I Almost Died Trying to See En Noir, But You Don't Have To

I was super excited to see En Noir's fall 2013 presentation during New York Fashion Week because I've been following the brand's head designer Rob Garcia since he worked with the incredibly dope Blackscale label. En Noir, which debuted in August 2012, has become a go-to brand for fashion icons like Kanye West and A$AP Rocky and it's easy to see why—their mix of luxurious leathers and streetwear swagger is perfect for a hip-hop dude with refined tastes.

The presentation was hosted at my favorite NYFW spot, Milk Made Fashion Week, in a darkly lit studio. The room was overflowing with attractive people in black who all smelt of peculiar things like twigs and moss. Two big black cube-shaped structures were in the room, both of them fenced two rows of dudes wearing En Noir's signature black leather-clad gear, surrounded by mirrors and lights.

It looked incredible, but it was also a pain the ass. Because of the way the models were facing, you had to actually walk inside the of cube structure to get a good look at the clothes. And of course everyone wanted to see the clothes, so there were like hundreds of people trying to squeeze inside of these tight little spaces. The experience made me feel like Chris Christie on an airplane. Not to mention, the hot-breathed fashion nerds were sucking up all the oxygen and walked at glacial pace around the models just so they could take selfies and secretly grope the dudes on display.

I only managed to venture into one of the cubes before I had to just give up. The scene was hot enough on its own, but I was wearing a fur bomber coat too. I felt like Chewbacca had me in a headlock. I took three half-assed pics and sprinted out of there to the open bar outside of the presentation to suck down cold booze and rub my face with ice cubes. I was bummed I couldn't take in the genius of En Noir's "monochromatic minimalism," but I was not about to go back into the fashion incinerator and sweat through all the new shit I had JUST copped for Fashion Week.

I was pissed for weeks that a horde of fashion fans had turned En Noir's NYFW presentation into a sauna, and I never got to take a good look at their latest collection. Which is why I felt like my fashion prayers had been answered when I came across the  video below. The clip features En Noir designer Rob Garcia and Curt@!n$ talking about the development of their line. They explain their "fuck you" aesthetic and you get to see all of their cool clothes without dying of asphyxiation. Enjoy!

@WilbertLCooper

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