Electrowerkz – a dark, damp warehouse in the heart of Angel which hosts Goth raves and satanic markets – is the venue that Dilara Findikoglu picked to show her FW25 collection on a rainy Friday eve. It couldn’t have been a better fit for her vampiric vibe. And after skipping last season, her gothic fanbase was gassed to see her back in action for FW25 – and, thankfully, she did not let anyone down.
Dilara’s “Venus from Chaos” collection explored the theme of finding beauty through destruction and gave us everything, including human hair and Converses. It was all giving Nosferatu, in the best way. Human hair was woven into corsets and bomber jackets, sea shells were embroidered into corsets and made bags (and a merkin), models walked with a sensual, possessed energy. Dilara stayed true to her signature silhouettes and dark femme aesthetics but built on them by experimenting with a range of different textures – from lace to leathers, furs to hair. Destruction also took place with the distressed, beaten-up Converses that took us back to the Tumblr, Indie Sleaze era. Another nod to us returning to 2010s styles.
Backstage she wrote in all-caps: “MEDIEVAL ROCKSTAR, MOODY BUT ETHEREAL, DON’T GIVE A F*CK BUT HYPNOTISE”, and the vibes came correct. The beauty was hauntingly ethereal with bleached brows, iridescent highlighter that hugged the eyes, hair that was chaotically braided or draped over the models chests Venus-style. The highlight of the show was the final look: a figure-hugging, pointed-bra tan leather dress crafted by designer duo Whitaker Malem, with red patterns drawn by Dilara’s boyfriend, tattoo artist Jonah Slater. “A divine feminine mutiny” – as she wrote in her show notes.
It was all moody but ethereal, fr.
Images by Jamie Salmons for Culted©
More on Culted
See: Di Petsa celebrated female desire for FW25
See: ‘We made the right person famous’: Why do we feel a sense of ownership over celebrities?
