No Sesso will be back at New York Fashion Week in February. In the meantime, co-designers Pierre Davis and Autumn Randolph showed off their new collection, “Ghetto Gold,” in a short film and installation at Art Basel in Miami.
Both on and off the calendar are good, Davis said. There are times when collections like this one that are more of a storey can have their own time. So when it comes to retail, we can be at Fashion Week. She said the brand will be working with Levi’s on its next runway show.
Like many new fashion brands today, No Sesso is about more than just selling clothes. MelAhn Frierson, who co-curated the “Shattered Glass” show, is a friend of the house and wears the brand’s “One Titty Dress,” two of them layered on top of each other to make one look.
He came up with the idea of taking the collection to Art Basel, and he did it. As Davis explained, the installation was free and open to the public for a few days. The film and hip-hop soundtrack by another friend, Cody Perkins, called out “No Sesso” and “Chanel” in the lyrics.
The 16 “Ghetto Gold” pieces Davis talked about were next level, or couture done the No Sesso way, while still staying true to the brand’s value of not just freeing the nipple, but freeing the whole body, which Davis said was important to the brand.
Many shades of brown were used to make slipdresses and other lingerie-like pieces that were made by hand. They were inspired by Afrofuturism and Black royalty. All of the pieces are one-of-a-kind and can only be bought by private clients. They will not be made for the retail market.
As well as using new silk charmeuse and chiffons, the designers used upcycled fabrics from previous collections as well as new silk charmeuse and chiffons to make clothes that looked both sensual and inclusive. There were also corsets, handbags, and coats made of crocodile and fur that were patchworked together. This raw, “Mad Max”-style decadence kept things interesting.
There was more sexy tailoring that looked ready-to-wear-like, with cutout sleeves and garter pants. A slipdress with utility pockets and bondage straps was paired with a silk bomber. This showed off the kind of glamorous but commercial streetwear that No Sesso could be making in February. We’re going to keep an eye out.
