Fashion trends are always about "fantasy"... We are fascinated by them. Generally, because the clothing design is a vehicle to turn fantasies into reality, we can always get closer to the imaginary self step by step.

We try to reproduce the rich things in life or the pure imagination of dreamers; we also want to express our feelings about everything in the world and show the differences and pluralism; for these reasons, NOWRE has opened a new creative modeling column through the most direct visual way, to present those "Cultural Images" that can make you and me empathize. 

The Cyberpunk Project…

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Mention cyberpunk (CYBERPUNK), it is not difficult to think of colorful neon lights, skyscrapers, and a future scene full of artificial intelligence, over the years, whether it is in literature, film and television and even games to be continuously quoted, but also somewhat make the public have some aesthetic fatigue. Still, the significance of cyberpunk is far more than this. Trying to define cyberpunk is not easy because it is too broad, referring to both "culture" and "genre." As a stylistic concept, it has long penetrated street culture and popular subculture.

In the early 1980s, cyberpunk combined Cybernetics (the science of replacing human functions with computer functions) and Punk (music categories that show rebellious attitudes and nihilism) with science fiction A subcategory was born, and in the futuristic world depicted in these novels, there are usually advanced science and technology, large technology companies and security forces, but also a heavily polluted natural environment. When illegal trade, gangs, and drugs spread in the intricate underworld, accompanied by political corruption and social unrest, humanity is trapped by anti-human artificial intelligence and plunged into a bleak high-tech future. 

In a word, it is the so-called "High tech, Low life." 

With the explosive response of the science fiction novel "Neuromancer" and the "Blade Runner" that was put on the big screen, cyberculture went beyond its own cinematic or literary significance, penetrated almost all forms of art, and became a subcultural organism representing anti-authority, subversive and all-encompassing in the present. As for the definition of cyberculture, as our understanding of the future changes, its answer will continue to change.

Are we living in a DYSTOPIA？

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In the cyber world, where highly developed technology fails to bridge social divides, it creates enormous divides between classes, leading to social conflict. The "future" is never a happy place. What is even more frightening is the negative image of the bionic people created by artificial intelligence technology in these works: they will eventually become self-aware and destroy us. 

In his 1985 book Robots and Empires, science fiction writer Isaac Asimov set the well-known zero rule: Robots must not harm humanity as a whole or sit back and watch society as a whole be harmed. At the same time, we have never stopped fantasizing that such technologies will eventually lead us to a bleak future. It is not difficult to find the hidden essence of cyberculture, namely dystopia and pessimism. Such complexes are most directly related to the New Wave movement in science fiction literature in the 1960s and 1970s. The science fiction literature of the New Wave era reflects the values of the "Beat Generation," who are anti-war, anti-nuclear, anti-system, pursuing spiritual liberation, self-exile, and living in the present. At the same time, fantasies about the future are pessimistic, and cyberculture inherits a dystopian worldview. 

Humans have complex psychology of curiosity, worry, and desire but fear for bionic humans. In 1979, the robotic arm given the task of retrieving parts slammed into 25-year-old Robert Williams due to a malfunction, the first death of a "robot" in history. Today, as the trend of increasing symbiosis between humans and technology becomes more pronounced, we have unprecedented cultural anxiety about bionic people who are "difficult to distinguish between true and false," and this fear seems to stem from the "psychological distinction" we have established between thought and matter. 

We instinctively distinguish "physical objects" from "living beings" such as man, who has his thoughts, knowledge, and beliefs, all of which stem from within us. As psychologist Paul Bloom puts it, "Intuitively, everyone is a dualist, and we think that thinking and things are completely different." Bionic humans violate this basic idea that they are objects made by humans, but they can exhibit the same behavior as humans; their behavior is driven by information (thoughts) as we do, but their ideas come from silicon, plastic, or glass. As a result, we unconsciously see bionic humans as objects that violate human norms and identity meanings. 

It seems so logical that the purpose of creating a bionic man was to make it work for humanity and the transformation from a "faithful servant" to a "rebel" with a mind. When the unknown is conflated with threats, we allow such fears to root.

In the coming decades, we may witness the further integration of human society and artificial intelligence until the two cannot be distinguished. After reading this article, imagine when technology creates another you, guess what happens when you live with your replicas. 

What's the Darkwear？

In my words, Darkwear is a technical style of clothing that combines the core of cyberpunk under technological elements. It also satisfies the dystopian mood of a new generation of people. 

Here are some common elements of Darkwear that can be applied to everyday life: 

• transparent hooded raincoat, 
• black hoodie, 
• multi-pocketed leggings, 
• sunglasses, 
• black anti-smog mask - masks that can be disguised as wasteland masks
• Bluetooth headsets, bracelets, ubiquitous screens 

The essential point wear the expression of "the indifference and decadence of the fans, as if the end has fallen"!