behind the scenes of mindblown ss25 nyfw show
beacon's closet manhattan manager niaja smith received vip access to mindblown’s recent nyc fashion week show, where she documented the runway and interviewed creators millicent dunstan and ben lucas jones.
the process is pretty in-depth! we (millie and ben) produced the show ourselves, made the garments, did the casting, styling, and made the music (ben created original music on his drum machine).
it really started around six months ago when we began brainstorming ideas, experimenting with what we wanted to make, and began sourcing materials. this part of the process takes the longest and is physically demanding and time consuming. we were even finishing up final details on garments up until the day before the show.
at the end of august, we had fittings with all our models and really started finalizing details.
what was your inspiration for the pieces made in the show as well as the overall concept of the show?
this collection was inspired by technology, consumption, and nostalgia. we incorporated technological waste into our collection to comment on how the tech world is ever evolving and how what we use becomes rapidly obsolete. now, with the ever growing use of ai, we are entering a new kind of digital era. we wanted our collection to feel relevant to the time we are living in.
our brand is focused around sustainability. we often upcycle materials and transform them into unique pieces. with this collection, we continued to do this while also incorporating unconventional materials into some of the looks. we used old computer cords, and pieces of the circuit boards from computers, keyboard pieces, components from the inside of hard drives, and more.
the tech components that we used are from the early and mid 2000s. The silhouettes, hair and make up reference the 90s and y2k era, and we incorporated vintage materials, such as jerseys, into some of the garments. these brought in the elements of nostalgia.
we included a lot of hardware into this collection. while our garments usually include a myriad of colors, we wanted this collection to be more toned down to silvers and neutrals. we used computer cords as templates to create airbrushed graphic patterns, as seen on the tights and long skirt.
we live in a world that is designed around consumption— digital and physical. we are always looking to the next thing. as a brand who participates in this, we strive to inspire less harmful ways to engage with fashion.
what can people expect from mindblown going into the new year?
we have a few projects in the works, can't say what they are yet! we will continue to stay true to ourselves while trying to grow and expand what we have available to our customers! we will be releasing some fun fall pieces soon as well.
recently your pieces were spotted on lizzo, tinashe, and coielay
who is your dream celebrity to style?
we love when musicians wear our clothing, since music is a big part of our lives and our brand! we would love to see our pieces on some of our favorite iconic artists such as doja cat and a$ap rocky, and some og icons such as gwen stefani and flea from the red hot chili peppers. we would love to have more of our menswear featured!
does it feel to see the response to your work?
we have grown so much from where we first began. sometimes it doesn't feel like that because it is easy to get caught up in the moment and feel like there is still a long way to go. when we look back however, we feel proud of where we have come thus far!
it is so rewarding when our audience, customers, and industry professionals engage with our brand! sometimes it can be easy to doubt yourself as an artist or get caught up in your head, so when others see us and engage with us, it truly feels very inspiring!
