A street affair
> Founded by global citizens and crafted for lateral thinkers, Idle/ido is a cross between stillness and motion
WITH every new season, streetwear struggles to capture its true definition of what it initially set out to represent. Often times it carries a distinctive visual identity and has an intimate liaison with the hip-hop movement, hence others believe there is a diasporic sensitivity for individuals who practise the genre and wear the clothing.
But what Idle/ido does is perhaps more commendable than the others. The homegrown streetwear label has successfully established its brand presence internationally as one of the up and coming brands that represents Malaysia. ZZ Liu founded the label with his brother as they intend to bring fresh ideas to the streetwear landscape in an unorthodox way as a kind of response to how human beings are affected by their surroundings.
Influenced by the traditional Japanese aesthetics – "Wabisabi", Idle/ido explores the Japanese worldview which centres on the acceptance of transience and imperfection. "I believe imperfection is something that feels natural and not forceful. It means when you leave something as it is, it ages beautifully," explained ZZ.
When the core inspiration seems to be quite abstract and intangible in the sense where it's about finding beauty in imperfec- tion, we can't help but wonder how this characteristic translates into fashion.
Meanwhile, it is made clearer when the framework is magnified to evoke a poetic narrative that is absent in many other brands. "The word ‘ido’ means movement in Japanese. By pairing both words together it becomes a contrast to create harmony and an overall balance."
This combination of perfection and imperfection, stillness and motion reveal the aesthetic sense of equilibrium. With the Japanese values being heavily ingrained in the DNA of the label, Idle/ido blends the functional- ity of the clothing with intricate cut and sewing techniques on top of its thought-out details. ZZ showed that streetwear comes from a thorough consideration of craftsmanship, and how these clothes fall onto the body to enact movements in bringing aesthetic to the eyes. In the latest collection entitled – Vol.02 "Equilibrium", it draws on the possibility of achieving the perfect balance. Construction of the designs are utilitarian-like and they are integrated with practical elements and reworked classics to counterbalance contrast and harmony. Key pieces include a tri-tone noragi, double hooded two-ways zip hoodie, asymmetry pants in black on black print, reverse zip pocket tee in black and white colourways, and a fivepanel hat with a splash of red at the side.
Although it is unlikely to redefine the whole visual language of streetwear culture which was once a subculture, ZZ described streetwear as an attitude that not many people can see and in disguise among the saturated market. "It is supposed to be niche and limited but lately it has become increasingly common."
"I read an article by Bobby Hundreds, the founder of The Hundreds, where he mentioned because hip-hop is such a thing at the moment, the rise of streetwear in mainstream fashion mirrors the rise of hiphop."
"In some ways, the more famous some individuals are in hip-hop wearing streetwear, naturally the more famous streetwear is," he added.
ZZ said the streetwear industry in Malaysia needs to strike a balance if we are to grow the Malaysia streetwear culture. "It should be about talent and creation; it shouldn't be about the people you're associated with."
"That is why streetwear is not a place for true integrity," he added.
Established for only a year, ZZ had already received an invitation from Highsnobiety to showcase at Capsule Shows Autumn/Winter 2018 in New York. "We are also going to work with Wesley Chan from Wong Fu Production,” he said.