Man and machine share an undeniable bond of creator and creation. Though modern inventions, such as the enigma that AI represents for many, blur the lines of this once self-evident relationship. The emerging, sustainable fashion-brand SLVA/Selva Huygens tackles these questions by envisioning one version of our future, in which we wear our broken-down cars and technology.
Disclaimer: This article is partially based on an online interview conducted with Natalia Golubenko and Cristian Huygens of SLVA.
It’s 36 degrees and the asphalt is beginning to melt under my shoes as I emerge from the subway tunnel. I make my way to St. Jakobi churchyard; Berlin Fashion Week is in full swing and in the small Neukölln-based bar/club hybrid ‘GIRI’, the up-and-coming Berlin fashion brand ‘Selva Huygens/SLVA’ is presenting its new brutalist-archaic designs made from recycled car parts, including the chance to try them on yourself.
Arriving at the bar, I immediately spot a large crowd of people on the dancefloor in the back of the space, pressed up against a large window front: behind it, a model dressed entirely in SLVA dances – or rather staggers – around the bar’s garden, accompanied by the penetrating techno sounds of Russian music producer Stanislav Glazov. Caught in a trance-like state, the other visitors film and stare at the model, who appears to be wearing a grotesque, oversized headpiece in the form of two glass discs individually molded to the shape of her head and tightened with large grey metal screws. On her upper and lower body, she wears misappropriated white car parts of different shapes, connected by strikingly large carabiner hooks.
Natalia Golubenko, co-founder and brand manager of SLVA, tells me that she feels naturally drawn to this type of visual “harshness”, as she grew up around the remnants of Soviet Brutalism, with multiple facets of popular counterculture-movements also greatly influencing her artistic outlook. The brand’s “engineer and architect” Cristian Huygens on the other hand possesses a professional background in architecture and industrial design, with him citing Brutalist architecture as a major source of inspiration. After he came to Europe from Argentina, Huygens consciously sought out Brutalist buildings in Eastern Europe, particularly in the Balkans, to gather references for future endeavors.
As the evening goes on, I decide to try on an oversized black puffer top made from the remains of a car tire, enthusiastically accompanied by Golubenko herself. Looking at myself in the mirror, I am starkly reminded of the outfits the Harkonnen soldiers wear in Villeneuve’s “Dune”-films. Once put onto the body, it immediately invokes a sense of power. Contrary to a multitude of other fashion brands with grungy aesthetics, you can not under any circumstances “slouch around” in a SLVA-piece. Huygens and Golubenko do not produce comfortable leisurewear that you can vanish into the crowd with, you either wear their pieces with pride and a straight back or their clothes will simply end up wearing you instead.
Funnily enough, when asked on how the two of them first met and started their collaboration, Huygens recalls having invited Golubenko to an exhibition of his back in 2022 via Instagram. Golubenko swiftly dismissed him as just another “strange guy” and did not reply. Only two years later did they connect successfully, already feeling that they might synergise rather well together. Both of them detail that their considerable differences in personality and skillset quickly enabled them to expand SLVA from a mere hobby to a professional brand, with “handy” Huygens focusing more on the internal studio processes and Golubenko handling external relations, like the organisation of events/shows and increasing online visibility. Nonetheless, they stress that these roles are evolving, with the two of them now contributing to the design-process and sharing tasks more often than before.
Still, Golubenko calls it a “big cosmic joke”, that “a quiet, dark-haired Latino guy dressed in all white, and a hyper-emotional, blonde Slavic girl dressed in all black” run a fashion brand together.
The night slowly comes to an end. Lots of curious visitors tried on the various pieces, some even bought a “brutalist purse”; no straps, just rings to clutch it to your fingers.
As I begin to take my leave, I spot a poster of Lady Gaga wearing an elaborate white full-SLVA outfit. Golubenko tells me that just about a year ago, in May 2024, Gaga contacted her on Instagram after having – coincidentally – stumbled across the brand’s designs. She requested an outfit for a stage performance. Naturally, Huygens and Golubenko jumped on the opportunity and did everything to make the most of this extraordinary event. Golubenko spontaneously flew to Los Angeles herself to dress Gaga; it ended up working out just fine with more high-profile customers following suit, such as Jared Leto for a “Thirty Seconds to Mars”-show and FKA Twigs. Just earlier this year SLVA also launched their first Ready-to-Wear line.
Nonetheless, only time will tell if the duo’s rise towards the upper echelons of the fashion world continues with the ferocity of the past year. Though, since their unique “constructions” are barely duplicatable, I myself do believe they will not disappoint.
Foto: SLVA/Natalia Golubenko.
