Photo by Maria Lucchetti
By Claudia Mei and Gabriella Arena
Who better talk to about body positivity other than fashion journalist, stylist and clothes lover Cyprian DeCoteau?
“I have been in fashion forever,” he says.
Cyprian was born into fashion. Originally from Tobago in Trinidad, he first came across fashion through his mum, aunty, and grandmother, who had seven sons. All of his uncles were tailors.
He started making his own clothes at age 17/18 when he wanted to wear something different to go to school. Before he knew it, he had clients.
One of the most influential people in his life when he was growing up was Simon Foxton, a leading British stylist, who he met in his second year of fashion college in London.
Cyprian believes that London still leads at representing inclusion, but he also mentioned that focusing on fashion week products is counter-productive, because they represent a very small fragment of fashion. He suggests looking at the whole industry.
“London Fashion Week is just a microcosm of 1.001per cent of the population,” Cyprian said at the Fashion Journalism Newsweek at London Metropolitan University about body positivity.
According to Cyprian, Karoline Vito, a Brazilian-born, London-based designer celebrated for her size-inclusive approach to women’s wear, is one of the most inclusive at the moment.
Cyprian’s work also is very inclusive, representing body positivity and fitting all body types. As an example he uses the Indigenous-African notion of wrap and tie, which is very accessible for different sizes.
“I have never had that problem in Trinidad – it is a western problem- western culture discriminates against body,“ he added.
Hopes for the future of fashion
Cyprian believes fashion is going to become more democratized. “We are going to see people rejecting these big brands because it’s unsustainable …. a return to cottage industry. As I keep thinking, colonialism was an experiment exported around the world and here in the west we are beginning to feel the effects that colonial nations endured.” He added that we are still in a state of acceptance for authenticity.
But when it comes to Cyprian’s future, he will certainly be remembered for “fun and drama!”
Photo by Gabriella Arena
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