No fit, no admit: Alex Barney protests boring fashion with BAB events
No fit, no admit: Alex Barney’s BAB events
With his monthly BAB events, Alex Barney challenges conventional fashion norms, fostering a space where self-expression reigns. From chain links to shields, no look is too daring for the dance floor.
Most events would not consider Alex Barney’s 15-pound chain link and metal shield standard fashion accessories. But most events are not BAB.
To the tune of DJ-spun cacophony, Alex Barney dedicates himself to confidence, fashion innovation, and community through his BAB events. On the first Thursday of each month, Barney creates a space for creatives to experiment with style and aesthetics. The dress code? Anything that reimagines dress expression. In other words: Defy any dress code to ever exist.
That might mean choosing to wear jeans on your head, or flaunting full-on nudity. Maybe it includes whipping out a household item and assembling it as the centerpiece of your night’s look. It could also mean dabbling in uncharted stylistic territories: switching up your jeans and black top duo for a scene-core aesthetic, decking out your look with hyper-maximalism, or cross-dressing (popular among this year’s attendees).
BAB was born from Barney’s “frustration at the lack of interesting outfits.” A poster child for eclectic style, Barney wanted to open a space for other people to abandon their clothing-related comfort zones.
“I think life’s a lot more fun if other people realize that they have the freedom to do that, and they don’t feel the normal social pressures that keep them from doing it,” Barney said. “I guess I’m just protesting boring outfits and trying to encourage people to wear the crazy stuff that they can.”
The idea for BAB first started gaining momentum when Barney and his friends wanted to throw a Berghain-themed party. Berghain is a nightclub in Berlin, Germany, known for its ultra-exclusive entrance rate and all-black attendee attire. The original plan was for Barney to learn a couple lines of German and pose as the Berghain bouncer, but the crew felt like their theme needed a bit more creativity, a bit more spunk, and a bit more … Alex Barney. Thus, BAB, formerly known as “Beat Alex Barney,” was created.
Barney’s inventive approach to fashion is partly inspired by his background in architecture. After reading about the Metropolis, Barney acknowledged how ubiquitous stimuli — the constant chatter, car honks, and sirens of a big city, for example — causes your brain to tune some things out.
“In a way, by wearing these crazy clothes, I’m trying to prevent myself from fading into the background,” Barney remarked. Whether he’s wearing his red, sequin-studded onesie or his beaded wallet chain, Alex Barney “fading into the background” seems unlikely. BAB, however, seems to function as an opportunity for everyone to enjoy the expressive freedom that Barney explores daily.
BAB was first broadcasted as an event where attendees pay anywhere from $1-$10 depending on the “rating” of their outfit, as they ultimately try to “beat Alex Barney” on his scale of outlandishness. However, Barney was quick to realize the emotionally taxing nature of rating and charging his friends, so BAB events have since been completely free. Barney now uses BAB’s current slogan — “No Fit, No Admit” — to nudge people to show up on-theme.
Be warned, though: Barney has turned people away from past BAB events for arriving in normative wear.
The future of BAB is uncertain. In some ways, it is a “final hurrah,” as most of Barney’s friend group is set to graduate this Spring, while he, an architecture student, will be commencing his fifth year next Fall. Though these fashion-forward events might be “ephemeral,” as Barney puts it, it is safe to say that the spirit of BAB will exist wherever Barney goes.
is a contributor for The NewsHouse