Austin Sherbanenko loves metal. His fidelity to all things dark, heavy, and grim is not up for debate. What is up for debate (at least to some) is whether or not that love should be translated onto a runway. Ever-fearful of being co-opted, high fashion is often viewed as the underground’s enemy. Heavy metal fans are just like every other close-knit group, highly protective of their adopted iconography and styles. When one particularly rabid metal fan I know found out I was covering last night’s Odyn Vovk show he sent a text exclaiming, “Tell Beverly death metal is a way of life, not a fashion statement.” Whoa there buddy, it’s not like we haven’t seen corpse paint on a runway before.
