ANTICIPATING THEIR DEBUT LONDON SHOWCASE, VIPER SAT DOWN WITH BRITISH FASHION LABEL, 8DIX, TO QUIZ THEM ON THEIR NEW READY-TO-WEAR COLLECTION. PRONOUNCED OTTO DIX, LIKE THE ARTIST, 8DIX IS THE CREATION OF DESIGNER DUO, LUCA MARCHETTO AND JORDAN BOWEN, WHO COLLECTIVELY BOAST 11 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN THE FASHION INDUSTRY. HAVING WORKED AT VIVIENNE WESTWOOD FOR FIVE YEARS, MARCHETTO’S STYLE IS CEMENTED IN PUNK AND, COMBINED WITH BOWEN’S CRAFTSMANSHIP, HONED FROM YEARS WORKING AT STEPHEN JONES’ MILLINERY, THE PAIR USE THEIR CLOTHING DESIGNS TO MIX POLITICS WITH PLEASURE.

Using their label as a platform, 8DIX promote their ethos of conscious fashion by conveying important messages through fun and playful prints. Since launching with a single graphic T-shirt three years ago, the designers have branched into a diverse collection of casual and high-end statement pieces. One of Viper’s favourites being the ‘Daddy’s Cash’ t-shirt, which light-heartedly plays on the theory that the millennial generation – kids born between the 1980s and 2000s – rely too heavily on their parents’ money. “We are in a period where unemployment numbers are rising like popcorn in the microwave. We are defined as a Peter Pan generation, where, according to American sociologist Kathleen Shaputis, we have tendency for delaying the rites of passage into adulthood.” With a cute balance of stay woke messages and punk feels, 8DIX take away the guilt of splashing out on new garments…

Do you want a following for your style or the overall message behind the clothes?
Both. We always saw the brand as a vehicle to express our feelings as there’s always a culture behind the design. We started nearly four years ago with one graphic T-shirt and created a style for our customers that was confident and self-assured. The design is just an extension of how we feel, how we live our lives and how we put our pieces together in our collections but I’d never say it was style over substance.

How important do you think sustainability is for fashion brands in 2017?
It’s crucial for two reasons. Firstly, just look at the state of this planet and the rate at which it’s being destroyed. There are approximately 10,000 species of creatures becoming extinct every year, many of which we don’t even know exist. So, the idea that you want to use precious animal skin for a cuff or a piping boils down to power and greed. Secondly, fashion should be about beauty and about culture. Terror, death and suffering should never enter this aesthetic. It’s nothing to do with glamour, just really bad taste.

This is an extract from Issue 7, The Barely Legal Issue of Viper Magazine. Read more from the magazine here. Buy physical and digital copies here.

Photos by Dhamirah Coombes
Styling by Isabella Steven
Words by Yassmine Benalla