Fashion can sometimes be a mean industry – you only need to watch an episode of Ugly Betty or the first half of The Devil Wears Prada to figure that out. To combat this – and general nastiness in the world – DSquared2 has released capsule collection entitled ‘Be Cool Be Nice’.
The phrase itself comes from a book of the same name, which dropped last Wednesday in line with Anti-Bullying Week. For the Caten brothers – who both experienced bullying growing up – the project was a no-brainer to be a part of. “Using our voice and the success we have in a positive way, we can give back a little bit of help and spread a message which we completely believe in,” they said, speaking at the launch at the House of Lords.
Although bullying is a traumatic experience for those on the receiving, the pair think it actually paid off for them in the long run. “It makes you smarter though,” they said. “It makes you use your mind a little bit more, you’re quicker, you’re one step ahead of these assholes. You have to believe in yourself, you have to be stronger than them.”
With contributors like make-up artist Pat McGrath, Lenny and Zoe Kravitz and Marc Jacobs’ dog Neville, the book offers a variety of tips from what to do if you are being bullied to anger management and dealing with stress. To echo the overall message of the book, the design duo have emblazoned the slogan on t-shirts, hoodies and phone cases – with the hopes that people will see it and take it on board.
While it might seem like a simple way of looking at the problem of bullying, the pair had given a lot of thought towards how we can work together to make the world a better place. “If everybody just let everybody be who they wanna be and live how they wanna live with no judgements the world would be a better place,” they said. “There’s room for everybody. So, basically be cool be nice.”
