“MEDIEVAL rockstar”, “moody but ethereal”, and “don’t give a fuck but hypnotic” read the show notes that plastered the backstage studio at Dilara Findikoglu. Then, the lights dimmed and Lara Stone stepped out from backstage, opening the brand’s AW25 show: the mood was erotic and chaotic all at once.
“If Earth was born of Chaos, Chaos will be Earth’s end” the show notes read. Is this the birth or the end?
The intimate and industrial Electrowerkz club in Angel stripped back to its 19th-century concrete bones, housed the Dilara Findikoglu runway show – one of the most anticipated of the London Fashion Week calendar after the designer’s absence last season, opting to show only once a year. The setting was an accurate presentation of the collection’s core message: finding beauty in cruel conditions.
The Turkish designer envisioned Venus as “a world of female liberation”, a place that “men of power would call a toxic atmosphere”. Basking in what is traditionally repressive and finding a space to create creative, female, and divine freedom, Venus is reborn for AW25.
Opening the show with a black snakeskin corset top and skirt, cinched with intricate leather crosswork – recalling the armour of dragon fighting knights from famous legends – is model Lara Stone.
Close behind, musician Martyna Maya debuted a transparent black mesh gown, carefully constructed with structured boning against the delicate material; and Belgian fashion model and actress Hannelore Knuts with black lace trailing up her legs underneath a thin, translucent black skirt and a black scarf draped over her hair.
The runway also saw a bodice piece fashioned entirely from shells and shell-like beading to make spiky padded shoulders, featuring two large conch shells on the hip. A feminine armour.
High-neck sheer tops with a tattoo-like patterning on the skin peering through and clever layering of see-through materials represented a physical shedding. Glittering threads as thin as spider webs adorned the hair of select models with cobweb-like tattoos on the faces of others, while elsewhere embellished headphones brought opulence to the noise – teasing it with elegance.
Closing the show with a show-stopper: the finale look debuted a floor-length, high-neck, bustier-shaped dress. The garment was fashioned entirely from leather by artisan Whitaker Malem and then hand-tattooed in red ink by tattoo artist Jonah Slater. This final look eloquently summarised the craftsmanship across the entire AW25 collection.
Dilara Findikoglu’s Venus In Chaos AW25 collection became an “act of spiritual rapture”, decadently combative to oppression but also beautifully ornate.
A final thought from the eponymous label? “There’s a special place on Venus for you all.”
by Ella Mansell