You get the sense that Di$count Universe designers Nadia Napreychikov and Cami James get off on being subversive. Based in Melbourne, the duo has avoided the traditional fashion route, opting to do their own thing since starting their brand in 2009. The closest they’ve come to a proper fashion show was participating in a VFiles showcase in 2015. So there was plenty of anticipation around their first Fashion Week Australia collection. (An invite featuring semi-pornographic content increased the front row buzz, as did the label’s celebrity endorsements from Kylie Jenner, Rihanna, and Katy Perry.)
You knew it was going to be good from the first outfit: a model with Labyrinth-era Bowie hair in a cobalt duster with phrases like “Eat the rich,” phone numbers, and genitalia hand-embroidered in sequins. DU, as the designers shorthand their label, has become known for its elaborately wrought sequined handiwork and extreme tongue-in-cheek nature, and the pair served it up by the gallon tonight, creating fully embellished unitards and thigh-high boots with floral patterns. Their salty humor continued to shine in silver chain details, “Sin Is In” embroideries, and one red leather jacket whose back panel read “Pretty sure this is our final collection.” Let’s hope not—where else would we see both models giving the finger to the photographers’ pit and a quite wearable pink slip dress?
