RELIEF IN DYSTOPIA: INJURY AFW 2024 “55555”

FASHION

May 30

Australian multidisciplinary brand INJURY transports viewers to a post-apocalyptic tech-dystopia in their immersive Australian Fashion Week 2024 offering, which moves beyond fashion into the mediums of CG film, sound production, art collectibles and even 3D robot sculpting.

In what feels like a smooth narrative continuation from last year’s phy-digital “0000”, “55555” looks at what happens after suffering–what’s birthed amidst the wasteland. In the words of creative and design directors Eugene Leung and Dan Tse, the collection is “an ode to transformation in adversity.”

INJURY’s models walk down the runway like a cyberpunk resistance army, their militaristic and futuristic looks completed with spiked hair, dark makeup and humanoid contact lenses. The clothes themselves are combative, with a strict red-black-silver colour palette, an abundance of leather and heavy metal detailing via belts, buckles and zips.

Leung and Tse cite aesthetic inspiration from goth and biker subcultures, sci-fi and dark techno. Youthful anger and aggression are manifest in garment distressing and deconstruction, washed bleach finishes and baggy silhouettes. “But it’s also heavily influenced by the minimalism of Australian style [...] the paradoxical Australian landscape, where even in the severity of the desert, life flourishes,” describes Leung.

Here Leung and Tse introduce romance, even amongst the most severe conditions. Glimpses are found in soft silhouettes–billowing sleeves and numerous iterations of asymmetric skirts whose tails sway gracefully with every step. INJURY’s unexpectedly optimistic message is forefronted by their chosen title, a reference to the angel number calling for personal freedom and authenticity. The collection slogan reads: “Your love is your reality.”

It’s a reminder that in the thick of the ruin, rebellion and freedom come in the form of human connections. The CG film that plays behind morphs from sprawling cityscape, to futuristic space graphics, to a surreal dark red forest of sprawling metallic branches. As the show nears its end, two avatars are shown locked in an embrace, a threatening world of black and silver spikes around them.

For INJURY, this sort of technological boundary pushing is more than just conceptual work. Whilst their brand’s digital emphasis has already seen them able to use clothing simulation to reduce wastage by 80%, this collection in particular sees something exciting and new in the form of USB chargeable heat conductive fabric, developed with KnitWarm.

“The conductive smart textile is just a part of the knitwear and is breathable, washable and rechargeable,” the duo explain to Harper’s BAZAAR. “We are excited to explore the potential of it–the way this technology could transform fashion away from seasonality, creating pieces you can wear all year round.”

Beyond the garments themselves, the show’s highlights are undoubtedly the accessories. 3D sculpture bags, made with REAL PARENT and inspired by imagery from the CG film, see two iterations in the form of a hollow silver orb and spiked metallic heart. Another, made in collaboration with ALPAKA, is an excessively oversized black circle, completely plain save for a small cutout for the wearer to thread their arm through (a more wearable version comes as a downsized carry-bag).

The brand’s avant-garde streak is showcased in its jewellery, developed with Australian jewellery artist Ophiuchus. Meticulously handcrafted, the pieces resemble armour, intended to highlight the “delicade bodies” that sit underneath. Among these include a silver ear cuff that extends downward and twists around the neck and atop the wearer’s chest, as well as a metallic face mask that viscerally mimics scar tissue on the cheeks.

Conceptually, finding beauty in injury and pain goes to the brand’s ethos and the collection’s overarching message of strength in adversity. “[It’s] about the character who went from finding themselves cocooned in self-doubt to breaking free and finding empowerment, becoming confident and at peace with themselves,” explain Leung and Tse.

If the setting of “55555” is a dystopian wasteland, INJURY’S 2024 show is an army from the ashes. The finale features models marching two by two in a battle formation, futuristic and hardened, but with a message against defeatism. INJURY, a brand that has always prioritised technological innovation and optimism, takes the fear around progression and without dispelling its risks, gives us something real to hold on to: rebellion, youth, freedom and love.