TRAZSH Magazine Vol. 1 by Razwa Servia

TRAZS

LETTERS FROM EDITOR

HeyTrazshy,

WelcometothefirstissueofTRAZSHMagazine

ThismagazinewasbornfromwhatIoncecalledmypersonal garbage—allthesketches,photos,words,andideasthatneverfelt “perfectenough”toshowtheworld.Butastimewenton,Irealized: thethingsIthoughtweretoomessy,toounfinished,toostrange… wereactuallythemostme.Perfectionisboring.Perfectionkills experimentation.Soinstead,Ireclaimedthemess,thescraps,the too-loudandtoo-weird,andIstitchedthemtogetherintosomething unapologeticallyme.That’sTRAZSH–Sonow,I’msharingthemwith you—alongsidetheworkofotherswholiveandcreatefearlessly.

Ourpagesarefortheoneswholiveoutsidethe9-to-5grind,who measuresuccessinmomentsofconnection,inthefireof collaboration,intheelectricityoflatenightsandnewideas.Weare women,queers,creatives,friends,andchosenfamily.We’reDJingin basements,stylingshootsincrampedstudios,curatingshowsin warehouses,makingartinthecornersofourcityapartments—and wearethriving.

TRAZSHexiststoremindusthat“garbage”canbebeautiful.Itcanbe chaotic,raw,andreal.Andthat’sexactlythepoint.

Staytrazshy, Raz

INCLUSIVITY IS NOT YOUR COSTUME!!!!!! INCLUSIVITY IS NOT YOUR COSTUME!!!!!!

SORRY DIID YOU HEAR ME?

Inaquickwhiplash,theworldweareinisswingingits pendulumstraighttotherightwing,andwhatwecallso- calledinclusivityhaslostitstruemeaning.Fashionlovesa revolutionaslongasitlooksgoodonpaper.Whilethe campaignsarepushingtheiragendaof“representative” byhavinga“token”,whetheritisamodelofcolor,aplus- sizemuse,oratransface,andbrandsaresittinghighand mightyafterpostingtheiremptystatementsofmorality, butbehindalltheperfectlychoreographedmarketing WORD?Liestherealtruththatfashionstilltreatsdiversity likeanaccessory–flauntswhenitlooksgoodandsimply throwsoutthewindowwhenitisnotlookingcute anymore,muchlikethecurrentstateoftheworld.With therenewedriseinconservatismandtheembraceof “traditionalvalues,”itistimetoasktheharshquestion:

Wasfashioneverinclusive,orwasitjust anothercostumechange?

Inclusivitywasonceseenasanactofrebellion,featuring theradicalvisibilityofqueernessontherunway,disability onthecover,anddifferentshapesandsizesscatteredall over.Butasthepoliticalclimategrowsweirderandoutof whack,thosesamecharacteristicsareslowlyandquietly beingpushedandeditedoutofbrandcampaigns. Designersareplayingit“safe”andmajorfashionhouses arerevertingtotheEurocentriccastingundertheguiseof “returningtoheritage,”andactivelynotcaringaboutthe needsoftheirblackmodelsofcolor,asnotedthattheso- called“heritage”meanshomogeneity.

Ifnotawhiplash,countitasastrangedéjàvu.Thisisthe sameindustrythatparadeddiversityandinclusivityfor socialcapital,nowabandoningitforcommercialcomfort. Whateverthisindustrycalledprogressivenesswasn'tbuilt onastancebutratheroptics.Asinclusivitybecomesa costume,ittakeslessthanasecondtotakeoffwhenthe crowdturnsred.

Risks? Oh God, NO!

Inthetopicofregressionofprogress,theculturalright’s newfoundgrasponaestheticsfrom“tradwife”contentto therevivalofmachomasculinity–itisnotamerepolitical shiftbutratherastyleone.Manysocialmediaalgorithm favorsnostalgiaforgenderbinariesandwhiteness disguisedas“class.”We’veenteredanerawheretheyare repackagingconservativevaluesaschicminimalismand an“oldmoney”look.Queityluxury?Orloudlydeclaring you'reaclassist?

Thisgreatershiftexposestheactualrealityofthefashion industry’sweakandmalleablefoundation.Thesame brandsspeakingloudlyoftheirclaimedsolidaritywith queerandBIPOCcommunitiesnowhesitateevento mentiontheirsupportwheninclusivitystopstrending. Then,allyship—orrather,performativeallyshipthatonce earnedlikesandrevenue—nowrisksbacklashand profit,whicharethemostcriticalaspectsinthiscapitalistic society.Thedeeperissuethatliesisthatfashionmirrors power,sowhenthepowerswingsright,whateverisleftis leftbehind,punintended.

I’m

feeling a little sick. Are you?

Youcanseeitintheireyes,theirbodylanguage,andtheir attitudetowardtheimpactofTHEfatigue.Theyarequick tosighwhendiversityismentionednearby.Thesilent panicofcreativedirectorsaskedto“represent”without beingoffensive.There’sanewbrandcalled“inclusivity fatigue,”whichisessentiallythelatestcorporateflu resultingfromprioritizingdiversityforaestheticsover ethics.

Thedangerdoesn'tstopthere,asitcontinuestodisguise itself,marketingregressionasmaturity.Brandsare comingouttosay“we’removingbeyondpolitics”or “we’rerefocusingonuniversalbeauty,”butreally,allthey aresayingistheyaregoingbacktowhatsellssafelyat thiscurrentmoment.Mindyou,thisisthesame “universal”idealsthatcensorsmarginalizedbodiesfor decades,thatarecreepingbackunderasofterlighting withtonsofsmokeeffectstocoveritallup.

You Are Sick of Me? I’m Sick of YOU!

Theironyisthatoneoffashion'smostexcellentcreative toolsisidentity,butfearnot,itisonlywhenitis convenient.Culturalheritage,blackness,andqueerness areminedforaesthetics,appropriatedbeyondtheir context,andsoldbackasafadtrend.Itisasystemthat romanticizesstrugglewhilerefusingtoengageinthe gnarlytruthanditspolitics.Theregressioninthese communities,whichfashionclaimstorepresentand embrace,isn'tasabstractasyoumightthink;itis economicandemotional.Emergingqueerdesignerslose funding.Disabledcreatorsaregraduallynotreceiving invitationsfrombrandsandeventsthatwereonce describedasa“game-changing”movement.Black modelslosebookings,orwhentheydo,they'reoften corneredintoonelookbecausetheyaresimply“notused toworkingwiththattypeofhair.”Theindustrycapitalizes onmarginalizedidentitiesforseasonalstorytellingand narrative,notforfashionstructureandsignificant change.

Fashionseekstheflavorofothernesswithoutthe immenseresponsibilityandaccountabilitythatgoeswith it.Yet,inclusivity,whenitisreal,isnotatrend;rather,itis anecosystem.It'snotaboutfillingquotas;it'sabout rewritingthestandard.It'saboutgivingspace,notjust face.Thefactisthatthefashionindustryhasthetoolsand resourcestodothis,asitisbuiltontransformation,but badhabitsdiehard,right?Reinventingisoutweighedby thecyclicalfashionsystemthathindersevolutionby accessorizingidentity.

What does it mean for us?

AtTRAZSH,westronglydisagreewithsugarcoating politics.Iffashionisculture’smirror,thenatthiscurrent moment,theyreflectingcowardice.Rawformof inclusivitydoesn’tflinchawayinthefaceofconservatism, butwegetlouder,crazier,weirder,andradical.The wholeideaisnottomakediversitypalatable,buttomake itpermanent.Toeverybrandthatstillparadesinclusivity byusingsomethingsuchastokenismastheirsadattempt atprogress,wehavesomethingtotellyou:

“F*CKOFF!WeAreNOTYourCostume!”

andstoptreatingself-expressionasamarketingprop andtreatitlikeitisamanifesto,becausewhenthe pendulumswingsrightbacktotheleft,thequestion remains:wherewereyouandwhoareyou?

SO CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?

THE SAFDIE BROS

THE UNBEATABLE BROTHER DUO IN FILM

Whatisanxietyinreallifewhenyoucanstepintothe worldoftheSafdiebrothers,filledwithsuspenseand never-endingissues?JoshandBennySafdieareknown forcuratingmoviesthatevokeasenseofpanicthrough theirplotlines.Theirfilmsarechargedwithferalenergy thatmimicsNewYorkCity’schaotic3am,neon-lit,and completelyunmedicatedstateofmind.Intheirworld,they embracechaos;itisnottheirenemy,butratheralifestyle.

TheSafdiescanbecrownedthecinematicequivalentof thrift-storemagicians,astheydigthroughthenoise, dopaminecrashes,dirt,andsocialcommentarytocreate somethingbeautifulinawaythatisraw,imperfect,and electricallyalive.Mostfilmmakerschasepolishedand perfectwork;theSafdies,however,areeagertochasethe sweat.Theirworkcanbeseenasafinelinebetween glamourandgrime,asthisbecomesatensioninmanyof theirworks.

Let'stakealookatthebrothers'breakoutfilm,filledwith adrenalineandoverallanxiety-inducing,GoodTime (2017),starringRobertPattinsonandBennySafdie himself.It’sacrimethrillerthatgivesyounoroomto breatheandstepawayfromthenever-endingissues,all dressedupinneonlights,andnon-stopbaddecisions. Pattinson’sConnieNikas,arguablyoneofhisbestroles,is asmall-timecrookspiralingthroughacatastrophicnight ashetriestosavehisbrotherfromthepredicamenthe initiatedinthefirstplace.Everyframeofthisfilmistwitchy, raw,andpersonal,whichputsusrightinConnie’smanic headspace.Allhappeninginonenight,whichmakesyou ponder,“Howthe&%&*?”butintrueSafdiebrothers style,theywantyoutosufferandsuffocatewithConnie.In threewords,thisfilmisintimate,claustrophobic,and brilliant!

Thebrothers'signaturecanbesummarizedas“chaos renderedwithprecision,”astheyfocusondesperation, muchlikecouture;intricate,tailored,andfittedtothe protagonist'sbackground.Amixofwell-chosen,buzzing colorpalettesinharshneonlightsandwarmstreetlights, accompaniedbyaheavy80sgame-likesoundtracksynth thatoverlappedwiththebusydialogueandcitynoise. Theywanttodisruptyoursensestoentertheirworld,as everydetailintheirworkswassensoryoverloadthatis strangelyaddictive.ItcanbesaidthatwatchingtheSafdie brothers'filmislikebeinginthewrongplaceatthemost chaoticyetinterestingtime.

AfterthesuccessamongcinephileswithGoodTime (2017),theirfascinationwithflawedandrawhuman behaviorextendstoUncutGems(2019),where moviegoersarefirstintroducedtoalesscomedic,more descentintomadnessversionofAdamSandler.This moviereallyputthebrothersonthemapofthefilm industry,andalsoAdamSandler’struetestamentof actingabilitythatgoesbeyondhisusualcomedy.The brotherstransformthediamonddistrictintoacasino floor,andHowardRatner’s(AdamSandler)lifebecomes ahigh-stakesgamble.Itismessy,loud,andterribly exhausting,andyetyouarelockedinunabletolook awayfromit.Becauseremember,intheirworld,bad decisionsarejustanotherartform.

TheirmorerecentprojectsarecollaborationwithNathan FielderonTheCurse(2023),andinthesewildtwoworlds andchaoticminds,thebrothersfoundanewplatformof frenzyofsuburbanmorality.Inthiswork,theSafdies extendtheirstateofpanicintoaTVseriesandswapNew York’sgrimeforNewMexico’ssunshineandwhite people'sgentrifiedguilt.Theshowfollowsamarried couple,playedbyFielderhimselfandEmmaStone,who followthemalongtoproduceahome-renovationreality serieswhiletryingtoperformtheirideaofgooddeedsfor thecamera,allwhilebeinghauntedbyanallegedcurse. WhileGoodTimemakesyousweat,TheCursemakesyou squirm.It’slessfast-pacedandrunningawayfrom something,butratherrunningawayfromyourown reflection.Thebrothers'chaoticrealismmanifestsitselfin somethingmoreeerie,packagedintoapsychological slowburnwrappedinmillennialcringe(oh,sopainful). Thecringehereisintentional;it'sthenewformofanxiety. ThetwoworldsofSafdie'shyper-realtensionand Fielder’sdeadpanperformanceartfeellikeanatural evolution.Together,theyrevealhowperformative moralityandself-brandinghavereplacedpeople’strue natureofauthenticity.Thepanicisnolongerdrivenby externalforces,butratheracuratedimagefromwithin. Whatworksinthiscollaborationistheirrefusaltosanitize humanity.Theywantyoutofeeltheawkwardsilences, thebadlighting,andthetremblinghands.Ifanything, theyglorifyit;theywantyoutofeelsomething,toevoke somethinginyou,evenifitisdisturbing.

TheSafdiebrothersalignwithTRAZSHyreadersasthere aresimilaritiesinourethos.Thesamerebellionthatfuels undergroundfashion–thatrejectsthepolishedlookand favorsthereal,raw,andauthenticstateofhumanity.In anerawhere“authenticity”hasbecomeamarketing term,theSafdiescanmakeitfeeldangerousagain,as theydon'tfocusonflatteringtheiraudiencebutinstead provoke.Ithaulsusthroughsweat,noise,anddiscomfort toremindusthatrawesttruthsstingandcaneasilyburn youdown.TheSafdies'brotherwantsustoexperience thischaosmadebeautiful,asnormalfilmmakingjustfeels tooquietthesedays.

lerinUncutGems(2019)

RobertPattinsoninGoodTime(2017)