Artist K8 Hardy’s work often touches on fashion, gender, and feminism, so it’s no surprise that she’s obsessed with loungewear. “I find and buy them wherever I go. I love wearing them,” she explains over Zoom. Loungewear is a style that gets little attention, its simplicity belying its history. “It’s an iconic piece of women’s workwear that’s all about working from home,” she adds. While workwear has become popular both on and off the catwalk in recent seasons, it’s always been from a male perspective, Carhartt-style jackets and cargo pants, rough-and-tumble boots and sneakers. “Men’s workwear is great, but women’s workwear is not cool at all,” Hardy explains.
Loungewear as we know it dates back to the early 1920s. Credit goes to American woman Nell Donnelly Reed, who began making frilly dresses out of sturdy fabric to wear while cleaning and cooking at home. They proved so popular among her friends that she began producing them commercially and founded the Donnelly Clothing Company with her husband. Indeed, she was so successful that by the 1950s her company had become the largest manufacturer of women’s clothing in the world. It was during this decade that it achieved its final look, which has remained more or less unchanged since: short sleeves, waist-length, and knee-length. While loungewear is no longer a necessity for stay-at-home parents, it’s still everywhere. “It’s a uniform,” Hardy said.
“I’ve been wanting to create loungewear for seven or eight years…and then the pandemic hit, so I finally contacted Andrew Harmon and he helped me design and create it,” she explained. The final product, called the Studio Dress, is made of sturdy blue striped cotton and features reinforced pockets and an industrial double zipper on the front, making it a complete departure from the drab uniforms that inspired it. “I’m a total rioter and I really like this ’90s gas station attendant aesthetic,” Hardy said. It certainly wouldn’t look out of place in a DailyA* catalog page from that era. The dress is available in sizes XS to XXL, but thanks to strategically placed elastic at the back, it can adapt to a variety of body shapes. “I wanted to bring more functionality and style, as well as androgyny; yes, it’s inspired by women’s wear, but it’s neither feminine nor masculine,” Hardy said. For example, widening the sleeves not only facilitates greater movement, but also allows it to be used as a coat by those who do not normally wear skirts.
Hardy has launched a Studio Dress edition of 200 pieces of art that will be displayed at OCD Chinatown, a gallery in lower Manhattan that will be converted into a pop-up shop. At the gallery, the Studio Dress will be displayed alongside a series of photographs shot by Cass Bird, starring Hardy and Jenna Lyons, sometimes wearing the dress and sometimes wearing only K8-logoed tights and heels. “I wanted to do this editorial with Cass — we went to Smith’s together — so that it would take fashion to the highest level, take this loungewear into the high-fashion category and disrupt their perception,” Hardy said. “I hope it’s a format I can replicate and that it will continue to grow.”
Studio Dress will be on display/sale at OCD Chinatown from October 3rd-6th.
