From Concept to Catwalk: Inside Dialective 2024

Primadonna takes Dialective… here’s how it went

Excited shoes bounce over the hardware floors of the space. A light hum of whispers and excited greetings wash over each bench in its own succession. Dialective 2024 truly began as soon as you were seated. Artists of all kinds filled the space creating art before the show even started. Each bench, painted with the colors and textures of the audience members, not one resembling the other. The art began in the space before the show even began, breathing through each person there to watch and support. 

The crowd began to die down as the passive music stopped, so that the entire audience was dead silent in time for guitar chords to echo, fade and echo again. The show had begun. A new song began queueing in the models, who followed shortly after. 

Each designer focused on a different aspect of their upbringing or reality of the world they’re living in now. Designs by the likes of Greta Moschata, Elliot Ja, Cooper Callender, and about 17 other incredibly talented visionaries made out of materials like plastic or elastic almost entirely, with eye-catching hair and makeup to match. Music that brings images of walking through remnants of waves that are crashing onto a white sandy beach. Designs by Leonardo Guarin (@leonardoguarin) whose pieces appeared to redefine athleisure, the pieces literally stitching of two worlds, into one blended with the music of what feels like summer on the boardwalk. A top made of linen, knitted material and a jersey, reconstructed into a casual, almost distressed oversized T-shirt, creating stripes out of the several fabrics. Anushna Parya (@anushnaparya), created a story of her upbringing with designs mirroring aspects of the navy and naval ships. Having the models walking stoically, in two designs that mimic the structure of a naval uniform, while playing with the resources that are prominent in the navy: a balloon skirt made to mimic the layered and looped texture of a parachute, and a navy blue jacket with a high neck, structured shoulders, but wide sleeves with layered folds. When asked about a top in the collection that looked to be made of some kind of rope, Parya said, “This top actually, is completely made out of sailor knots so each rope was knotted into sailor knots and then hand sewn together.” The tank, knotted and tied almost looking like a fishing net, which Parya described was also intentional, a play on the varying naval themes she used as inspiration for the collection. 

LÉONARDO GUARIN @leonardoaguarin
Futbol Callejero | Photo @exposurebychloe @bluedellaphoto @kurtzland

ANUSHNA PARYA @anushnaparya @byanushna
Pelagos | Photo @exposurebychloe @bluedellaphoto

ANUSHNA PARYA @anushnaparya @byanushna
Pelagos | Photo @exposurebychloe @bluedellaphoto

Each artist wanted to challenge the associations we make with things. To express a sense of fluidity through physical things, or even just concepts that seem restrictive using the very tangible things that created that tension in the first place. It’s about breaking barriers and boundaries in a way that takes ownership over the things that may create limitations for us, and physically telling the story of it. Designer Cooper Callender (@coopercallender) describes his collection, Sex and Conservatism, as a reflection of the relationship and irony between the terms in society and fashion. It’s perspectives like this that are consistent in the entire essence of the show. His designs are a result of fabrics and articles of clothing that are originally tied to formality in some way, like his button down pinstripe reconstructed dress. Keeping the structure of the button down with the collar while having an open, asymmetrical neckline to bleed sexy into business wear. The skirt of the dress then fanned out to create a more open, looser skirt fit. He described multiple pieces to exemplify, “accepting and exposing informality,” which was probably most obvious in his bra cup tanks, worn and styled casually like any tank top you would imagine, but with exposed bra cups sewn at the chest portion of the tank tops. 

COOPER CALLENDER @coopercallender
Sex and Conservatism | Photo @kurtzland @exposurebychloe

GRETA MOSCHATA @gretamoschata
This Is For You | Photo @exposurebychloe @kurtzland @bluedellaphoto

It was clear, watching the show, and talking with some of the designers that these pieces told a story, whether the story is one they were a part of or one they watched as an outsider in awe. Regardless, the designers seemed to encompass the grappling with concepts that have one social association, but evoke an opposing one through the lens of the artist. They created work that showed the dichotomy of concepts, experiences and lifestyles not just through the visuals of the designs, but through the textures and even just the process in which the pieces were made. To delicately create pieces that in actuality represent a lifestyle or concept of a more rugged nature, like the knotted naval rope tank or to use fabrics that are historically more formal to create sex appeal, there is a playfulness to concepts that hold weight in conversation, but that can create newness in the visual and fashion world. 

Truly, whether it’s Callender’s bra cup tanks, Parya’s balloon skirt piece, or Greta Moschata’s iconic long brown “fabric feathered,” jacket (pictured above), there were countless pieces that  left the audience in awe. It was clear how impactful the pieces were as is, but their impact was felt  much more when they transformed into stories prancing down the runway. Many of the designers have since posted behind the scenes sketches, and other content of their process of creating their collections, letting everyone in on the layers beneath the stories their pieces told on the day of the show.

 All have their portfolio and contact information available via their instagrams, and some, (@leonardoguarin, @conordodriscoll, @chaejinyoon,@hyeonjin_.s) have their designs more clearly available for purchase. Not all designers have their designs from this specific collection available for purchase, some have previous designs available. However, every designer's collection can be seen on Dialective’s Instagram page, @dialective.xyz, and we encourage you to go take a look whether you were lucky enough to view them in person or not! 

The show, intended to highlight the works of talented designers, revealed itself to be a meticulously crafted production. Every detail, from the venue and seating to the music and lighting, contributed to an immersive atmosphere. The involvement of the producers and directors was evident in every aspect, shaping an experience that went beyond the display of fashion. This level of intentionality made attendees feel genuinely cared for, a rarity in events of this kind. Interactions with Jac Clayton alone makes that obvious: this was created for everyone. It was clear that while they found time to make each person, including Primadonna’s feel welcomed, they truly were the foundation of the event's seamlessness, running around to make sure things and people were good before, during and after the show. The experience made everyone in the space feel chosen, special, and part of something (in whatever way that is) that holds weight, and takes space. 

Throughout the experience of the show and event, it was clear how intentional each designer and director was in telling a story and creating a narrative. Not just through their designs but with the dynamic direction of the show.