Gabe Gordon’s ‘Rubber Boyfriend’ Fantasy

Gabe Gordon takes us on an emotional and intense journey into the queer Americana experience focusing on the charged erotic undertones clearly present in the overtly masculine past time of high school sports.

The collection and presentation are reminiscent of a dreamlike, idealized fantasy surrounding the typical American high school experience. Voyeuristic projections of wrestlers grappling with each other and impassioned cheerleaders performing their routines illuminated the walls and floors of the venue. A soft haze of smoke filled the room, intertwined with a surrealistic soundtrack that induced a romantic stupor upon the audience. Doll-like, plump lips and glossy skin confront the age-old question of what exactly constitutes beauty. Is it perfection? Can perfection even be attained? Or is it simply an illusion—a mirage in the oasis of life?

Gordon is a sensual designer, combining the soft and the hard—latex and silk—as a representation of the raw emotions felt during adolescence. The sensation of touch is fundamental to the collection, each piece being infused with the warmth of a nostalgic memory of youth. It is clear that Gabe Gordon has created a world entirely his own, a sentimental one where innate, internal desires can be expressed freely.