Anti Fashion’s a treasure

You can wear a fringe suede jacket in summer and a silk Alaïa shirt in winter, you just need Andre Merlo’s new shop.

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ANDRE MERLO

Anti Fashion
5687 West Street

It was an immediate obsession when I discovered Anti Fashion on Instagram—the overall aesthetic oozed vintage Franca Sozzani (former editor-in-chief of Italian Vogue). I had to meet the mastermind behind the brand.

Like any artist, Andre Merlo enjoys breaking the rules (of fashion)—he sources clothing from Value Village and estate sales, uses real people as models and shoots all his pictures with a smartphone. He'll let you know that you can wear a fringe suede jacket in summer and a silk Alaïa shirt in winter—just have the guts to carry it off. "I strongly believe that confidence is cool," says Milanese stylist, DJ and designer Merlo. "Image is important, not necessarily for other people, but for yourself."

Merlo is a combination of Mario Testino and Nicola Formichetti. His taste, ability to find beauty in chaos (have you been to Value Village?) and photographic eye work together to create something that is both off-piste yet approachable. Anti Fashion is a welcoming and unpretentious treasure trove.