Deni Todorovic: Non-binary fashion stylist says they ‘love a line or two’

A high profile and respected figure in the Australian fashion world has sensationally announced that they use cocaine recreationally and will not apologize for it.

Stylist Deni Todorović, who entered a controversial partnership with swimwear brand Seafolly for a Mardi Gras campaign earlier this year, challenged luxury brands to drop them if they have a problem with them, and also called for drugs to be decriminalized.

Todorović, who is non-binary and uses their pronouns, shared their thoughts on illegal substances in a late-night Instagram post on Friday.

They describe themselves as a “hairy gay wog… who loves a cigarette and the occasional vape and a little j” – or marijuana joint – and who “every now and then … prefers a few rules. [of cocaine] just like any AFL footballer who does it behind the world’s back.’

Todorović went on to extol the virtues of drug legalization – noting how the policy has lowered crime rates in countries like Portugal – and then challenged “one of the brands I work with” to make their deals with them if that “doesn’t align with your ethos’.

When Daily Mail Australia reached out on Saturday, Todorović doubled down on their comments and called out the fashion industry, which they say is fueled by cocaine.

“It’s a drug that the entire industry uses. I got a bag [of cocaine] in exchange for landing my first big job,’ said Todorović, passing by Style by Deni online.

They also argued that alcohol was as much of a social problem as illegal drugs.

‘You can’t get through Fashion Week without alcohol. Drinks are served at each show and alcohol brands are major sponsors. Alcoholism is much worse than drug use. I’ve seen it in my family,” they said.

They also spoke at length about the fact that drug laws overwhelmingly target people of color, who often turn to dealing because of a lack of education or career opportunities.

‘There is an intersection between minority groups and substance use’, Todorović explains.

“The go-to career for wog boys and black boys is drug trafficking due to the lack of education and jobs… or not having English as their native language, or not being their parents’ native language.

“If you can’t get a normal job, you do sex work or sell drugs. It’s worldwide.

“If you can’t get an education, a job or an internship, you’re selling your body or something illegal.”

Todorović went on to mention the “double standard” in the public discourse on drugs.

“White people drink cocaine in a bathroom and it’s a standard Friday night out. Queers do it and we are drug addicts,” they said.

“Straight people are doing ice cream and it’s an aggressive social problem that needs to be addressed — but why isn’t anyone talking about meth as an epidemic of the gay community?

“I’ve lost too many friends to meth. Friendships and marriages fall apart over meth. People don’t talk about it, but I know seven out of ten gays worked on that drug.’

Todorović also spoke about the role drugs play in helping gay people “bond” to their shared traumas – something that is rarely understood or acknowledged in the heterosexual world.

“The best bonding I’ve done as a queer person has been done while intoxicated. Trauma bonding is our standard,” they said.

“We’re not talking about the AFL; we use drugs and talk about trauma and have sex.’

While there are certainly arguments for drug decriminalization, there is no question that cocaine consumption in Australia has real consequences for people in the countries where it is produced.

Cocaine is extracted from coca plants found in Colombia, Peru and Bolivia, where innocent people fall victim to the violent international drug trade.

Should progressive Australians like Todorović, who are ‘partisan for a line or two’, reckon with these lives?

Todorović told Daily Mail Australia it was a complicated issue, but ultimately the question of drugs and ethics comes from a place of privilege.

“It is a privilege to have ethical concerns about drug trafficking. Conscious consumption is a privilege. Being educated about drugs is a privilege,” they said.

“If you want to stop buying coke, stop shopping at Coles. If George Pell can get a state funeral, I should be able to legally buy coke.”

Todorović said that “not a single client” had contacted them to cancel their brand deals because they had expressed their views on illegal drugs overnight.

In fact, the only company that has recently moved away from Todorović is Seafolly, which ran for the hills after it faced backlash for teaming up with the fashionista for a March Mardi Gras campaign.

At the time, some feminist critics said having a non-binary promote women’s swimwear was “wiping out women,” noting that the Seafolly campaign was unhappily close to International Women’s Day.

A source with knowledge of the situation said, “Seafolly will never work with Deni again. They said in so many words that Deni is a liability to the brand and alienates customers. There was even talk of financiers withdrawing investments.’