The role of fashion inside "We are who we are" As freedom of expression and fashion statement of Gen Z

What better way to reach young people and describe them in their entirety than through a TV series? From Beverly Hills 90210 which helped boost Dr Martens sales in the 90s to Sex And The City which launched the Manolo Blahnik craze, this time Luca Guadagnino has thought of it with his new format “We Are Who We Are” to explore and launch new fashion diktats.

The discussed TV series is structured like a Bildungsroman, where a group of teenagers express themselves in an authentic, carefree and unfiltered way. They have the task of writing their future by gradually discovering their true identity, a research that is constructive and exciting but at the same time complex and difficult.
Here the characters rediscover themselves and become protagonists of an unconscious maturity, driven by the anarchy of their inner complexity and their need to express uniqueness by shouting to the whole world "we are what we are". In the show, non-conformism is understood not as a provocation but as a lifestyle choice.

The story and social issues

The protagonists of the series are, in fact, two American teenagers who, together with their families, live in an American military base in Italy.
On the one hand there is Fraser (Jack Dylan Grazer), a shy and introverted 14 year old who moves from New York to Veneto with his mother Sarah (Chloë Sevigny) and his partner Maggie (Alice Braga), both serving in the US army . On the other, Caitlin (Jordan Kristine Seamón), an apparently bold and self-confident teenager who has lived with her family on the base for years.

This real generational manifesto takes on the responsibility of telling the evolution of a society and its customs through the private and uncertain sensibilities of a group of adolescents full of internal contradictions but ready to fight for their own ideals, including gender fluidity.

The role of fashion

How to express these topics in a powerful and free way, if not through fashion? That's why the stylist, Giulia Piersanti, decided to show through the protagonists the typical closet of Gen Z, which is free, fluid and characterized by a carousel of genderless, sporty-couture garments, without size and ageless typical of Fashion Knowledgeable Generation.

Fraser is an introverted boy who uses fashion as a means of personal expression. His “grunge-chic” aesthetic is characterized by a mix of styles ranging from Raf Simons (his favorite designer) to Supreme, and indeed this mix of styles best represents his fluid and multifaceted personality. In his closet you cannot miss oversized t-shirts from brands like Comme des Garçons, Celine, Nike, Vetements, Kapital, skater pants by Life Sux, Dickies, adidas x Yohji Yamamoto (the spotted ones of the opening scene are iconic) , sweatshirts by Carhartt, Human Made, sneakers by Converse or Vans x Saint Laurent and accessories by brands such as Noah and Takashi Murakami.

“We Are Who We Are” is a Sky Original and HBO production, broadcast from 9 October on Sky Atlantic every Friday at 9.15 pm and streamed on NOW TV.