FLEX YOURSELF

Before lockdown, we stood around. We moved, from memory, in inches: “Stand there. Move to the left. A hair more.” During lockdown we could not stand; we kept falling and falling. Many things that were relevant then are not now. Now we flex and rise. And when we finally stand, we will dance.

PHOTOGRAPHER_ SEBASTIAN SABAL-BRUCE

STYLING_ ANDREW MUKAMAL

POLINA WEARS_ BRA_ UPCYCLED FROM PATAGONIA FANNY PACKS_ NICOLE MCLAUGHLIN / SKIRT_ UPCYCLED FROM PATAGONIA FLEECES_ NICOLE MCLAUGHLIN / LIMITED EDITION UPCYCLED CAMPUS 80 SNEAKERS_ HELEN KIRKUM X ADIDAS

POLINA WEARS_ BRA_ UPCYCLED FROM SHOE LACES AND A TENNIS BALL / PANTS_ UPCYCLED FROM WILSON TENNIS BAGS_ NICOLE MCLAUGHLIN / LIMITED EDITION UPCYCLED CAMPUS 80 SNEAKERS_ HELEN KIRKUM X ADIDAS

POLINA WEARS_ BODYSUIT_ UPCYCLED FROM SNEAKERS_ FRISK ME GOOD / LIMITED EDITION UPCYCLED CAMPUS 80 SNEAKERS_ HELEN KIRKUM X ADIDAS

POLINA WEARS_ GLOVE VEST_ MAISON MARTIN MARGIELA_ DAVID CASAVANT ARCHIVES / DENIM SHORTS_ STYLIST’S ARCHIVE / LIMITED EDITION UPCYCLED CAMPUS 80 SNEAKERS_ HELEN KIRKUM X ADIDAS

POLINA WEARS_ BRA_ UPCYCLED FROM LACOSTE SHIRTS_ STYLIST’S ARCHIVE / BAG UPCYCLED FROM LACOSTE SHIRTS_ NICOLE MCLAUGHLIN / SHORTS_ 1990S_ CHROME HEARTS_ STYLIST’S ARCHIVE / SHOES_ NICOLE MCLAUGHLIN X CROCS CAMPSITE CLASSIC CLOG COLLAB

POLINA WEARS_ BRA_ UPCYCLED FROM SHOE LACES AND A TENNIS BALL / PANTS_ UPCYCLED FROM WILSON TENNIS BAGS_ NICOLE MCLAUGHLIN / LIMITED EDITION UPCYCLED CAMPUS 80 SNEAKERS_ HELEN KIRKUM X ADIDAS

POLINA WEARS_ TOP_ UPCYCLED FROM SNEAKERS_ FRISK ME GOOD / PANTS_ MAISON MARTIN MARGIELA_ FALL 2000_ STYLIST’S ARCHIVE

OLINA WEARS_ BODYSUIT_ UPCYCLED FROM SNEAKERS_ FRISK ME GOOD / LIMITED EDITION UPCYCLED CAMPUS 80 SNEAKERS_ HELEN KIRKUM X ADIDAS

POLINA WEARS_ TOP_ UPCYCLED FROM HOT WHEELS CARS AND A SHOWER CURTAIN_ NICOLE MCLAUGHLIN

MODEL_ POLINA SOVA

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY_ BASIL FAUCHIER

HAIR_ ADAM MARKARIAN

MAKEUP_ MAKI RYOKE

Related Stories

  1. A COMMON THREAD

    In the spring of 2024, Display Copy hosted its first-ever community clothing drive in collaboration with photographer Deirdre Lewis and stylist Herin Choi. United by a common thread of creativity and sustainability, donations from all five boroughs were gathered and entrusted to five talented sustainable designers across the East Coast. Each designer wove their vision into the fabric of these pre-loved pieces, transforming them into pieces that embody reinvention, craftsmanship, and the boundless potential of coming together for a common purpose.

  2. RIZZ KIDS

    Forget playing it safe — Gen Z’s rising fashion disruptors aren’t here to fit into the system. They’re here to burn the old rulebook and stitch together a new one — one that prioritizes circularity, ethical production, and cultural authenticity over hype and fast-fashion churn. With a bold mix of charisma and craftsmanship, they’re redefining what it means to be a designer in a world that demands change.

  3. IT’S A LONG STORY

    Denim has been around a long time… from its origin story in late 16th-century France, to the first time it appeared on the runway in NYC in 1976, from the counterculture to consumer culture and back again, the ubiquitous warp-faced textile is now officially a symbol for degrowth in fashion.

  4. DO YOUR THING

    Hair stylist Joey George turns to his archive of scrap material to imagine new aesthetic landscapes alongside photographer Diego Bendezu. Inspired by the surrealist work of Manuel Álvarez Bravo, the following portraits showcase the mystery, allure, and art of the hairdo.