BOI Culture tackles the gender binary through street style

Let’s be honest, more days than not we are running out the door ready to tackle Vancity in sweats with no make-up on. But don’t think we don’t care. Did you not clock the Fenty Puma’s on my feet?

FACT: The truth of the matter is, some people just don’t identify with the classic gender binary. The idea of being categorized as either a HE or SHE is sometimes frustrating to those who identify outside the ‘rules’ of gender norms.

In 2014, Skylar Love created BOI Culture: a photo blog supporting the rise of the androgynous movement. Sky was inspired by gender fluidity through fashion. They wanted to communicate to the world that fashion does not necessarily need to define your gender. 18,000 followers later, it appears that there is a growing community that agrees.

“THE TOMBOY MOVEMENT IS A FASHION EXHIBIT AIMED AT BREAKING DOWN THE STEREOTYPES OF WHAT IT MEANS TO LOOK LIKE, & FEEL LIKE A WOMAN. I WATCHED IT BECOME A TREND, THE BEST TREND I’VE EVER SEEN.”
Skylar Love, Director at BOI Culture

Q: Sky, as the director at BOI Culture why do you think it blew up?

That is a hard question to answer. I’m sure there are a bunch of reasons, but one of the reasons is just generation, I think. In my millennial generation, ‘masculine women’ were called tomboys as if it were a bad thing. Over the years, women have become more empowered in owning their identities- hence, the popularity of BOI Culture, a photo blog encouraging such empowerment.”

Q: So the BOI Culture mission statement revolves around the empowerment of women?

Not necessarily just women. If we had a one sentence mission statement I would probably quote Oscar Wilde: ‘Be yourself, everyone else is taken.’ We aim to inspire others to be themselves, & to be comfortable in their own skin without fear of what others may think of them.”

At VANCITY STREET we have similar aspirations. FUN FACT: BOI Culture is a founding father. Q: Sky, why is BOI Culture interested in the underground fashion world?

“To us underground street fashion is what the mainstream essentially rips off: aka those kids walking around wearing brands like Supreme & Yeezy, constantly trolling Hypebeast for the next fresh thing to buy. BOI Culture is about the people who have original style of their own made from whatever they find inspiring, like an artist expressing themselves through fashion and taking it to the streets like a language..we promote people who have original style: making something out of whatever they find inspiring. That is why BOI Culture finds a home at VANCITY STREET: a movement giving power back to the local street-style culture.”
Skylar Love, Director at BOI Culture

Word on VANCITY STREET: be yourself. Whether that be a HE, SHE, THEY or a mainstream HYPEBEAST kid. All the power to you. But to those local fashion-heads still making outfits out of minimal dolla: we’ll see you on the streets. & you better be looking fresh, because we always scouting for talent at VANCITY STREET.