‘80s Inspired Fashion with Last Rockers Punk Gear

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Bonnie Chandek owns Last Rockers Punk Gear, DIY apparel where ‘80s-inspired slow fashion is the style. The brand incorporates colorful, gothic and punk aesthetics into carefully, consciously made clothing. “Cult Rags for True Believers” is the Last Rockers Punk Gear motto, nodding to its limited releases and intentional ethos.

Born and raised in Milwaukee, Chandek grew up listening to punk music, specifically gravitating towards British anarcho-punk from the 1975-1984 era. “If you’re somebody who likes the punk aesthetic, even if you’re not really into the music, there’s usually a moment where you saw a punk in a movie or on the street or something and it overtook you,” she asserts. “It’s a provocative look, and it also hasn’t changed much in the last 40 years. It’s something that will always be cool.”

She first learned how to sew in the Riverwest attic that is now her art studio. “Annie Tilque owns the space, and when she and my father dated when I was like 12 she taught me how,” Chandek recalls. “Ever since then, everywhere I’ve ever lived I’ve had a dedicated sewing space.”

Chandek attended UW-Milwaukee, where she got her degree in theatrical costuming. While working at the Utah Shakespeare Festival one summer, Chandek had access to the festival’s costume shop, which she utilized to create the first Last Rockers Punk Gear pieces.

Last Rockers Rule the World

The brand is named after a song by British punk band Vice Squad. Chandek elaborates, “The song is about living through an apocalypse-type scenario, and “last rockers rule the world now” is a lyric in the song that I always thought was cool. I want to make clothes that make you feel powerful.”

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She has over 15 years of sewing experience and has worked jobs such as tailor, wardrobe dresser and vintage retailer. After moving into a studio space at Split Fountain Press in 2018, Chandek really started getting Last Rockers Punk Gear off the ground. When coming up with ideas for clothes, Chandek imagines what she would like to wear but does not have access to. “You have to figure out what you wished existed,” she says. “It’s super motivating when ten other people would also wear what you want to wear (laughs).”

Each garment begins as a sketch. Chandek sources fabrics online and then assembles everything with the sewing machine, often making Instagram reels detailing her step-by-step process. She typically makes ten items per design from sizes XS to 2X, as of now. “The designs are simple, but I try to execute them well,” she notes. “I plan to expand my size range as I’ve been learning more pattern grading. Anyone who is able to offer as many sizes as possible should.”

Last Rockers Punk Gear’s latest collection “Nightcrawler” features tops decorated with spiders, centipedes and flies. “Gross out your friends, impress your enemies!” the Instagram caption reads. “Nightcrawler” has been Chandek’s foray into learning how to block print. “Bugs tend to have a lot of symmetry, which makes it easy to make a lot of cool repeating patterns with them,” she explains. “I love bugs and think that people should treat them better. I think it’s really cool to take something that creeps out a lot of people and then just blow it up really huge (laughs).”

Another recent collection, “Cavepunk,” comprises colorful, spotted tops and dresses inspired by ‘80s culture like Misfits, Jem and the Holograms and Rubella Ballet. “I like making things that border on being costumes but are still palatable to wear out,” Chandek adds. “I really appreciate when people really lean into the wild side of fashion.”

Last Rockers Punk Gear offers gift certificates as well.

Chandek is excited to start bringing Last Rockers Punk Gear to different markets and events around Milwaukee. This weekend on March 9, she vends for the first time at Punk Rock Rummage Sale at X-Ray Arcade. “I’ve been apprehensive about doing markets because everything I make is made to order, but I’m learning how to merchandise myself better in physical spaces,” Chandek mentions. “It’s a goal of mine to eventually be able to travel and do pop-ups out at punk shops in Los Angeles or Portland.”

She has been hired to teach the Sewing with Stretch Knit Fabrics class at Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) this fall. “It’s going to be an incredible opportunity and I’m really excited,” Chandek says. Additionally, Chandek is vocalist of anarcho-punk band World in Action. Their debut self-titled EP is out now; listen at worldinaction.bandcamp.com/album/world-in-action.

Visit Last Rockers Punk Gear’s website at last-rockers-punk-gear.myshopify.com or follow them on Instagram at @last_rockers_punkgear.