Rave is 4 life
Since being founded by Georgian designer Beso Tura last year, art, fashion, and rave collective Berhasm has grown exponentially. So much so that the label’s latest collection was created with the idea of ‘the techno-family’ – complete with bouncing techno-baby – in mind.
Expanding on its offering of oversized t-shirts, hoodies, and sweatpants that were “ideal for the afterparty”, this time around the line-up includes Matrix-esque vinyl and faux fur coats, oversized blazers, and one stand-out dress emblazoned with the five red crosses of the Georgian flag, with many pieces bearing the motif ‘ТЕХНОМАТЬ’, which means ‘mother of techno’ if your Russian isn’t quite up to scratch (hi!).
According to Tura the idea came to him when he began thinking about the Soviet motherland monuments which overlook the cities of Tbilisi, Kiev, and Volgograd. “Back during the days of the USSR, the statues were symbols of Soviet power, and the figure of the mother is very important, particularly in Russia,” he explains. “With this collection, though, we decided to give the statues a new twist: we combined all three, replaced the weapons they held with water bottles, gave them sunglasses to to protect them from the daylight, and rendered them in bright, acid colours. These ‘rave mothers’ are a symbol of our power and freedom now.”
The accompanying campaign follows the techno-family in question – mum, dad, and baby, as well as a few of their equally rave-loving friends – as they get ready for a party. The images were shot by collective member, Ukrainian photographer Sasha Favorov.
“Just like the idea to start Berhasm came to me in Berghain, the idea of the ‘technomother’ also came to me there,” Turo says. “I had a long conversation with a Polish couple who were celebrating their fifth wedding anniversary in there. They were telling me about how they met at a rave and had been together since then, and then started telling me about their daughter back at home. Suddenly I realised how many couples like that I know – these 90s kids becoming grown-ups and forming families of their own – but who still continue to rave like they always did. Berhasm is rave clothing, but we all have lives outside of partying – it’s more a lifestyle and a specific state of mind, whether you’re going to work, at a museum, or visiting grandma. This collection reflects that.”
Also among the offering is a print asking the question “Where do we go now?”, which harks back to the point at which the Eastern Bloc collapsed, and a generation that had to start from scratch: “My mom was 17 in 1991 when I was born, and she always told me stories about how her and her friends had to restart their entire lives just like we restart our iPhone when it crashes,” explains Tura. The pieces that bear the motif pay tribute to those people, while simultaneously looking towards the future: which, at its core, is exactly what Berhasm is all about.