Welcome to Archer’s Queer Fashion Files! Each month, we interview trendsetters and tastemakers, showcasing the diversity and talent of the fashion world. You can check out all episodes of our Queer Fashion Files here.

In Episode 29, Hailey Moroney chats to Slam Ross about club culture, gritty queer aesthetics and creating a world out of art.

Reintroducing gabber to Melbourne’s underground in 2017, SLAMROSS1000 quickly became known for her DJ sets and late-night parties. To commemorate these events and the community they fostered, she began making simple merch tees, which soon evolved into an in-demand streetwear brand influenced by Melbourne’s own club kids.

SLAMROSS1000 is known for bold graphics and oversized unisex silhouettes with a gothic undertone. SLAMROSS1000 values authenticity and community, and is a living, breathing thread of the Melbourne underground from the anticipation of pre’s to depths of kick-ons.

All images by: Slam Ross

Hailey Moroney: Howdy Slam, thanks for joining Queer Fashion Files, I absolutely love your work. SLAMROSS100 sits between fashion, music and chaos.

Can you introduce yourself, and SLAMROSS1000, to the Archer readers? 

Slam Ross: Hey! Thank you so much for having me – it’s a pleasure to be here!

Hi Archer readers, my name is Slam. I use she/her pronouns. I’m a queer trans woman living and practicing in Naarm. SLAMROSS1000 is my art practice that spans across art, music, fashion and events.

As my bio says, I have a fashion label that releases two collections a year. I make electronic dance music, techno and gabber! I also host events and club nights.

In 2023, I did 10 club nights, which was too much, so I’ve slowed down since then. I love hosting at Miscellania, Sub Club and DIYs around Melbourne, and am excited to host at The Collingwood Basement. I like my venues to be dark with a good sound system – simple. 

HM: Your pieces are pure underground culture – I’m obsessed with how the underground is present in your designs, your branding and your music. It’s super fucking authentic across SLAMROSS1000, and it’s really rare to see something – anything – communicated in a real and organic way.

How do you keep it so real (lol)? 

SR: Thanks so much! I feel really seen in that question.

I think… there is no other option. When I grew up in Perth, Western Australia, I was into skateboarding and baggy graphic tees. The tees represented the subculture and signified identity. I grew up drawing and doing low-stakes graffiti at the skate parks. I’ve always made art instinctively. This carried through to my twenties when I started studying Fine Art and also started partying, and came out as queer and trans. This all influenced the art I was making.

I started DJing in 2017, and hosting my own events in 2019. It organically kind of grew this culture, so I eventually started making T-shirts, then a hoodie, then shorts, then a whole collection… It’s not really the goal to ‘keep it real’, but I am not interested in mainstream content of any kind, and never have been.

HM: J’adore the SLAMROSS10000 visual curation and direction. There’s this really intentional roughness to your visuals – collage, distortion and an anti-polish that really resonates with the Archer brand and community. What are you rejecting when you produce your visuals?

SR: I am rejecting boring, commercial, watered-down, pleasing graphics and ideologies.

The system is so fucking broken: why would I want to create something that represents that? The system does not serve me or my community, or fucking anyone for that matter. It is skewed to give power to evil – it’s totally backwards and fucked-up.

I’m rejecting conformity, capitalism, whiteness, cis-het patriarchy and just anything that represents power. I also make everything myself. Every graphic and poster is done by me in the way I’ve been making art my whole life. It’s about collage – which comes from punk culture – and the grittiness that is the opposite to mainstream graphic design and art. 

HM: SLAMROSS1000 feels more like a world than a brand. When did it shift from being something you do into something people step into? 

SR: It was never an intentional shift. I love that people feel they can step into it. I don’t think there was a single moment, but rather a gradual change, I guess.

SLAMROSS1000 started as my DJ alias, but as I began creating clothing and running dance parties, it naturally grew. When I saw people dressing in the pieces, returning to the events, and bringing their own interpretations of the aesthetic, it became clear that it was no longer just about me. It had become a ‘space’ people could belong to, that signified identity, much like the baggy skater tees I was inspired by as a child.

HM: You’re building this within a queer community that isn’t driven by money or traditional fashion systems, which, again, is so akin to the Archer community. How do you navigate making work that’s still accessible, but also sustainable for you?

SR: I mean the goal of the project is connection, collaboration and creativity. So as long as I’m doing those things, it feels sustainable for me. I’m building this within a queer community that often operates outside traditional fashion and commercial systems, so sustainability isn’t just about profit… it’s about creating something meaningful for myself and the community.

I try to keep the work accessible as well though each poster or graphic speaking for itself. When I’m creating or designing, I assume the viewer has never heard of SLAMROSS1000 and has no context. I also consider pricing, small runs, and collaborating with people in the community, while also valuing my time and labour so the project can continue long-term.

It’s not about growth at the moment, it’s about maintenance. When the community supports the project – either through coming to the events, buying the clothes, tagging me on Instagram, or collaborating – it creates a shared experience that allows the project to keep evolving, to be more of a world, as you mentioned in the question before. 

HM: Is there anything you want the Archer audience to know about what SLAMROSS1000 is producing in the future – any events or pop-ups coming up? What’s inspiring you this year? 

SR: I am super excited for my next event at Miscellania on 5 June!!!! It’s gonna be so fun. I’m also excited about this year’s releases: AW26 is gonna be released on 11 June with some exciting pieces, and looking to do a Spring/Summer drop in mid-December. 

Thanks for chattin’! xoxo

You can stay up to date with Slam Ross on Instagram.

If you want to pitch an idea for Archer’s Queer Fashion Files, email pitch@archermagazine.com.au with ‘QUEER FASHION FILES’ in the subject line. You can check out the rest of our Queer Fashion Files here.