Backstage at DZHUS Spring/Summer 2025 - ANTICON

Berlin Fashion Week! DZHUS’ latest collection, “ANTICON,” delves into the complexities of human desire for a programmed utopia. Irina Dzhus, the creative mind behind the brand, intertwines her trauma with narratives on sociocultural conformity, offering a critical perspective on humanity’s continuous quest for happiness. The collection reflects on the conflict between self-discovery and the urge for homecoming, posing the question: “Can finding ‘where you belong’ in life replace the essential feeling of home?”

Photographer Yulia Rezniko went backstage to capture these profound introspection moments.

Irina Dzhus, amidst her intimate struggles, introduces the concept of ‘inter-refuge,’ a subjective idyll mapped out through civilization’s eclectic semantics. She explores symbols and traditions, from spirituality to consumerism, transforming them into metaphysical power sources for ‘self-settlement.’ The collection pays homage to these encoding systems by desaturating colours and turning them into abbreviations, reflecting society’s self-consumerism through ritualistic table settings.

“ANTICON” also draws inspiration from Gnosticism, kabbalah, and various religious teachings, where stoicism and self-sufficiency manifest in multifunctional clothing items. DZHUS’ pieces suggest that any chosen reference system can guide us out of despair, with random references potentially offering a more effective route.

Irina Dzhus further encodes the rainbow in blank, quilted garments, leaving outer layers pure while adorning pockets and linings with rhinestones and jewellery. This collection is a tribute to her harrowing escape from war in Ukraine, symbolized by labyrinth motifs dedicated to Sinai wanderers. Hidden splashes of rainbow colours beneath the all-white collection convey a life-affirming message, celebrating insight as a path to home, joy, and fulfilment.

With deep compassion for animals, Irina critiques society’s dualistic treatment of them, featuring zoomorphic elements and paw prints in her designs. DZHUS challenges gender norms and deconstructs traditional social roles, blending couture with functionality. White sartorial trousers transform into iridescent corsets, and tablecloth sets surprise as flat-cut capes.

The ascetic setting invites us to witness the Last Supper mystery, reinterpreted through metamodernist lenses. Designer Irina Dzhus presents the “ANTICON” collection in an allegoric, semi-interactive format that evokes spiritual initiation. The show at the Kabbalah Centre Berlin features minimalist yet symbolic decorations, setting the stage for an intellectual game with the audience. Without relying on dramatic storytelling, the brand sparks associations rich in convention-challenging ideas.