Anthropomorphism—giving human traits to nonhuman entities—is practiced by New Yorkers on a daily. Freedom chokes and ambition pulls, and all the while skyscrapers threaten constrict and constrain. It’s here, among the fast-moving, grime-collecting streets that the city itself seems to breathe, stretch and murmur. After all, amidst the screaming sound of subways and the whispering breath of smoke, how could New York City be anything but alive?

Founded in 2015 by Mattie Barringer and Amanda McGowan, Women’s History Museum is nothing if not provocative. Forward-thinking and rule-breaking, the brand—part art-collective, part clothing line—is unlike the other fashion houses of today; forgoing tradition and custom for a newer, shinier future. 

The brand’s latest collection, “Indestructible Doll Head,” draws upon the theme of anthropomorphism, imagining clothing as a living representation of New York City itself. In an entirely unique vision, the Spring/Summer Collection trades functionality and convention for an unconstrained, primal sort of experimentation. 

Housed in Chelsea’s Church of the Village, the runway show is a transcendent sight to behold—living garments in a living city—like that of a religious experience. Models float down the aisles and pews, in garments covered in cutouts and draped in layers, defining the collection as simultaneously revealing and shielding. Duality again emerges in the collection’s materiality, with embellishments dually sharp and soft—broken glass, shark teeth, printed fur hosiery and coins—decorating each piece. It’s both beautiful and haunting, ethereal and dark: a creative act of provocation in its ethos, in its design and in its construction.

Photos courtesy of firstVIEW and Colin Savercool