The air outside the warehouse is sharp, but stepping inside, you are immediately enveloped by humidity, haze and anticipation.
Held at Mothership Studios in Marrickville, and in true to the fashion of Sydney’s Inner West, the location for POTIRAKIS’ ‘GOD BLESS AMERICA’ show was only revealed hours before. The warehouse’s concrete floors and steel bones serve as the perfect runway for the label’s gritty edge.
Show-goers, mostly dressed in black, looked every bit the POTIRAKIS muse – street chic with loose silhouettes and monochrome layers. Blue and black milk crates lined the space, while black leather couches framed a makeshift showroom flaunting bedazzled hoodies and puffers against the wall. In the centre, a DIY cinderblock shelf displayed ski masks, mouthguards and vibrant red MAGA-style caps embroidered with “I’M WALKING FOR POTIRAKIS”, a tongue-in-cheek nod to the show ahead.
As the house lights dimmed and the crowd fell silent, the first look stormed forward: full camo, a black tactical vest and face mask starkly contrasted by the red cap. Screaming surveillance, dominance and power, it represented all America has become known for and a drastic deviation from the original American dream. Then came the football looks: a bright blue jersey and an elbow-padded hoodie paired with an American flag skirt. The mood shifted once more as a blonde model emerged in a black bikini, light wash denim and POTIRAKIS belt, an ode to Americana.
In contrast were the ballgowns. Overly elegant, they embodied the excess and disparity of late stage capitalism. A model in a floor-length halter dress paraded POTIRAKIS bags along her arms like consumerist trophies. Hannah, one half of POTIRAKIS, appeared in a laced gown gracefully concealing any last minute runway chaos. Another look, a fur coat paired with lace stockings and kitten heels felt Nara Smith-esque. The audience was captured with audible ooooohs as the extravagant looks swept down the same runway that held military wear only moments ago.
‘GOD BLESS AMERICA’ dissected the contradicting identities of a collapsing empire – its grit, its glamour, its myth of freedom through hyper-individualism. Each look in opposition to the next allowed the show to weave between chaos and couture. From the sidelines, we were watching a microcosm of America’s collapse all from the comfort of a converted, hazy warehouse.
