Australian Fashion Industry Archives – Page 6 of 8

Australian Fashion Industry, Fashion Designer, Global Fashion Industry, Interview

ASSK

February 26

Autumn/Winter 2015. Asian model sitting in front a red vinyl sheet in a blue bomber jacket with writing across the back of the jacket. The model is being photographed in white mirrored sunglasses.

The fashion industry has changed dramatically over the past five years. Having an international presence is very important. Adhering to a strong brand vision.

Sarah Schofield

Autumn/Winter 2015 - Male model dressed in ASSK - black and white bomber jacket with matching pants standing in front of a red vinyl sheet. Street wear at it's best.

Photographer | Elliott Lauren
MUA/Hair | Holly Rose Butler
Models | Chadwicks

I am in the process of gearing myself up for Melbourne Fashion Week. During my usual reconnaissance of scouring interesting fashion food in the lead up, I was fascinated by the street label simply know as ASSK, and quite simply blown away by the photography surrounding their Autumn/Winter 2015 and Spring/Summer 2016 campaigns.

Of course my first question was how the name was birthed.

ASSK is an anagram of the designers initials. Sarah Schofield and Agatha Kowalewski. The girls have been living in Paris working in the fashion industry for a few years. Sarah was working at Louis Vuitton, and Agatha was working as a stylist when they started ASSK in 2013. Their business and studio are based there and they have press offices in Paris and in NY.

Both girls are originally from Australia, and Melbourne especially has remained really important to ASSK.

They sell through Distal Phalanx in Melbourne, and have a really strong base there.

They are really excited to be back home and showing in the Discovery Runway at VAMFF.

Their label has been heavily influenced by technology and internet culture.

The internet has always played a big part in the ASSK brand. Agatha and Sarah first connected on the internet and worked with Melbourne artist Oliver van der Lugt over the internet for two years before they met.

Their first four collections were sold via the internet over look books to people they didn’t know. In places they had never visited.

This interconnectivity through technology has been very important to them.

On the topic of inspiration, they are always interested in current pop culture and movements about the future. They are never interested in looking back at the past.

They are inspired by sub-cultures, and their new ability to form online. Once the emergence of sub-cultures was quite localised. Like the Punk movement in London. They now celebrate disparate individuals across the world meeting and connecting over shared interests and beliefs.

Interestingly, their garments are made in Poland close to Wroclaw. This is where Agatha’s family comes from.

They also make some sublimation garments in China. Although expensive, it serves a good purpose as it allows us to have access to top quality machinery. For their customer, this means “super detailed effects”.

I simply cannot wait to see what this label comes up with on the Runway at VAMFF. Any wonder these two girls are enjoying the sweet smell of success.

Enjoy xx

Jade

Autumn/Winter 2015 Campaign. Asian girl sitting in an ASSK sweater with black and white textured wall behind.

Photographer | Elliott Lauren
MUA/Hair | Holly Rose Butler
Models | Chadwicks

Do you feel that art & fashion belong together on the Runway?

ASSK

Yes. I definitely believe that there are strong links between fashion and art on and off the runway.

I think that the more recent trend for designers to show in presentations rather than traditional runway gives a chance for people to be free and creative. To lean closer to an immersive experience or performance art.

Do you believe that editorial or social media gives your label the most beneficial exposure?

ASSK

Editorial and social media are two very different things.

Editorial exposure can be quite hard to get. Often clothing goes out on a lot of shoots, but that doesn’t mean it will make it onto the model. Or that the image will be visible in a magazine. Hopefully, the stylist will let you know about the photo, but often it is represented in poor taste (like a caucasian model with cornrows) and you can’t publicise it.

But when it does come together and a beautiful image is featured in a great magazine, it’s awesome!

Traditional editorial press is still important to become known by top stylists, photographers and editors.

Social media is great for gaining new fans and having a direct line to them.

It allows the opportunity to strengthen the brands image and reach people all over the world with ease. It provides a way of knowing who buys the clothes and how they style them. Our fans are really creative and create a lot of great content for us – they tag us in everything!

What is your view of the way young women dress today? Do you feel that some of them tend to dress the same?

ASSK

I think the way young people dress today is great, and while there is often local or global trends, I wouldn’t say that people dress the same.

Today there is more freedom than ever before for young people to be whoever they identify as and dress how they like.

I think that the internet has allowed more freedom as well. Connecting to different communities online makes us open to ideas and have access to different clothing.

We devoured issues of ‘The Face’ which were often months out of date by the time they reached Australia. now you have much more There is much greater access to visuals and clothing now.

Would you describe your label as street style?

ASSK

Yes. We would identify as ‘street style’. As the brand has developed it has become more ready-to-wear rather than just simple t-shirts and hoodies.

Autumn/Winter 2015 Male model standing in front of a black and white wall in a black bomber jacket and street wear pants.

Photographer | Elliott Lauren
MUA/Hair | Holly Rose Butler
Models | Chadwicks

Do you think it is difficult for emerging designers to receive sponsorship opportunities?

ASSK

I don’t think so. I think there is a lot of opportunities for designers to look for sponsorship. Many companies are excited by the ‘glamourous’ idea of being linked with young fashion brands.

Nothing is ever going to come easy as a young designer, but it is all about being creative and aligning yourself with companies which have similar goals.

Do you believe that it is easier for emerging designers to achieve faster and greater success outside of Australia?

ASSK

No not at all. I think that it is definitely easier in some countries, such as England, with the support offered.

Australia also has its advantages. People see it as interesting and innovative. Australians are inventive problem solvers. It is a very easy and efficient place to start a small business.

Today with new ways of disseminating brand image and innovative ways of selling to international buyers, there is no reason why Australian brands can’t be as successful as designers based overseas.

Photographer | Elliott Lauren
MUA/Hair | Holly Rose Butler
Models | Chadwicks

Why do you think it is so hard for emerging designers to get off the ground in Australia?

ASSK

I think that it is for two reasons.

Firstly, most of the emerging designers in Australia launch their brand on graduating university.

I think to increase your likely hood of success you first need to gain a good level of industry experience, strong industry connections and have a solid amount of money saved.

Secondly, I think that many people are following the same pattern that other older Australian designers have followed and failed with.

They graduate, launch a brand with little experience, have the overheads of a studio before selling anything, and they focus on the local market for years believing they need to make it here before trying overseas.

The fashion industry has changed dramatically over the past five years. Having an international presence is very important. Adhering to a strong brand vision.

Trying to flood a small commercial pool means the reliance on the strength of one market or one currency.

Do you believe that the Runway is an essential tool to show a fashion collection?

ASSK

I believe that within the first two years a designer needs public presentation of their work. It doesn’t have to take the form of runway, but it is important for press and buyers. It is a way to solidify a vision through all the aspects … invitation to music to casting.

It often becomes a springboard for new ideas to continue with in the future.

Male Model standing in front of black doors in July 2016 in Paris.

Photography | Christelle de Castro
Models | Chadwicks

What are your thoughts regarding ethical and sustainable practices?

ASSK

I think that brands should absolutely try and work within the highest ethical and sustainable practices, both in their production and in their everyday studio life.

Where would you like to see your label in five years?

ASSK

We don’t know! We have had a great time and great success, but being a small brand is very hard. Especially because we never set out to have a brand, it was a creative project which snowballed in popularity and grew too quickly.

We are currently working on a plan to have better balance in the company. We need more time to be creative and less time wading through emails. Ideally the brand would become a more manageable collaborative project again, working with artists and creatives. We would release small capsule collections outside of the fashion calendar.

Do you believe that the difficult times in Australian fashion can be solved by collaborative efforts to help one another?

ASSK

I believe that people working collaboratively is very important, not only for projects but in the sharing of information. It can be really hard to start out and nobody wants to be seen as struggling in a small competitive fashion industry.

Sometimes the most generous thing you can give is the truth.

Do you think fashion industries outside of Australia enjoy more connectivity and a more cohesive culture?

ASSK

Not necessarily. I think that each industry and each country/city has its pros and cons.

London is great because of the support offered to young designers, but it’s living costs have become insane.

Paris has amazing fashion houses and history, but it is a very hard place to assimilate into and run a small business.

New York has an amazing young scene with artists and energy, but the work pace is intense and the city is still dominated by big commercial business.

Everywhere has its good and bad side. Australia has great advantages. People shouldn’t get bogged down by feeling that we are missing out.

Male model standing in an ASSK shirt from the 2016 campaign shoot in front of a red door.

Photography | Christelle de Castro
Models | Chadwicks

Who are your favourite Australian and international fashion designers?

ASSK

In Australia I love Maticevski. He creates beautiful clothing and I admire his success.

Internationally, I love Raf Simons for Dior, especially the couture – I love almost all Haute Couture!

Agatha and I both love Vetements. We are friends with many of their collaborators and their energy has changed Paris. I feel ver hopeful for what Demna Gvasalia will now do at Balenciaga.

I also love Hood By Air. I would not buy any of their clothes however, I think what they have achieved is incredible. They started from nothing and have actually changed fashion and created a certain culture – not many designers can say that.

Their brand identity is so strong and individual. Their presentations are some of the best I have ever seen.

What is your view of social media as a platform for the exposure of fashion?

ASSK

I think social media is great, it has definitely influenced the way that we communicate with people. Through Instagram we have a direct line with our fans and customers all over the world. We have made friends, met collaborators and connected with people, which would otherwise have been impossible with the old media.

What do you believe is the impact of “fast fashion” on a label such as yours?

ASSK

I don’t know if fast fashion has an impact on our brand. We learnt early on that our customer likes individual pieces and the crazier the better!

We don’t need to worry about relying on selling basics, and our designs often have complicated prints and small details that you don’t find in mass-market clothing.

I think it’s really bad when mass-market blatantly rips off young designers. Their accelerated supply chain allows for quicker in-store product placement, but I think customers are becoming more aware. The internet has made it possible to call-out ‘the copiers’.

We have had a few copies and there is counterfeit ASSK out there, but it’s not at the point where it affects our bottom line or brand image. We laugh it off and keep going.

Male model standing in front of black doors on blue vinyl sheeting in street wear t-shirt, shorts and timberland style boots.

Photography | Christelle de Castro
Models | Chadwicks

What would you regard as the ultimate success for your label?

ASSK

The dream would be for ASSK to release several small capsule collections each year in collaboration with different artists and designers. To stay true to our ideals and creativity.

Our personal dreams are to have the time to return to our individual careers. Mine as a creative consultant for emerging brands, and working as a designer inside a luxury fashion house in Paris again. Agatha’s … working in the nutrition and fitness industry.

Love ASSK here.

ASSK clothing can be purchased in Australia at Distal Phalanx in Melbourne.

Can’t wait to see what these guys come up with at VAMFF 2016.

See you on Instagram!

Until next time,

Jade xx

Accreditations:

Autumn/Winter 2015

Photography: Elliott Lauren

MUA/Hair: Holly Rose Butler

Models : Chadwicks (Prince, Karina and Andy)

Spring/Sumer 2016

Photography: Christelle de Castro

Models: Chadwicks (Malick and Dourane)

Australian Fashion Industry, Interview, Swimwear, women

There She Glows

January 11

Rebecca Colalillo modelling on seaside rocks for her new tanning product GlowbyBeca.

From the editor’s desk …

Last year in April, I met a lovely vivacious woman in the Star Lounge at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in Sydney, by the name of Rebecca Colalillo. As we exchanged the usual chit chat that one does when meeting someone new, she filled me in on what connected her to Australian fashion week, and the vision of her burgeoning dreams. MBFW 2015 for Rebecca, meant the exclusive tanning of the runway models for Australian Sydney fashion designers/sister duo, Summer and Liberty Watson, known as Watson X Watson and their show, Day Walker at Carriageworks.

Bec is the brains behind the amazing product, GlowbyBeca. A natural tanning product, 100% natural DHA combined with animo acids. It is not absorbed into the body and is non-toxic. This ensures that a healthy product is sitting on the skin. Her product and services can now be enjoyed at her newly opened tanning salon in Paddington.

Bec recently worked her tanning magic on me, and my bridesmaids for the highly anticipated Label Ministry wedding, Love & Nuptials. Having very fair skin, I was a little worried that I would look anything but myself. It was essential to me that the result looked natural. Beautifully subtle but effective, Bec promised me that I would be ecstatic with the result. She was right. I was!

We caught up recently. And this is her story.

Until next time,

Jade xx

It’s More Than Just A Tan .. it’s a confidence booster! Life is too short not to be glowing through it!

Rebecca Colalillo, Founder of GlowbyBeca.

How did you start out in the beauty industry?

I have always had a passion for the beauty industry. From a young age my Mum would take me along to her appointments and I always knew that was the field I would work in. I did an apprenticeship with my local Day Spa and worked with them for three years before I received an opportunity to open my own salon within a hairdressing salon in Horsely Park. The Beauty Lounge opened it’s doors in December 2005. To this day it is still running successfully with a team of three therapists.

What inspired you develop GlowbyBeca?

I had a vision of creating a product that would allow people to feel confident so they could put their best foot forward in the healthiest way possible!

Australian Fashion Industry, Bloggers, Editorial, Wedding, women

Love & Nuptials

January 3

Bride stepping out of the vintage Daimler at the church.

Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be shelter to the other. Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be warmth to the other. Now there is no more loneliness, for each of you will be companion to the other. Now you are two bodies, but there is one life before you. Go now to your dwelling place, to enter into the days of your togetherness. And may your days be good and long upon the earth.

– Anon.

Well. For those of you who know me well, you will be aware that I recently got married to my darling sweetheart heart-throb. Miss Label Ministry is now Mrs! Not being of the fashion blogging world, he wishes to remain somewhat anonymous … here is the long awaited Label Ministry wedding post, Love & Nuptials …
It was the most beautiful day, almost surreal because it is blurred by happiness, adrenalin and disbelief at the sheer abundance of beautiful moments experienced. The heavens shed tears for our happiness, and the beautiful blanket of grey misty sky blessed us with a veil of quietness and serenity and saw that the trees were the most beautiful green hues ever seen.
It is the time in one’s life when you truly stop for a moment and give gratitude for one’s blessings. All beautifully gift wrapped in the form of wonderful family, exceptional friends, unspoken alliances, and forever lasting bonds which seem to know no time or space.
Ours was a morning wedding. An 11 am church ceremony meant that we had an early start and a lunch time reception. My journey to the church was spectacular in a beautiful vintage Daimler, loaned to us for the special day, courtesy of Richard Rolfe. My two beautiful bridesmaids dressed in white lace Lover dresses slipped into a shiny new Mercedes. We were all adorned in Natalie Barney fine jewels.
We arrived at the church to the sound of bells tolling. My heart rippled with love and excitement as I walked towards the church draped in the magnificent silk lustre of the eponymous Australian designer, Johanna Johnson.
The Canberra Chamber of Music string trio started to play …………… our moment had arrived. The church ceremony was full of tears and happy people and the ceremony, magnificent and serene.

The rest my dears is pure joy!

Until next time,

Jade xx

I love you, not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

I awoke at 4am. Excitement had overtaken sleep. In the preceding, chaotic weeks, everything else that needed my attention meant that I had still not finished my speech. The beautiful quiet, reflective moments of the early morning was the perfect time to finish the articulated sentiments that needed to be shared in the coming day.

My dear friends and bridesmaids talked about the coming day as we lay about waiting for the morning to dawn, and before we knew it, it was 7am, and our hairdresser had arrived!

We were greeted with champagne, fruit and yoghurt to start the day and much chit chat in the midst of a flurry of white dressing gowns and excited girls. Our expert styling hairdressers, Aqua Hair of Canberra, were patient, and professional. The platinum tones of my own hair were accomplished by the gorgeous Susie, from Sydney hairdressing salon in North Sydney, Platinum Blonde Hair. Most importantly, our hair was amazing!

Australian Fashion Industry, Bloggers, Editorial, women

Hashtag #Crisis#

December 8

From the editor’s desk …

We have birthed a modern day crisis. The social media kind. Is our addiction to social media ruining our world? Have we officially entered the age of over sharing?

A couple of years ago, I was talking to a Gen Y about social media. I was interested in what they thought of people’s obsession with celebrities and communicating with the new type of human. A screen. It seemed to me that the world had changed forever and I was right. Their response fascinated me. They told me that young people did not know how to communicate, even with their friends. Their screen addictions were their answers to connecting with the rest of the world, their peers and their families, through largely pubescent and anxious eyes trying to carve out a future for themselves. What I found most bizarre was their obsession with communicating online, email and even text when their friends lived close by. Their behaviour was the same with their family members also. My own child used to text me or request that I email him even when we were in the same house. Sometimes even in the same room, if the time I had chosen to speak to him did not suit. I thought a great deal about this and like many, watched the development of Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram with interest.

We are now addicted to a barage of everyones’ images and perceptions of life through social media platforms. Their new G string, a picture of their dinner, their new hair, their latest visit to the nail salon, and their morning coffee. It is this obsession with the finest details of everyones’ life which I find most worrying. All under the guise of fashion.

This is not fashion.

It is modern day narcissism and it’s prevalence amongst our youth and even those who are not youthful is extremely worrying.

I am not against social media at all. Nearly all of us use it now to broadcast our voices and ideas, not to mention our work. I am worried, however, when I notice that social media platforms, particularly for young women and men, has become a way for them to advertise themselves in scantily clad clothing in the name of fashion. When did fashion become a vehicle for soft porn and why do our societal values now seem to be almost entirely shaped by what is tolerated on social media. It seems that we have entered the time of “everything goes”, and a world of “over sharing”.

I am all for women and men, regardless of age, making the best of themselves. I think there is nothing more pleasing than someone who is carefully presented in every way, including their choice of fashion. I love to see anyone who wholeheartedly embraces their sense of self and has the courage to be the beautiful individual they are.

My point of difference however is that it seems that young women and men, and society at large has lost its way. Our obsession of self and the hidden, albeit epidemic, levels of self-loathing have become one of the most serious and worrying aspects of health in our modern society. The silent rules of acceptance of ourselves and others and our engagement with others are deeply entrenched and unmistakably linked with narcissistic tendencies encapsulated within the world of fashion. We have entered unchartered and dangerous waters. These are territories we have not visited before and I for one, feel great trepidation as the world of fashion as we know it, has changed forever.

I read an article not so long ago on Reddit about a blogger who described in the greatest of detail, a day where she started her menstrual cycle and was not prepared. The entire post was dedicated to every detail of her discomfort, her appearance and her various emotional responses. All for the world to read, and for complete strangers to empathise about. A strange phenomenon I feel, about a topic which would once, have been extremely private if nothing else. Feel free to google period stories on Reddit and like me, you will find a whole sub Reddit dedicated to the topic. Am I the only one who thinks it strange?

And then, we have the “over the top”, over publicised, and over documented story of the instafamous Essena O’Neill. The story of a just turned 19 teenager, who describes herself as having a “career on social media”, and who apparently has quit all social media because it is fake and making her unhappy. I could write a whole post on this kind of ridiculousness which pervades every day of our lives, but I won’t. I simply can’t be bothered. I will say a few things however, that I feel are necessary for the general population to think about for a nano second.

First of all, this teenager claims to have had a “career on social media”. Can someone please tell me what that is? What teenager has a career? And what constitutes a career on social media? She says she is a model, a social media influencer, and surrounded by the most famous, wealthy and successful people. According to Essena these people, even though they are enjoying phenomenal success, are all miserable, depressed and disillusioned about the representation of their lives on social media, “because social media is fake”. Whatever that means. I think we all know that social media is not the real world, don’t we? How very frightening if we don’t.

So let me get this right. She spent hours taking photos to find one that she was happy to post, used these images to endorse brands, for which she was paid, and then posted the photos for likes and followers. Apparently, this is a career in social media. Really? Is that it? By her own admission, brands will often carefully stipulate exactly what needs to be posted, when it needs to be posted, how often it needs to be posted. Her “career” is driven almost entirely by brands deciding that their newest form of advertising should be through the vehicle of the blogger to reach the young demographic of current spenders.

I watched a 17 minute video of explanation, crying, drama, swearing, and gesticulation exclaiming that social media is evil and that the lives represented on it are fake. Well, I post often on social media and I am not fake. I connect with many other people on social media who are not fake. My life, my posts, my opinions, my connections, and my line of work is not fake. It is in fact, extremely valuable and of great benefit to many in my industry. I don’t have 500,000 followers on Instagram, nor do I have 260,000 YouTube followers. The truth is I don’t care. How normal. My self worth is in tact. I am not miserable or depressed about my own, or others, social media.

And here’s the reason why. Social media is “part” of my life. A very small part. I can and do, connect and talk to real people. I have real life meetings. I understand that whilst I may form a connection on social media, it does not define my value, my judgements, or my self worth. I understand that social media is a platform that can be used for good, but is not always. Social media does not affect my ability to life my life fully in other ways, and I don’t sit around waiting for people to follow me and like my posts. If Essena believes that her social media career is causing her grief then I applaud her decision to ‘quit’, but it seems to me, she hasn’t quit. She has in fact received more publicity than ever, and feels quite comfortable in using the biggest form of social media, the Internet, to gather momentum for her next venture. I counted more than 40 accounts on Instagram in her name and when I finished writing this article, I set about as I always do, to find some great images to accompany it. It fascinated me that I could not find one image of Essena O’Neill which I was allowed to use commercially for this post.

She has now launched a website called, “Let’s be Game Changers” where she asks people to support her newest quest for self expression, but also tells people to please support her by donating any amount they feel appropriate to pay her rent. Hello? Yep. You heard me. Pay … her … rent. Gosh, I would love someone to offer to pay my rent! What planet do these entitled, narcissistic, children come from? If you ask me, any girl at nineteen who has had so many opportunities should be feeling, at least, incredibly grateful but mostly just downright blessed.

Quit social media eh? I don’t think so … my final word on the subject? What a spoiled brat!

Kelly Hume, a writer for news.com has written her own article on Essena O’Neill. In it, she says, “I’m under no illusion that O’Neill has an agenda: with the launch of her new website, Let’s Be Game Changers, which requests money from her readers, it seems her change of heart was, at least partly, a publicity stunt. But she did succeed in raising the issue that social-media influencers, who are paid to promote products by showing off their perfect bodies and perfect lives, do create insecurity in young women”.

Yes. It certainly does. And young men. A social media influencer? I think not. A young, confused teenager with more attention and success than her emotional age and maturity can handle would be an accurate assessment. Young people, any people, do not need this type of influence. And if we are going to accept the evolution of “the social media influencer”, for God’s sake, please make it someone who has some wisdom to share! What we need is not to make social media the evil one, but to understand that it is a tool to be added to an already balanced set of skills and opinions.

This ever growing obsession with taking pictures to portray and indulge in the perfect life, the perfect body, the perfect hair, the perfect teeth, boyfriend, car, apartment, travel itinerary and stylish brunch, lunch, and munch has become a joke. It is a fantasy and should be exposed as such.

As Kelly Hume continues in her article, “this age of the selfie isn’t healthy. Why are we measuring our self-worth by the way we look and the number of likes and followers we have?

Earlier this month, an Australian Psychological Society survey on social-media usage and FOMO found that one in two teenagers felt they are ‘missing out’, while 48 per cent felt worried if their friends were having fun without them, and 42 per cent were anxious if they didn’t know what their friends were doing.

I’d rather that we focused our energy on being well-rounded individuals, learning to be kind and considerate of others, being intelligent, and having a varied skill set. Instead of taking selfies, why don’t we learn to cook? Why don’t we read more? And why don’t we interact and have a proper conversation for once?”

Amen!

Wow. Such wisdom. My hope has been restored.

Until next time,

Jade xx

Australian Fashion Industry, Interview, Jewellery

The Green Queen

October 1

To me, good jewellery is like a suit of armour and can boost one’s confidence, allowing us to conquer our fears.

Natalie Barney is The Green Queen. Diamond Queen. And Gemstone Queen.

Why?

I’ll tell you why. She is the queen of diamonds, pearls and gemstones, especially anything green.

Natalie Barney is one of Sydney’s fine jewellers. A lover of jewellery. A connoisseur of fine diamonds, excellence in workmanship, brightly coloured gemstones and the most beautiful of the beautiful. Her love of coloured gemstones is perhaps the greatest thing that most sets her apart from her contemporaries.

Her love of anything green, has earned her the name of The Green Queen. If you are asking yourself what gemstones are green? Let me help you out. Emerald, Peridot, Sapphire, Beryl, Green Quartz, Jade, Demantoid Garmet, Tsavorite Garnet, Chrysoprase, and her favourite of favourites the beautiful Tourmaline.

Natalie is a gemmologist, a jewellery designer, a retailer, and has had a lifelong love affair of jewels, since her childhood in France.

I recently met Natalie at her Sydney retail boudoir and was taken by her warmth, sincerity and her gentle loveliness, topped off by her charming French accent and European nuances. Here is her story … oh, and if you are in the market for some amazing jewellery, trust me.

The Green Queen is your girl.

Until next time,

Jade xx

Finding coloured gemstones is like falling in love … when you find the one, you just have to buy it as one can’t be sure that you will find exactly the same one again!

I believe you were born in France? How did you come to move to Australia?

I moved from France to England at 21. I moved there straight after attending university. I had always loved the English, their eccentricity and sharp sense of humour. I met and married my husband there, and we moved to the Netherlands and lived there for almost five years. We then made the decision to experience living outside of Europe and my husband found a job in Australia … interesting as he is half Australian … we fell in love with Sydney and a few children later we call Australia home!

Australian Fashion Industry, Editorial, Global Fashion Industry, Interview

Cat Morrison … Style Queen

September 21

Girl with long brown hair sitting on a chair being photographed for a studio shoot

Good dressing is often about “not overthinking it”.

I was recently in Melbourne where I met an editorial stylist who captured my interest and attention. Clearly someone who was interested in fashion herself as she was beautifully dressed.

I could see in an instant that styling was probably her game.

We chatted about the importance of offering the concept of styling in any capacity and making it available to anyone, from the individual to what’s required for photographic shoots.

I mentioned to her that whilst I have worked as a stylist for many years now, and have styled more women and men than I can actually remember, I sometimes feel that I need one myself! A kind of “stylist for a stylist” if you like.

We lose perspective on ourselves sometimes. It’s normal. We get very used to our own bodies, our own proportions, our faces and our adopted styles. Sometimes, a stylist can bring a new perspective to the way we present ourselves to the world and I think as you become older and as you pass through different stages in your life, it becomes a necessity, not a luxury.

It’s a way of visiting ourselves, as the outsider, the person who can objectively assess, tweek and improve our appearance, presentation and therefore others perception, in subtle and consequently effective ways.

I asked Cat to explain her work and her perspectives derived from her experiences as a Melbourne stylist.

How do you define your work as a freelance stylist?

At this point in my career I have developed a certain creative process, I am at the start of most projects putting forth a vision or idea, organising the team and essentially bringing the ideas to life. So in many ways I work as a creative/art director who happens to also style the fashion in each project. It is the job of the stylist to envision every single aspect, not just the clothing.

With whom do you work?

I work with a number of other creatives. Photographers, designers, make up artists, magazine editors etc. Along with modelling agencies/models and clothing stores.

Australian Fashion Industry, Bloggers, Editorial, Styling

Cimon Vozzo … Adelaidean Style

September 14

Model standing outside with arms crossed and a white jacket around her shoulders.j

Model standing against a var in black jacket, black pants and flat black shoes.

Stylist: Cimon Vozzo

Recently, I caught up with Cimon Vozzo, Fashion Editor of the Sunday Mail in Adelaide, Adelaidean stylist and fashion blogger whilst she was visiting Sydney for the recent launch of the spring collection at David Jones.

We chatted about Australian fashion designers, styling, the emerging fashion market, and what we hope for, for the future.

Adelaide fashion is something that is growing fast and many labels that we know and love were born in South Australia. Cameo, Finders Keepers, and The Fifth just to name a few. It is so encouraging for me to see that wonderful emerging designers and more established designers are finding their way into our major department stores and speaking to the broader population no matter where they have been birthed. As a nation, we are now being recognised in a significant way on the global stage of the fashion community and I believe we will continue to witness continued growth. Next time you are browsing through David Jones, take a look for yourself.

Who cares about where the labels are developed? Talent is everywhere!

I for one want to see each and every state in Australia contributing to our wonderful fashion industry which I am totally in love with, as you all know!

We are all Australian gals, wearing fabulous Australian labels, and I want to see more of it!

We should celebrate, celebrate, and celebrate again, the phenomenal talent we have on our doorstep.

Good on you Adelaide … can’t wait to see what you come up with next!

I asked Cimon some things that I felt curious about.

What do you see as the differences between Sydney and Adelaide fashion?

People in Sydney are more adventurous, less conservative, more fashion evolved and not afraid to take risks.

What changes would you like to see around Australian fashion?

I would love for things to be made in Australia. Design wise I tend to like the way the Europeans use colour, and I am a fan for a little bit of glamour and dressing up! I would love to see more of this in Australian design.

Australian Fashion Industry, Editorial, Interview, Photography

Kay Sukumar – A Most Beautiful Eye

September 1

Model being photographed under an open pergola wearing white pants and a cropped black top with long brown hair.

If you love photography then this is a story you will love, and a name you will wish to familiarise yourself with …

Kay Sukumar is one of Australia’s very talented fashion photographers.

His work is sharp and creative and is somehow executed differently, although I cannot even define myself in which way. I find his work engaging to the degree of studying the image long after I need to to understand the context.

The lighting and story telling in his images, is one of the components I feel he captures better than most and creates a significant point of difference.

He is heavily involved in fashion photography, although he dabbles in health and beauty also.

No matter what the brief, Kay delivers.

Magnificently. I asked him what he believes sets his work apart from his contemporaries …

Enjoy xx

I feel my work is “very moody”, oftentimes sensual, and full of story telling.

I crave to create the engaging. So many things go through my head when I am taking a picture. Is the image interesting enough for me to want to be in it? Am I telling the right story? How can I do this differently?

Every image that I take is my vision. My photography is the way I see the world and over the years I have seen my taste and vision grow. It is much like self discovery and the more I shoot, the more I learn about myself and the world and it’s a very liberating feeling.

Australian Fashion Industry, Commentary, Editorial

Death by Fashion

August 25

From the editor’s desk …

Almost overnight we have become used to consuming fashion with reckless, addicted abandon, buying more clothes than ever before, reversing centuries of fashion heritage, knowledge and understanding in the process.

Did you know in our contemporary fashion industry we create an estimate eighty billion new garments every year, of which approximately two million tonnes of apparel ends up in landfill every year?

Did you also know that it takes 11,000 – 20,000 litres of water to produce enough cotton to manufacture just one pair of jeans?

Have you heard of the book “To Die For” by Lucy Siegel? She describes fashion, as the queen of all the creative industries.

She speaks of an unwelcome revolution, where “almost overnight we have become used to consuming fashion with reckless, addicted abandon, buying more clothes than ever before, reversing centuries of fashion heritage, knowledge and understanding in the process”.

This girl makes almost too much sense, and her words are frightening in their truth.

Do you shop at Zara? H & M? Topshop? Do you ever wonder how your potential purchases affect the local designers in your own city?

As I walk through Sydney city, I often pop into Zara to check out the latest colours, designs and fashion on offer. Being a lover of pretty much any garment, my fashion senses are suitably nurtured by my visits to Zara as I love looking at the sea of creative flair which is refreshed on an almost fortnightly basis.

I often notice that many of the walk through customers are tempted to grab a great piece for a night out at a fairly low price. Any why wouldn’t they? Who wouldn’t want a nice fresh print, something new, at a very reasonable price which is great on the bank balance and which doesn’t put a dent in our conscience? The answer is clearly a lot of people.

Zara on any given day is buzzing, and I mean, buzzing, with wall to wall people who are obviously thinking the same way. But, thinking, might be the key here.

Zara is the Inditex fashion model which has enjoyed phenomenal success across the globe and appears to be growing at a great rate. At least in the fiscal way. But what about in a conscious, mindful, way. Should we not be embracing a greater level of awareness in this modern age around the creation, production and the ultimate offering of safe products. Fashion should not be exempt from these guidelines just because it is beautiful.

How much do we think about what we buy? Do we stop to consider where the garment was made and by whom? Do we consider the environmental impact those garments have had on our precious mother earth? Well the answer is some people do already and many more are starting to.

One such person who has become an expert on this topic is the author of “To Die For”, by Lucy Siegel, a British journalist focusing on the environmental, sustainability and ethics In her book she describes …

In her recent podcast The Wardrobe to Die For, she talks about how our over consumption of buying endless piles of clothing that we could not possible need, use, or enjoy is literally strangling our world, filling up our landfill sites and is one of our 21st century diseases. One that some of use are still not aware of.

In her book, To Die For, she writes, “this is not my ‘beautiful’ wardrobe. Every morning when I wake up I am directly confronted by my fashion history. Mistakes, corrections, good buys, bad buys, comfort buys, drunk buys: they refuse to go away. This is because my ‘primary’ wardrobe – as distinct from the other two wardrobes I’ve had to take over in the past ten years to accommodate the growing volume of my clothing collection – is opposite my bed, and the door, like a broken zipper, will no longer pull across to hide the tale of excess”.

In the words of Lucy Siegle.

I love fashion. But I want it to excite and inspire me, not to make me really, really angry.

The question is this. Should we develop a conscience around this type of shopping? I believe the answer is a very significant yes. When you ask? The time is right now. And if we have not fully understood before now how urgent this really is? Then we need to understand now.

Like never before.

Please don’t misunderstand me though as I am guilty of this type of purchase also. And Zara is not the only culprit. The Spanish company Inditex, is representative of the new model and has revolutionised the way we approach, and buy fashion. It has to stop. And soon. I have recently started to seriously consider the finer points of how “unthinking shopping” is affecting our local fashion industry, the state of our economy, the third world individual, and the environmental effect on mother earth. With the knowledge we currently have, we know that fashion production is the world’s second greatest pollutant. According to Lucy Siegel, it is estimated that eight hundred and forty million garments are produced every year by Zara alone and the owner, Amancio Ortega, is listed as the third richest man in the world.

Clearly the business model works but it might just be one of the key influencers which leads to the horrible demise of our human existence. Sadly, I can’t even be upbeat and tell you that we will all go out looking well dressed either …

Sadly in the world of fast fashion, we have developed what Lucy Siegel has termed, micro trends, where we see a lightning fast translation of fashion from the cat walks to sales floor to wardrobe.

We often hear the term sustainable fashion bandied around. Whilst we are all familiar with the term I feel it is really important to understand exactly what it means. The google definition goes like this.

Sustainable fashion, also called eco fashion, is a part of the growing design philosophy and trend of sustainability, the goal of which is to create a system which can be supported indefinitely in terms of environmentalism and social responsibility.

The reality in our everyday reality is that sadly, that not nearly enough designers are able to keep to the guidelines of sustainable production and practices even though they would like to simply because we do not support them enough financially for them to be able to make these kinds of important choices.

Recently, my most favourite designer of all time, at least in Australia, Kit Willow has launched her KitX label espousing the all important ideals of ethical production within the fashion industry. Naturally, it comes as no surprise to me that a woman with clearly so much phenomenal talent has taken up the role of the ultimate visionary for our local industry.

This excerpt of her recent interview with The Australian describes her long awaited re-entry into the Australian fashion scene and the launch of her newly created ethically sourced and manufactured line, along with her solid and affirmed relationship with David Jones.

The designer opened the show of 35 designers and labels, showcasing the debut collection for her KitX label. Just two years after being dumped from Willow, the label she founded, by its majority owners The Apparel Group, Podgornik has come back with an ethically and sustainably produced collection that has clearly struck a chord with the department store — and upstaged her former brand on the catwalk.

“(David Jones has) very much embraced my work from when I launched my first brand from its first collection, so it’s nice to get this wholehearted embrace for KitX and it’s wonderful to be able to open the show,” Podgornik told The Australian.

The collection goes into 16 stores across Australia, an impressive number for a contemporary label in its first season, which Podgornik puts down to her longstanding relationship with the retailer and its customers.

“I had a very strong connection with the customer so I think that’s probably front and foremost (in the decision) and why they’ve backed it like they have,’’ she said.

“The other thing in this collection is that quite a large part of it is organic jersey, which is really well price-pointed, which allows a broader customer base to buy into the brand.” Read the full article.

My question is this.

Can we afford not to educate ourselves about this important issue. I am not saying don’t ever buy high street labels, but I am saying, do it consciously.

Think about where the garments you purchase have been manufactured and produced and the effect that it’s production has had on that particular local community and the processes undertaken in its creation.

Has it helped them or has it kept them locked into a third world reality.

Please think about the ethical and moral investment in relation to the piece you buy. Do you intend to keep it, love it wear it, and cherish it? Will it be a long term marriage, or will you discard it after one wear and let it fill up the toxic piles of landfill that are already strangling our beautiful earth?

Lucy Siegel’s words, and even those of your grandchildren, might just be ringing in your ears if you don’t …

Until next time.

Jade xx

Australian Fashion Industry, Commentary, Editorial

Spray Tans, Acrylics and Vocal Fry

August 12

From the editor’s desk…

I am interested in the exploration and the crucially important examination of why women feel the need to change their looks, and even worse, try to look like everyone else their age. Particularly when they are young, bursting with life’s joys and beautiful to start with.

Ok. I can’t take it anymore.

This obsession with all things false and unnatural being presented to women of all ages, on an almost daily basis. The constant suggestion and forced selling of a standardised image conveyed by the media and its industry partners which we are supposed to embrace as the norm.

I am all for beauty but I can’t keep up with this phenomena which is keeping women financially compromised and more importantly stopping them from being truly happy with themselves.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m all for looking after oneself and making the commitment to be healthy, happy and beautiful for the duration of our lives.

I am prepared to spend real money to look after my hair, my body and my skin, but consistently paying out to actually ruin your natural good looks?

Nope. Can’t condone this one anymore and I don’t care what celebrity is selling it.

I’m talking about our obsession and I mean, obsession, with tweaking every part of ourselves, visible or not, to conform to a standard which quite frankly is anything but natural or even attractive. There I’ve said it. And I and I am feeling much better.

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