Homeless what?

My cousin just told me about this huge trend in Los Angeles called “Homeless Chic” which apparently already began a few years back. Where have I been all these years? How did I miss this trend that apparently has taken over the major catwalks (highly doubt that it ever did or will ever make it to Zurich!) and have been written about in magazines and blogs such as the W Magazine or The Sartorialist? These high fashion models are not only dressed to look homeless but they are also groomed as such. Some even walk the aisle pushing a shopping cart or jump out of carton boxes.

Not sure if the article about a 55-year-old Ukranian man named Slavik had anything to do with this trend. He was “discovered” by photographer Yurkov Dyachyshyn, who nicknamed him “the most fashionable homeless man in the world” and snapped him over 100 times.

What is wrong with this picture? Maybe I completely missed the mark all these years because there is something innately wrong about this. How is it ok to use very expensive apparel to reference a way unfortunate people struggle to keep warm? And have the nerve to juxtapose “homeless” and “chic” in the name? How is this humane? How are we bringing awareness to an ever rising problem? By “coolifying” a life “state” which by the way most of these designers / models couldn’t endure more than an hour (enough time to grasp the situation), we close our eyes on our social responsibility. It also numbs us to the fact that these people are more than a “fashion inspiration” and are actually real humans with actual existential concerns and needs.

See for yourself!