitions
across many different lines which can be seen in his
project HOTMESS, created with Noah Dillon. The
collaboration not only involves photographs, but
clothing, furniture, and anything else that the two
want to artistically explore. With a fluidity through
his interests, absurd style, fashion takes, and interest
in his individuality, Sabbat is capturing something
quintessentially GenZ.
GenZ has recently seized the fashion market as
they’ve began taking up more and more consumer
space. As someone at the forefront of the latest
generation to come to age, Sabbat told Nordstrom’s
blog that while there’s great content in the world,
“I don’t feel like a lot of it was for my age group,
or my scene. There needs to be more.” Rather than
the old, traditional things we’ve all seen before, this
new movement is focused on the fast-paced demand
from something new and extreme. Since Sabbat
determines his next process by Googling different
combinations of key words to make sure his ideas
are original, it is no doubt he shares this mindset.
Take one look at his Instagram and you’ll be met
with a mix of high and low-fashion; Balenciaga
mixed with some thrift shop find to create a style
that wouldn’t look good on anyone else. There is
an aura of authenticity and individuality in each of
his outfits that makes it impossible to copy because
it embodies him—as said to Miss Vogue: “I just do
what I like, and I don’t really pay attention to what
is being said.” This ethos can be seen throughout
GenZ’s fashion interest. They want to look like no
one else, to fight the expectations and ‘limits’ of
traditional fashion. Rules like not being able to mix
patterns or layer denim are things of
the past. Wearing what speaks to you
fills the GenZ fashion ethos.
Beyond being an image of the growing
digital native, Sabbat has inspiration
outside of himself. Above all else, he
told Hypebeast, “I dress like I’m in a
video game” and cited Dudley from
Street Fighter as his biggest fashion
icon. As subcultures fade away with
www.clichemag.com
the digital, the multimedia approach
Sabbat—and many GenZers—takes
to style is unsurprising. Kids no longer
only have their favorite bands or TV
shows to look up to but Instagram
stars, YouTubers, video game
characters, etc. Above all, however,
in this new, fast-paced world, to be
exciting and excited reigns supreme.
BY MARGARET BLATZ
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