Georgian designer Gola Damian inadvertently debuted the topical style at his latest show, the same day right-wing activist Tommy Robinson had a McDonalds milkshake thrown at him
It’s been a bad week for far-right activist Tommy Robinson, who had milkshake thrown over him twice in as many days.
Currently on the campaign trail ahead of the upcoming European elections, Robinson is vying to bag himself the position of MEP for the north-west of England – but, unsurprisingly, he’s come up against strong opposition from both anti-racism protesters and members of the general public.
First, on May 2, an unidentified onlooker pegged – with an impressive degree of accuracy – a bottle of milkshake at Robinson’s head during a walk-around in Bury, Greater Manchester.
Then, less than 24 hours later, when he was confronted by Robinson in Warrington town centre, Danyal Mahmud threw a McDonalds milkshake over him, shouting “That’s what you get for being a fascist!” as the EDL founder attempted to tackle him. Later, Mahmud told The Guardian the milkshake ‘slipped’ out of his hand, which, particularly when faced with such hatred and bigotry, could pretty much happen to the best of us.
Now – or at least, as of next season – if you happen to stan either of these dairy-based-drink-throwing anti-fascists, you’ll be able to prove it by wearing your support splashed (although in this case it’s worth pointing out: not literally) across your chest, all thanks to Tbilisi-based fashion designer Gola Damian.
Happening almost simultaneously to the second milkshake-throwing incident, over 5000 miles away at the Georgian capital’s Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, Damian was debuting his latest collection – which, as part of some bizarre, cosmic coincidence, proved inadvertently to be pretty topical, given one of the leading looks was a neon t-shirt emblazoned with the statement ‘My Milkshake Boys’.
Though the reference was obviously in no way related to what was happening in the UK, the so-called enfant-terrible of Georgian fashion is no stranger to making a political statement through fashion. Renowned for exploring sexuality and gender, Damian consistently pushes back against his country’s deep-rooted conservatism with his avant-garde collections.
This time, the designer’s offering centred around Tbilisi’s thriving queer clubbing scene and the issues the city’s LGBTQ+ community faces – including homophobia, government oppression, violence, and small-minded attitudes. The term ‘milkshake boy’ itself is in reference to some of the men that form part of that community, and how sweet people such as them shouldn't have to face such discrimination as a result of their sexual orientation.
Featuring day-glo brights, chequerboard motifs, huge platforms, and more than a few hands-free accessories (all the better to rave with), for AW19 there was also purely decorative iPod-style ear jewellery and disposable, one-time use sunglasses, designed for the excruciating moment you finally emerge from the club into the early morning sunlight. Made from recycled (and recyclable) paper, Damian has plans to sell them in both Berghain and Bassiani, Tbilisi’s now almost-equally legendary techno labyrinth.
Naturally, we reached out to Damian to inform him of the coincidence, and ask him whether he condones the throwing of milkshake at fascists, bigots, and Islamophobes: “Of course I do!” he responds. “I’m against all fascism and fascists. But honestly, milkshake? Next time, they need to make it shit.”
Relive the moment(s) Tommy Robinson got milkshaked below, courtesy of The Guardian.