With so many politicians not taking light of gun control, New York fashion brand Bstroy decided to take matters into their own hands. Bstroy released their SS20 collection featuring some sweaters depicting massive school shootings designed with bullet holes that are causing a lot of disruption. Here are the sweaters.
Sandy Hook
On December 14, 2012 in Newtown, Connecticut, twenty six people were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary. There were 20 children, and 6 adults.
Columbine
On April 20, 1999 at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado, 12 students and one teacher were killed.
Stoneman Douglas
On February 14, 2018 in Parkland, Florida, 17 people were killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Bstroy Instagram’s bio describes the brand as a “Neo-Native Menswear Design House, Creating and Communicating From A Time After Now.’ Bstroy Creates Dialogue Through Fashion Bstroy created a conversation that needed to be not only heard but seen. The distressed sweaters and bold tees are vivid images of the harsh reality people are facing in schools. With so many mass shootings taking place, and with no call to action on gun laws, the brand releasing the line of sweaters was the next big thing.
According to Sky News,and their article “Why are white men carrying out more shootings?” statistics show that about 60% of America is white-only, while current stats show white people carry out about 58% of shootings. But as a proportion of all races and shootings, white people far outstrip others. Along with the sweaters, Bstroy has a tee that resembles the printing of a tabloid titled After Now Post “President Trump, America is dying and the killer looks like you.” With this tee, they are calling out President Trump, and the faces behind the guns.
Also in this collection, there is another tee, with the words “Show Us You Care” imprinted on it . Another message provoking conversation. “How are you going to show us you care?” To obtain a gun in the state of Florida, all you need is a clean background check, and you must be 21. There is currently no limit on how many guns you can buy in one single transaction.
The People Have Spoken
There were a lot of comments against the political statement Bstroy was trying to convey.
Families Are Demanding An Apology
While Bstroy’s approach to this conversation was a little too audacious, victims and families of the mass shootings are demanding an apology for the sweaters being showcased on the runway. They feel that the brand was insensitive, and they could have initiated his conversation another way. Bstroy states that they were not making a mockery of these massive shootings in no shape or form, they were eliciting the gruesome reality behind mass shootings and the issues society is sill facing.
Kamea Morgan 