Fashion stokes desire. Rhian Teasdale, the lead singer of Wet Leg, stands confidently at the intersection of it in a skin-tight t-shirt. This is the latest collection by Telekom Electronic Beats the incisive cultural power who located Not a Passenger as their latest exploration of youth culture, made in collaboration with Namilia and Wet Leg.
A slinky t-shirt, hoodie and cap make up this capsule — already sold out online. Luckily, there are some remaining pieces at KaDeWe in Berlin, where the installation remains open today and Saturday, 26 September. Not a Passenger is about making your own destiny. “Hot Mess” and “Not a Passenger” slogans, in gothic twirling font (chosen by Teasdale) dare bystanders to take a closer look. They wink at imperfection, as well as the initiative to keep going.
The Passenger pieces are styled tight to the skin, which hits the mood of now in clothing: erotic, made to be seen, sporty and catlike. This silhouette bristles with noughties nostalgia, made for low-waisted outfits, without being too preoccupied with a single category. It’s versatile. TEB’s pieces are a bit naughty at the same time, announcing the wearer will go their own way.
Speaking on the collection, designers Nan Li and Emilia Pfohl of Namilia shared, “Inspired by Iggy Pop’s The Passenger, we flipped the idea into Not a Passenger — it’s about taking control of your own direction, identity and self-expression.”
At the centre of an empty parking lot, on cracked tarmac, Teasdale appears in the garments notably unbothered. In our era of saturated media, some cool selective distance is a statement in itself. Teasdale said, “the message of I’m Not a Passenger really clicked with me. We’re all constantly being told who to be by strangers online. Life’s too short not to be at the helm.” Nonchalant is an overused word, yet it’s perfect for this collection. There’s a care-free attitude in the designs that is propulsive.
“Not a Passenger means being in the driver’s seat of that journey: choosing your own influences, expressing yourself freely and constantly reinventing yourself,” the Namilia designer duo added.
The unifying point of the Passenger journey is the installation where the remaining pieces are curated at KaDeWe. Yont, the architecture studio, are the minds behind the space. The collection and interactive space take a stand on individual thought, as well as the creative insistence to defy spoon-fed choices and ideas. Not a Passenger positions itself as if to say: I’m confident in the driving seat.
