“PAM has been in this world for years, and it’s exciting to watch Dion Lee grow up in it. It’s what people are looking for when dating and in other aspects of life. Today, people have so much to offer them that they want to be radicalized and included in the art-making machine.
On the way to the club? Guests at the Chanel haute couture show in Paris and Milan menswear week bring the energy from the dance floor to the streets.Credit:Getty
Frantically hand-sewing bralettes in her Melbourne studio to meet worldwide demand, RMIT graduate Chantelle Lucyl sees her unisex garments as a way to empower customers and transcend nightclubs.
The sensuality of bold, sultry pieces with heady glimpses of flesh, enticingly bound together by fabrics like bondage straps, attract performance artists from Berlin, New York and London. It was on the European nightlife scene, while studying on a scholarship, that Lucyl experienced the freedom she tries to offer her clients.
“I’ve been to Berlin many times and immersed myself in the scene there and seen what clubbing was all about,” Lucyl said. “Now everyone knows the Berghain [a Berlin nightclub] but back then, in nightlife, there was so much space to express yourself and let yourself go completely. It makes sense that we’re all yearning for that sense of community right now. »
“I’ve always wanted to create a landscape open to everyone. It’s not just rave clothing. It’s not too artistic. It’s not too performative. It can be athletic, it can be swimwear, and it can be lingerie.
Chantelle Lucyl has been embraced by the queer community, but PAM sees changes in other segments of society. Now that Hollenbach spends his mornings riding his bike, instead of being bathed in the laser light of the nightclubs of his youth, he can clearly see the similarities between clubwear and utilitarian sportswear.
“There is a technical component to fashion, people need loose or tight pieces that let them move. It’s the same fusion of fashion and function that we see in cycling and hiking.
The growing club wear trend was felt most powerfully by Hollenbach, taking her visiting daughter to classes at a local swimming pool.
“There was a water aerobics class for the elderly and they were listening to Todd Terry, one of the leaders in rave music. It was clear then that the club was part of our daily life.
Lung Yung, The Substation, Melbourne, February 1-18
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