As London Fashion Week drew to a close, on a Monday evening in Shoreditch, Noki and the NESTT (Noki Education of Sustainable Textiles and Technology) presented their SS24 show, with The Tin Can Custom Crew and The Super Scratch Sunday’s. It came as no surprise that the 21st century pioneers of subversive, relevant and up-cycled fashions, Noki brought a show to audiences that encompassed their typical energy in a brand new spectacle for the season.
Before models stepped out, DJs played sounds that were scattered and industrial, they continued scratching as the runway began and sonically combined with the selection of iconic, nostalgic and energetic sounds that pumped from speakers that were carried or worn by the models. DrNoki was clearling inspired by a range of influences and these could be picked out from each look and every track. Merging a never-failing punk attitude with pop culture, the anti-capitalist collection included recycled and reused materials, including co-op carrier bags and brightly coloured hair rollers.
Sustainable designs and collections often have a stripped back feel or appearance, with visions of natural fibers and minimalism. But Noki prove that sustainable collections can be anything and look like anything, in this instance that’s dynamic, chaotic and experimental. The same can be said for the atmosphere that was conjured at the show itself, turning Old Street’s Kachette into an underground rave for the free-thinkers of fashion.
There were recognisable Easter eggs within every look, with appearances from childhood characters such as Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, even a tongue and cheek shoutout to “Pillionaire Poos Club” scrawled across the back of one black baggy tee. Though these styles could just as easily have appeared in Banksy’s 2015 exhibition Dismaland as London Fashion Week, Noki seem keen to stick to some traditional fashion show tropes, impressively closing the show with their very own junkyard Bride.
The whole team behind the show clearly got behind DrNoki’s vision, with every element screaming the same message. The cut, torn and re-purposed pieces speak just as much to capitalism’s over-consumers as they do to young and aspiring designers, there are no bounds to creation and any item could be used to create something just as special as this show. Styling by Kim Howells celebrate some of the most magically preposterous pieces, and hair by Nick Irwin, in collaboration with Schwartzkopf Pro, capture a disruption in the process, with half-done do’s and slap-dash trims.
With the obvious use of sports and streetwear fabrics and textiles, Adidas features heavily throughout the show and it makes us wonder whether an official collaboration could be on the cards at some point in the future. It would certainly be interesting to see how a giant like Adidas would keep to the principals that drive DrNoki, or would this be a totally out of character u-turn for a label celebrated for their anti-capitalist messaging?
Noki and Nestt 2024 is truly a sign of the times, such an exciting and distinctive imagination of fashion in this day and age. There’s no doubt that DrNoki’s revolutionary designs are a huge talking point amongst lovers of sustainable, nostalgic and refreshing fashion, this year that net is certainly widening and the label is assured to be on everyones radar in the future.
Photography by Olu Ogunshakin / Chris Yates Media