LIVING FOR THE WEEKEND
Tue 27 Sep
Words Samutaro
As the world continues to turn on its head, denim trend consultant and Instagram archivist Samutaro explains how and why nightlife nostalgia, euphoric escapism and dancefloor communities are influencing your favourite brands.
If there was one thing to take away from recent runway seasons, it’s that the collective memory of raving is playing heavy in our heads right now. Whether it's the thrill of being back in the club after 18 months of lockdown restrictions or the neverending nostalgia for 90s and Y2K style, references to rave and club culture cropped up at numerous shows. From nu-rave neon to cropped bodycon tees and all-nighter sunglasses – or “rave goggles”, if you like – fashion is ready to party.
Designers made their influences more obvious in some collections than others. Simon Jacquemus celebrated his AW22 collection by hosting his very own private rave in the salt flats of Southern France’s Camargue. In Copenhagen for SS23, the design duo behind (di)vision presented their unique brand of spliced and diced utilitarian streetwear in a woodland setting that evoked the best kind of Scandinavian forest rave. While emerging Nordic designer Peter Lundvald Neilsen of PNL made his runway debut with a collection made up of post-apocalyptic club gear: think voluminous parachute pants, slashed tanks and cyber punk style bondage jeans. More literal nods to rave included Ergon Lab, who used the UK’s 80s Acid House movement as a touchstone to the current feeling of euphoria and vibrant expression in post-pandemic clubland.
There are few designers out there though who capture the halcyon days of British nightlife quite as authentically as Martine Rose. The London-based designer has amassed an almost religious following over the years thanks to her seasonal collections that are indebted to club style codes of the past: oversized acid house camo, MA-1 bombers, slouchy denim and stylised tracksuits that are perfect for those who live for the weekend.
For SS23 Rose returned to an IRL show format with an immersive show under the arches in Vauxhall in a tight, hazy venue that was surrounded by floor length latex curtains.
As a south Londoner by birth, and—as always—her location was deliberately chosen to draw attention to the existence of a London community. Rose told Vogue that the site of the very underground club was “very significant for the gay community, because historically it’s where all these clubs were, and the Victoria Tavern—which is still going—that were really a sanctuary, I think, for a lot of gay men before dating apps began. So the space is inspired very much by sex clubs, and the notion of cruising, and very sort of sub-cultural activities.”
Set to a thumping house soundtrack of acid house classics like 1992’s Hardfloor by Acperience 1, her multifarious cast of night-time people walked the runway wearing the type of subverted, shape-shifting designs that have made Rose a staple for those in-the-know. From awkward padded sports coats and twisted seam trousers, to oversized fringed leather jackets and skin-tight slogan baby T-shirts, the collection was a perverse blend of extreme fits. “I wanted everything to feel sexy, which is the underlying mood,” Rose told Vogue. “My focus has been on the details, like the exposed zips and ill-fitting sleeves, as well as a new, shrunken silhouette.”
Another brand recognised for supplying a warped wardrobe for the modern club kid is Charles Jeffrey LOVERBOY. The former Fashion East newcomer famously set up a club night to fund his MA fashion degree. “It’s gender-queer, it’s powerful, it’s misfit, it’s angry, it’s sweaty,” Jeffrey said of LOVERBOY, the birthday party-turned-Dalston nightlife fixture he founded back in 2015. The monthly party not only attracted gangs of outrageously dressed eccentrics to the basement venue at Vogue Fabrics, but those same community members would also inspire elements of his runway collections too.
Today, under the guidance of Tomorrow, Jeffrey continues to let the worlds of fashion and nightlife collide. Though the monthly parties have subsided, Jeffrey maintains the impression of the splashy, fun, freewheeling inclusive DIY creativity he first started with, but he’s now focused on building out the brand with must-have LOVERBOY items. For AW22, his Scottish LOVERBOY tartans were reimagined with 3D goosebumps and peaks—a materialised reference to the sensation of listening to music. Those signature best-selling Ears beanies, which have become a favourite for young club kids get a seasonal refresh too.
Ottolinger, another label on the Tomorrow roster, has been proving the power of sartorial experimentation and defiance of gender conventions. The label’s skin-baring cutouts, twisted denim, and modular pieces have become a dress code of Gen Z, counting big names like Bella Hadid, Kylie Jenner and Cardi B as fans. It might not be the prettiest or most practical clothing on the market, but what Christa Bösch and Cosima Gadient do is challenge what prettiness or use even means in our digital age.
From extreme acid wash denim to padded neoprene accessories, twisted wraparound tops and warped sunglasses, Ottolinger’s unconventional designs are the height of Burning Man-level trippy. It's easy to see that founders behind the Berlin-based label are not governed by the same rules of construction as nearly every other label out there. “We explore [stories] with fabrics, building characters in our own world,” they told Vogue of their debut collection. “We’re building a new fantasy story with [its own] society.”
The brand's rejection of traditional gender binaries matters intensely to many younger consumers whose views on sexuality, gender and personal brand are significantly more fluid than previous generations. And like fashion, the dance music industry is working to progress its gender inequality by offering a more balanced representation of female and non-binary artists. London club nights like Pxssy Palace and Adonis alongside new festivals like Flesh Festival, the UK’s first queer music festival, are pushing towards a much-needed change in the scene, which once began as a haven for inclusivity and diversity festivals.
Fashion brands have been embracing a new generation of female, non-binary and trans artists who are ruling clubland. Today on the runway you can find artists like Honey Dijon walking Off-White’s womenswear show, catch SOPHIE’s videos being projected at Louis Vuitton or hear the soundtrack that object blue composed and performed for Vivienne Westwood.
Elsewhere youth focused labels have been taking a more visceral take on clubbing by hosting their own raves. i-D and Heaven by Marc Jacobs threw a rave in Brooklyn this summer, filling Greenpoint nightclub Good Room with a raucous energy, and a room full of self-described disciples of the young cult label. In June, Diesel’s creative director Glenn Marten’s commissioned legendary photographer and Sleazenation-graduate Ewen Spencer, for its rave themed Track Denim campaign. Shot inside a club with street cast models the images radiate the kind of euphoria that only the dankest, unaired of club nights can offer.
Much of this appetite for noughties nostalgia has stemmed from the rise of reselling platforms where young shoppers are seeking out original styles and brands that were popular in the 90s and early 00s club culture. Depop, the online shopping app loved by Gen Z helped establish the Y2K revival that has had the fashion industry in a chokehold for the past two years. Scroll the feed and you will find popular sellers flipping UKG favourites like Evisu, Moschino and Prada America Cup sneakers. While on Instagram, sellers like Too Hot Limited, Unified Goods and Jerks Store offer up a tightly curated selection of vintage goods that tap subcultures of the past. Whether you’re looking for an ice cold Bjork Homogenic vintage tour shirt from 1998, or an original Diesel clutch for the dancefloor, these niche sellers have it all at the click of a button.
Elsewhere, there’s increased enthusiasm for throwback rave memorabilia. Cyberdog in Camden dressed real-life ravers all over the world throughout the 90s, supplying fluorescent clubwear to punters in Ibiza, London and beyond. Nowadays, young clubbers get their fix from Shane Gonzales and A$AP Rocky’s label, Midnight Rave. The euphoria-filled 90s electronic-inspired sub-label of Midnight Studios was established in 2017 and celebrates the duo’s love for nostalgia culture and the dawn of the rave world - think searingly-bright tees and hoodies with catchphrases like “Hard to the Core,” “I Fell In Love At Midnight Rave” and “Junkies Sound Factory”. Whatsmore the launches of each capsule collection coincides with a real life rave.
As the world continues to turn on its head, it's understandable that many of us are seeking out a little escapism from the hardship of daily life. The rumoured comebacks of slacker culture and the decadent hedonism of indie sleaze (and all its hedonism lit up by the Cobrasnake’s flash) have been rumbling on for the past year now, and we’re in the midst of a great resignation, with many rebelling against the daily grind status quo. As festival season gets back on track and nightlife set for a surge, it makes sense that many designers and consumers are feeling that teenage-esque lust for life and quest for excitement right now. Perhaps it's time to embrace the dancefloor with a negative test, a positive attitude and a new Martine Rose tracksuit to carry you through a heavy all-nighter.