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SLEEK: Technological Singularity : Inside Kiev-based design collective TTSWTRS’ cyber-utopia

A self-professed “creative laboratory” amending contemporary standardised notions of streetwear, the Ukrainian label TTSWTRS—like many of its hyped Western coevals—underwrites a lifestyle rather than a look. However, it politely disavows the tired ‘streetwear’ trademark, usurped by unsustainable consumerism and fuckboy culture alike.

“Surely…”, ponders creative director Anna Osmekhina, “some things can just be couture in a modern way.” The once elaborately handcrafted pieces are replaced by months’ worth of work by graphic designers. Dissecting the creative fabric of the Kiev-based brand makes it hard to disagree.

TTSWTRS stands for ‘tattoo sweaters’, and the tattooing subculture has been Osmekhina’s conceptual muse far more than the oversized hoodie. In the designer’s own words, the label draws on dichotomies of pleasure and pain, courage and fear involved in the lengthy inking process to create a mix of cyborg futurism and theatricality. Osmekhina amassed years of experience as a costume designer before venturing into fashion.

While still in its commercial infancy—the label was launched in 2015 — TTSWTRS has not only managed to establish a following despite intentionally eluding the fashion week circuit, but has also succeeded in growing it, even amidst a global pandemic.

Today, TTSWTRS releases its first VR show—‘Technological Singularity’. The show visually envisages a hypothetical moment in the future when tech development becomes unavoidable and unstoppable, the impact of which enforces radical changes to the very core of human civilisation.

‘Technological Singularity’ showcases a fictitious temporal dimension, adorned in shades of glazed and matte black, neon-green and beige. These are contrasted with the electro schemes, USB sockets, technical descriptions and cyborg abbreviations.