Joining the Cult at Gabe Gordon FW25: ‘Rubber Boyfriend’
The 29-look collection was runway-turned-1980s classic thriller.
Photography by Thomas Concordia
When Gabe Gordon creates his collections, the first idea that pops into his head isn’t the color scheme or the textiles but the storyline that will bring each look’s vision to life. For Fall/Winter 2025, Gordon’s Rubber Boyfriend collection immerses viewers into a nostalgic coming-of-age cult classic from the 1980s.
A high school dance coach turns into an unhinged cult leader, wrestling jocks embrace their masculinity through femininity, and Coach awaits a new moon to kidnap of the boys on the wrestling team and transform them into rubber sex dolls. Gordon designed Rubber Boyfriend alongside Timothy Gibbons, a costume designer and Gordon’s partner, bringing together this narrative-driven collection.
The girls on the dance team can’t wait to turn this plan into action—because they know they’ll never lose their matches made in heaven. We see Gordon’s and Gibbons’ contrasting yet complementary dynamic throughout the theatrical progression of the storyline. They do this through a combination of edgy chiffon and lace details, neat cut-and-sew techniques, and a wide range of materials and shapes.
For the jocks: Rubber socks are paired with rubber and knit short shorts and crop tops that read “Premium Rubber Boyfriend.” They return to the classic wrestler look and glamify it ten-fold with tracksuits, sparkly sets, iridescent wool, boxer shorts, fuzzy wrestling headgear, and retro Adidas high-top boxing shoes. For the dancers: A modern twist on the old-school dance uniforms, such as midi skirts, intricate knitwear, pom poms, snoods, two-piece sets, athleisure wear, and high socks with Adidas. And we can’t forget what’s underneath: Vintage undergarments peeking out scandalously through some of the pieces. The models’ lips are literally sealed and plumped, representing the look of shiny sex dolls.
Photography by Thomas Concordia
Throughout Gordon’s arduous yet worthwhile process of achieving Rubber Boyfriend, he questions the situation and the setting each character would be in while wearing these looks—and the cohesion between the two. The settings are as specific as what the girls wore to kidnap the boys, what Coach wore to summon the transformation spell, and what the unloyal ex-boyfriend wore to kiss his ex’s friend. In addition to collaborating with his partner, Gibbons, Gordon tapped acclaimed painter Sasha Gordon. Printed on a shirt is a distorted, bizarre version of her self-portrait—mirroring the various silhouettes in Rubber Boyfriend.
While Gordon is known for his whimsical coming-of-age plots, which are a form of expression and liberation, Rubber Boyfriend takes a more mature approach to adolescence. The collection aims to dismantle the conditioned standards and generalizations that often blossom in high school. These crucial years are more than about being a jock or dancer, but molding a sense of vulnerability—which translate through each piece on masculinity, femininity, and identity.
Although Rubber Boyfriend tells a clear-cut story from the first piece to the last, there is no definitive ending. Will there be another collection to the saga? Are we supposed to come up with our own ending, or is there no ending at all? Do the jocks always remain with the dancers? Do the sex dolls return to being humans? Is the spell lifted? These may be questions only Gordon—or we—can answer through the notions of Rubber Boyfriend.
