Enter Elena Velez’s Dystopian World With Exclusive Fashion Film

With vast farmland and affinity for shopping malls, it's easy to have a singular vision of what the American Midwest is like. Shopping malls and farm country typically come to mind. Hailing from Milwaukee, Wisconsin herself, the now New York-based designer Elena Velez wants to change how we think about the Midwest. As part of New York fashion week earlier this month, the Parsons School of Design graduate presented her A/W 23 collection which was inspired by American subcultures. More specifically, Velez explored ‘archetypes of wasteland heroines’, that vastly differ from the cosmopolitan representation rife within the fashion industry. Now, Velez is expanding her exploration with a new fashion film showcased exclusively on SHOWstudio.

‘I had such a non-traditional archetype of femininity, growing up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and the brand really eulogizes these anti-heroines who feel so often omitted from the cosmopolitan self-portrait of the American woman,’ Velez tells us. Since Velez made her Fashion Week debut in 2021 she’s garnered a cult following with her deconstructed garments and a flair for utilitarian details. Her distinct approach to womenswear led to her winning the 2022 CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund along with the American Emerging Designer award.

Directed by C Prinz — who Velez tells us is also from the Midwest — ‘How’s My Driving’ presents her latest collection in a slew of dystopian scenes. ‘We really connected on this world of agrarian brutalism, puritanical cults, and disorderly youths’, she says on working with Prinz. ‘Jason Tibi, our sound designer was also integral to the process. He immediately understood this feeling we wanted to communicate - clunky, jarring, mechanical, environmental.'

While the Midwest isn’t particularly known for technological innovation, Velez didn’t shy away from utilising AI to create scenes reminiscent of her home. ‘The AI component to this was also a really integral part of the success of the piece. We condensed a million images from visual inspiration I sent over from Milwaukee and got some really beautiful composite visuals that lent themselves to the universe so seamlessly.’

Funded by John Ridley of Milwaukee-based initiative Nō Studios, the project not only puts the spotlight on Midwestern talent but looks to reframe how America and the world see the region. ‘I'm so proud of all of the support and excitement we're able to generate with these projects in Wisconsin’, says Velez.