# Gothic Genderless Apparel João Barriga's 'Blackout' Series Reflects One's Self-Protective Nature By Riley von Niessen | Published 2016-10-12 | Fashion Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/joo-barriga References: [fuckingyoung.es](http://fuckingyoung.es/joao-barriga-springsummer-2017/) & [facebook](https://www.facebook.com/barriga.joao) When describing the João Barriga 'Blackout' series that was unveiled during ModaLisboa, the name of Lisbon's fashion week, the designer said “[Oversized silhouettes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/sujitha-shivajothi) conceal who we are and what we feel, and the color black is worn as a shield against the world.” With this, the use of chains as necklaces and modest styles make a lot of sense, given that the clothing comes from an exaggerated visualization of what one might do in self-protective effort. In order to portray the theme, models walked the runway in [all-black ensembles](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/black-tag-collection), which draped over the men and women artfully. To diversify it, the aforementioned chained necklaces were placed over shirts and [layers of apparel](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/jiyongkim-fw25) were added to bring more depth to João Barriga's designs. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 2.5/10 - Popularity: 36% | Activity: 32% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: Europe ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Fashion](https://www.trendhunter.com/fashion) > [Hip Fashion](https://www.trendhunter.com/hipfashion) ## Key Themes ### What Makes This Trend Stand Out - **Oversized Silhouettes:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Explore new materials and technologies to create lightweight yet voluminous garments. - **Modest Styles:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop sustainable and ethically-produced clothing options for modest fashion enthusiasts. - **Chained Accessories:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Combine technology and fashion to create smart accessories with integrated chain-like elements. ### Sectors Adopting This - **Fashion Design:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Incorporate sustainable and biodegradable materials in the production of fashion garments. - **Fashion Retail:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Utilize augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies to enhance the online shopping experience for customers. - **Jewelry Manufacturing:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Integrate IoT technology into jewelry design for interactive and customizable chained accessories. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Identity-Exploring Clothing](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/shapes-we-take.md) - [Conceptual Memory-Themed Fashion](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/paranoid-fw25.md) - [Genderless Outerwear Designs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/sujitha-shivajothi.md) - [Monochrome Fashion Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/jiyongkim-fw25.md) - [Body Artwork-Inspired Fashion](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/body-tattoo.md) - [Stealthy Modern Monochromatic Fashion](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/black-tag-collection.md) - [Inclusive Wardrobe Collections](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-second-dawn.md) - [Utility Tokyo Streetwear](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/blackeyepatch-winter.md) - [Edgy Backpack-Centric Fashion Shows](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/at-the-edge-of-time.md)