New York brand Gypsy Sport has developed into local fashion's most visible crusader for diversity, as founder Rio Uribe has made it his personal mission to empower marginalized people through colorful, queer-friendly clothing. Though "inclusivity" today may seem like it has lost any real meaning, having become the media's favorite buzz word, Uribe's form of inclusion is genuine and recognized by those he casts.
Gypsy Sport "tells us to dig in our heels and push our individuality further," New York rapper Dick Van Dick told OUT after their fall '17 NYFW presentation. "I chose to answer Gypsy Sport's call, and I'm ready to do battle with whomever wants to try us."
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For the brand's spring '17 campaign, which premiered today on i-D, Uribe highlighted his favorite faces in the appropriate form of a team. Shot on a soccer field in Brooklyn, the imagery reflects a tribe of people who've all been welcomed into Gypsy Sport's open community. Though the brand only has access to those living in NYC, Uribe said he wanted to cast in a way that spoke to his international audience without losing Gypsy Sport's metropolitan DNA.
Included in Gypsy Sport's sporty spread is trans model Torraine Futurum, who recently spoke against President Trump's exclusive bathroom policies and released her debut album, Colonial, earlier this year. "I cast Torraine because we've had her in a few of the shows and she exudes a certain confidence that many models don't have," Uribe told i-D. "She also is very active in the support of trans rights and civil rights. That's cool as fuck to me."
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Speaking to Gypsy Sport's desired legacy, Uribe said he hopes it will be remembered as "a brand that really pushed the boundaries and really tried to include more people and bring more people into the fashion industry." As someone who faced many roadblocks in life and didn't attend school, Uribe wasn't sure his brand could be possible, though he hopes to "inspire other people to do it too."
Check out a preview of Gypsy Sport's spring '17 campaign, below.
