DONT WRITE: Upholding a Legacy

Words and images by Keyona Fazli, Writer

 At the end of last week, DONT WALK threw a launch for their latest project: their first edition of publication DONT WRITE.

 Serving a wickedly caffeinated gin concoction, DONT WALK quickly filled Combini Café from wall-to-wall.. People chatted animatedly amongst copies of the publication and other merchandise, such as shirts and hoodies. A projector filled the room with the launch video: an amalgamation of videos over the last two decades – catwalks, avant-garde hair and makeup – covered the walls in flashes of blue and purple.

 I managed to steal Creative Director Elise Morrison away from the crowd to ask what her thoughts were on DONT WRITE. She told me that this retrospective edition was two years in the making, and that moving forward, she hopes to see future editions find their own themes, incorporating multi-media to explore how creative entities can tackle political, social, and environmental issues.

 Opening the first edition are their core values: “At its core, DONT WALK originates in the desire to come together in the face of unspeakable injustice and adversity throughout the world.” COVID-19, as the letter from 2020’s Executive Director, Cate Crossland, states, provided, amongst its challenges, opportunities for technological expansion – into music, film, and enhanced digital content. According to Editor-in-Chief Milla Hamm French, the inability to do anything tangible as a result of nationwide lockdown led to a nostalgia for past events, reflecting on what had been achieved and what, then, had been placed on hold. Indeed, it was the first year since their conception that they did not ‘walk’. Nevertheless, for DONT WALK the priority remained “taking action through artistic expression to raise awareness on a variety of pressing societal issues.”

 Perusing this issue, DONT WRITE’s aims are clear: to celebrate over twenty years since the genesis of the charity fashion show by exploring archival footage and conducting interviews with DONT WALK alumni and previous charity collaborations. Adamant on facing their issues head on, the publication also dedicates a section to sustainability, detailing their sustainable efforts from the location of the fashion show to the designs displayed at the shows themselves. This, along with their DONT WEAR project – clothing with a DONT WALK aesthetic made by small and often local designers for purchase from the public – provide “something more”. Beyond the catwalk, projects such as DONT WEAR and DONT WRITE are what Milla calls “crossing boundaries between different art forms”.

 Set with a classic black and white BERLIN Bold graffiti-style text in all-caps, the print offers itself up as eye-catching and unique yet simultaneously familiar (from our experience with past DONT WALK fashion shows). Following the event, Avery Pusey, who oversaw publication design, shared some of her inspiration behind the aesthetic of DONT WRITE. Like Milla, Avery was approached in 2019 to head the design team for the issue but due to the unforeseen circumstances of the pandemic, the magazine was not able to be produced until this year. Months of sketching ideas and learning about graphic design was collated on a Pinterest board that found its way scattered throughout the publication’s design.

 After dozens of hours of online courses and YouTube tutorials on InDesign, Avery commented on her experience researching and planning: “Going through the archives and having people send us archival media was A LOT of work and sifting but also really cool. I got a nice intimate view of the history of DONT WALK”. The creative process itself proved challenging; having never made a magazine before, the collective worked together, collaborating between design, music, and fashion teams. Additionally, this edition helps showcase that music forms part of the essence of DONT WALK. Different phases of music throughout the fashion show’s history were collated and put on Spotify, links of which can be found with the sound bar that can be scanned for access.

 Incorporating themes from each year was important in the editorial team, but once attempts were made to tailor alumni interviews to the aesthetic of DONT WALK in the same year, Avery realised that the design was better suited to capturing its timeless aesthetic, which is why almost all of the publication is in black and white. An edgy and integral look in the publication was the decision to use Avery’s own handwriting, giving the magazine an overall grunge style – messy yet sleek. A nod to the DONT WALK aesthetic in 2008, the handwriting element pays homage to the show’s past, which, is ultimately what this first edition is all about.

 “Each page had the same amount of blood, sweat, and tears put in by me and Milla. I'd design the page by drawing it out, show her, I'd design it on InDesign, we'd put her or Ward's interviews in or pieces that were written by other committee members on their respective positions, then we'd delete pages, remake them, change fonts, change the heaviness of text, change pictures, literally change everything about one page for hours.”

 Quite often we find that publications such as this, in which so much time and effort has been expended, there is substantial pressure for the editions that follow. Upon reading and finishing the first of hopefully many editions, I, as well as the curators of DONT WRITE, look forward to what may become yet another legacy for DONT WALK. One can only imagine what the final page of the publication will look like after perhaps another decade of editorial work and new DONT WALK projects. Currently showcasing the DONT WALK aesthetic from 2012-present, the final pages of the publication reach back into the past while leaving room to contemplate what exciting things may lie ahead.

 To access DONT WRITE’s first edition you can find the publication online or alternatively purchase limited copies at Spoiled Life.