Pop Culture Turns Dystopic in Destroyer of Worlds FW25 ‘The Dark Forest’
Each model portrayed a different character, and each character played an essential role before the end of the world.
Photography by Tim Barcon
For Cole Durkee, deconstruction in garments is essential for his brand, Destroyer of Worlds, and the future of fashion. For his Fall/Winter 2025 show, The Dark Forest, Durkee didn’t have your average runway show. Instead, it was a stage. On that stage, he put together a show that not only displayed his newest collection but confronted consumer culture within pop culture.
“There's so much clothing out there and so much wasted clothing that can be reused into new clothing,” Durkee says. “That’s what I like about deconstructing old clothing; there is a history in there that you don’t have to bleach into or do manual abrasions to. These things happen, and they already have a story, and it makes the clothes cooler.”
Each model portrayed a different character, and each character played an essential role before the end of the world. The 25-look collection was shown on characters like The Host, Ancient Diva and Athlete, Adam and Eve, Mother of Consumption, Static Athlete and Star, Alien Diva and Bombshell, Marilyn Monrobot, Mother of Angels, and Alien King and Queen.
These otherworldly looks include a deconstructed woven leather jacket, rewoven jeans, ritual scarification shirt, mink coat, diamond-weave leather pants, denim and leather bags, split jeans, cheetah print top, woven puffer vest, latex top, and much more. Durkee puts his own spin on pop icons and notable figures, with flashier, more vibrant, and avant-garde garments.
Photography by Tim Barcon
“I’ve been using this weaving technique since my MFA,” he says. “It’s these continuous wovens that happen in bustiers, dresses, and jackets where these weaves wrap all the way around the body and also have a pattern making within them, just through the strips, how they’re sewn together. I always work with latex, and this season, I’ve been working at this forever to try and make holographic rubber, and it finally worked.”
When most people think of dystopic fashion, they visualize dark, neutral, minimalistic colors, textures, and patterns. Durkee wants to change that. He wants Destroyer of Worlds to be able to convey that dystopic fashion can be vibrant, colorful, and even fun.
“This is me showing a proof of concept,” Durkee says. “This is the world that I live in. I feel like my fashion is dystopic, and there should be a place for dystopian fashion to be colorful and fun. The future is shaking up to be pretty shitty. I’m at odds with corporations.”
