Understated isn't a look the trendy kids of today are going for. They want to be noticed. These days, the average black tee and jeans just don't cut it. Kids are reaching for their neon brights, zany cuts and patterns - anything but ordinary.
Unfortunately some kids aren't getting it all that right. Instead of achieving that effortless, head-turning fashion factor they're creating more of a 'Look at moi, I've just been to Supre' facade – these are the ones who clearly haven't heard of hard-to-find Melbourne clothing shop, Don't Come. Any aspiring, or seasoned, fashion gun should check this place out if they haven’t already.
Don't Come is the flagship store for local label Schwipe, the booming creation of graphic designer Tim Everist and graphic artist Misa Glisovic. The pair are renowned for their quirky designs and cheeky t-shirts. Ignoring the conventional and at-times commercial slogan tees, Everist and Glisovic have opted for more mischievous 'Shit, Bitch!' 'Islam is OK' and 'Fuck a Punk for Charity' emblazoned shirts. One could say they’re taking the slogan t-shirt back to the cheekiness of its origin – the days when the master, UK designer/activist Katherine Hamnett, ruled the school of slogan.
Everist and Glisovic set up the business in 1999 as a t-shirt label, creating pieces to suit their own style, and in 2004 began producing whole clothing lines. Two years later, they opened Don't Come.
'If we don't wanna wear it, we don't make it,' explains Everist.
'Our ranges have got a quirky edge; we like to inject an element of personality into everything we make. Each piece is its own character; each piece can stand alone and be true to our style.'
Along with their tees, customers can find in their current collection zip-up hoodies, printed tights, bags (including a revived version of the bum-bag/kaos pack) and denim throughout the shop - which interestingly doubles as a gallery space.
'The current collection "The Eyes Don't Lies" is out now. All the prints are on the visual illusion tip. If the prints don’t trip you out, the colours will.' says Everist.
Adding to its unconventional qualities of the Schwipe branding, Don't Come doesn't sit street-side, rather it's nestled on the second floor of the Royal Arcade on Little Collins Street and boasts some pink neon signage. As Everist describes it,
'We're located up the top of a hard to find stairwell in a weird old arcade in the centre of the Melbourne.'
So there's no obvious way to know that this little gem is there, but word of mouth will get you there.
While Don't Come is essentially a shop, Everist and Glisovic regularly showcase the work of artists they admire.
'We're putting on a show each bi-monthly to exhibit people's work who we like.
It only started this year [and] we've had shows by Mike Giant, Stefan Marx, Sanna Charles, and we've got upcoming shows from Kill Pixie, Yok and Thomas Jeppe.'
With more than 40 stockists worldwide and international purchasers such as Kanye West and Tony Alva sporting Schwipe goods, it'd nearly be a crime not to suss Don't Come. That is, if you can find it.