Knowing that sustainability and activism is something Django really leans into with his brand, I asked him to delve into the way he incorporated these values into his recent denim ‘lump bag’ capsule and his brand as a whole.

“I always knew that if I was to venture down this field, sustainability would have to be the subconscious idea at the forefront of the designs. The key word here is subconscious – it has never been an option, always a condition. It is our duty to take care of mother earth, because she will retaliate. 

The denim capsule strikes as an important venture for Django because he sees denim as such an important fabric in our society.

“To produce a pair of jeans, roughly 10,000 litres of water is used – fresh water might I add and not recycled. This is throughout its whole production line which utilises toxic dyes and bleaches to get to the ‘washed out’ denim look that most of us favour. That is roughly the equivalent of 58 people’s daily intake of water. I’m taking this opportunity to put this insane figure in just to make sure the point is coming across. I don’t think people understand how unsustainable the industry is.”

If there’s one thing that Django wants our readers to take away from this: it is to prioritise buying second hand. The starting point for us all is buying from op shops and labels that use recycled materials.  

“My friend, Matilda Robertson, the designer behind SCRAP Studios, and I have talked so often about the fact that there is enough fabric and material in the world to see all our lives through, therefore, having no need for more fabric production.  However, I will say in opposition to this statement, if materials are still needed to be produced, then we need to be putting biomaterial and biomaterial experimentation at the forefront.”

He encourages readers to investigate Xue Chen or Spiraro; two designers exploring bio fashion design.

Django embraces the notion that being a sustainable brand also means speaking up in times of political unrest and making it known where your labels’ morals stand. He iterates that remaining vocal is sacrosanct, whether it's about the contribution of fashion to our environment or, more importantly on this point, about humanitarian rights. He asks the important questions of both designers and all individuals:

“How do you expect someone to respect your position on environmentalism and the future of humanity when you are also not vocal about continued colonialism, ethnic cleansing, genocide, and active abuses of humanitarian rights happening across the globe right now?” 

But in contrast to the realities mentioned above, when it comes to garnering inspiration for creating, Django also finds it hidden within the mundanity of everyday life. He can be found sitting on his balcony in the evening, going down research rabbit holes, absorbing relevant cinema, playing pool at a pub, or lounging and looking glam…

…But above all, “the ocean — the eternal source, the holy terrain” is what keeps him going.

Known for hosting extravagant fashion parties, Django started them as a side project to his dressmaking. These events were born with the belief that the club, or the act of ‘going out’, is where the performance of ‘dressing-up’ actually takes place. To him, it feels on par with what he’s exploring through his design ethos. At these events, the fashion and the themes are more exaggerated and flamboyant, showcasing the ‘frivolity of fashion’ and ‘the pure lust of looking ultra-glam’.

“I also started it to honour the culture and the icons that pioneered alternative ways of dress, and consequently, alternative ways of life. For me, those were the club kids of the 80s and 90s across London and New York and Ballroom culture, led by trans women of colour. I stress that these were for me because I believe that anyone can bring any reference into these spaces and honour their own icons, and these may not align with mine. As long as it promotes humanity, love and respect.”

He appreciates seeing everyone interpret the themes differently and finds that listening to the intricate performances by the artists is exciting and tantalising. The shared mutual energy created in the space is what is most inspiring

While on the topic of collaboration, Django talks about seeing it as the fundamental way to succeed in any endeavour, but especially, growing creatively. 

“I don’t think people realise how much they collaborate with one another. Just by engaging in a conversation with someone could influence their perspective and spark a new idea.

I don’t believe that these interactions and these collaborations are always concrete, I think they are, more often than not, metaphysical, which is so fantastical when you think about it. That unknown element is extremely exciting. But also, you, as a singular individual, are never going to know how to do everything.”

He works to reject the capitalist and western derived system of society that pushes the notion of individualism as he places more emphasis on the power of community. 

“We work as a cog in the machine of capitalisation, which is disguised as our individual ‘astounding’ contribution to our global society – another conflated false idea. These false ideas are pushed because the concept of a united working populace across the globe terrifies the top powers. With everything going on in the world currently, people are genuinely uniting and working together. It just shows the power of collaboration and unity.”

In terms of fashion, Django expresses that designers cannot succeed without the workers; that fashion does not succeed without collaboration. He says,

Images: @eliserpoole & @fruit.witch33

“We have design schools, especially in this country, promoting the position of designer as be all, end all. They come out after three years of conceptualising without the proper skills. No contacts with seamstresses or manufacturers to help them, no understanding of how a production line works, not even an understanding of how a garment is properly constructed. How do we expect a more sustainable and quality driven future in fashion if no one can make things properly?” 

His belief is firm in that people should learn to become a dressmaker or tailor before a designer and learn to open themselves up to working with people. 

“This is not an attack on the students but rather the institution that promotes individualism and does not make space for the proper connections between industry and designer. I’ll say it again and again, Octopussay wouldn’t be where it is today without its familia.”

Django made the decision not to go to design school, but rather learnt all his skills from his mother, grandmother and the teachers at TAFE, who were all industry workers. He valued learning the craft and skill set more, making him content in his decision. He also acknowledges his sister and all his friends for their close support;

“These people are all a part of the genetic makeup of the label because their supportive energy has helped create these garments, collections and side projects. I titled the label Octopussay rather than a namesake because I knew from the start that it could never be tied to one individual person and that I was going to be influenced and changed because of so many other people.”  

We discussed Django’s recent body of work, Venus Walking, the photobook in collaboration with one of his favourite artists and close friends, Remy Spanos;

“It was created because Spanos and I were working together on several pieces of fashion imagery, scratching all the itches of the Octopussay visual library. We felt disheartened by limiting its diffusion to the social media void. The imagery was all so poetic and beautiful that it felt a disservice for it to only exist in an online space where inevitably after a day it would succumb to that void I mentioned. I find the algorithm untrustworthy and brutal.”  

In choosing print media, the two have ‘technically’ limited the works viewing capability as not all the imagery is available online, however, it has given Venus Walking a much more special and considered lifespan. The two believe that those who have bought the book appreciate the imagery far more now having a tangible, exclusive, collectible on their coffee tables.

“I think, in our modern day, it revisits a primordial gathering sense of collecting and cherishing; it feels special and intimate which people deserve to have… Social media, in my opinion or at least how I use it, acts more as a folio rather than the real work. My real work takes place physically, even if some of the concepts and feelings are metaphysical.”

The emerging future of Octopussay is an exciting one. Although he sometimes feels pressure in knowing exactly what his practice is or knowing concepts from the very beginning, he is grounded by longevity, in both directions of the word, especially the past. He admires those who devote themselves to working even if the outcome is ‘preliminary’.

“This may seem contradictory to my statements on design school earlier but in actual fact it's not. I’m making the point that creatives should release while learning their craft because ideas are at their most fertile while learning. That is the essence of play and experimentation which doesn’t happen when you are asked to provide heavy critical analysis and conceptualisation for a work. This is just all my opinion based on my experiences and outlook on the world, fashion and the industry and others have different ways of working that must be respected.

I feel, as creatives, you are told to wait before releasing or showing work. As in, to ruminate on preliminary ideas so to make sure that what you are showing is extremely ‘highbrow’. In all honesty, I feel that sentiment is tied to ego and the pretentiousness visible in all these creative fields. What if those ideas were not preliminary and will now turn to dust?”

People are ever-flowing, as wide and unwavering like the ocean. If you do not scratch those itches now, how do you expect to develop a practice that is nuanced and gripping?”

In terms of the future in a non-critical realm, as Django mentioned earlier, there is a new body of work currently in development; 

“It’s hard to keep it all quiet but the pay-off will be worth it. I will say, within this body of work, there are quite a few collaborations with friends that feel very special and definitely highlight the collectible.”