In winter it’s easy to get lost in a sea of navy, black, charcoal and brown as you walk down the street. We naturally opt for darker colours when it gets chillier, and nobody bats an eyelid because we’re all rugged up.
But come the summer months, a lot of us tend to keep that same neutral kind of colour palette. It’s easy to match, sure, and the cuts are different when the freezing cold winds nick off, but the colours remain – and we’re here to say simply: stop that at once.
So too is designer Armando Crisostomo (otherwise known as my new favourite human to ever step foot on this blessed earth), who is keen to get us all into some threads that have a bit more colour and life in them.
A graduate of Branded Fashion Design from Billy Blue College of Design, he always knew clothing design was the right path for him. His parents, however, were none too keen on the prospect — even persuading him to give nursing a red hot crack first.
“In my culture, it wasn’t really seen as a masculine career path and my parents didn’t want me to pursue it,” he said.
But our boy Armando knew he was destined to work with fabric and ended up sneakily enrolling in design without his parents realising for at least two weeks. Now he’s here to get you all into some brighter duds, showing off his own line, Armando.
The self-titled line is a collection of bright, colourful prints that will absolutely have you singing, “in West Philadelphia, born and raised…” because holy hell there is a serious Fresh Prince vibe going on here and sorry to the original fresh prince Will Smith, but Armando is cuter than you.
One of the biggest things that sets the line apart is that it’s designed to push gender boundaries and break through the preconception that clothes have to be either male or female. It’s a unisex line, and the cuts are stylish no matter what gender you identify as.
And frankly, we are ALL FOR IT.
For real though, there is absolutely no reason not to embrace a dash of colour to your wardrobes (even now in winter). While the line can absolutely be worn by anyone and everyone, Armando hopes his line will bring confidence to males.
“I want men to feel like they can wear bright coloured clothing and take risks with fashion without feeling judged for it,” he says.
Lean in to the print life, we say to you, dear friends. Lean in.
Hear more from Armando below.
