Aussie Fashion Archives – Page 5 of 7 – Label MinistryLabel Ministry

Australian Fashion Industry, Interview, Melbourne Fashion Festival, Men, VAMFF

Amxander The Great

March 3

Model standing in front of a red wall dressed completely in black but wearing a donkey brown jacket with hoodie.

In my opinion, Amxander is headed for the big time. The world at large awaits their obvious talent and next week, Melbourne, is their fashion oyster!

It is ramping up to that time of year again.

Melbourne. VAMFF. The fashion festival that spreads as far and wide as the city of Melbourne itself. The excitement is palpable and why wouldn’t it be? With so many designers descending upon Melbourne to show their collections on the runway, and many of whom, call Melbourne home.

I am particularly excited this year as I have always been a fan of designers who tackle the menswear side of things. I feel that menswear is a part of the market, particularly in the emerging sector, which historically and currently is significantly under represented, at least by local designers.

This year however, I am thrilled to say I will be watching with great anticipation as Jason Pang’s label, Amxander shows off! And show off they will.

Talent like this, I haven’t seen for some time. It’s wonderful to think that the dressing of the modern man is being catered for so beautifully, with the likes of ASSK, Article. by Courtney Holm, and of course the highlight of this article, Amxander. The main thing I love about this label is just simply it’s wearability. No fuss, manly, well tailored, nicely detailed, tasteful and well, I think pretty close to perfect.

It is a privilege for me to be able to write with such genuine enthusiasm about the talent of these young, upcoming, positive, talented, gracious, emerging designers. It is the red passion which fills my veins.

I just had to ask Mr Amxander himself, the questions that were burning a hole in my fashion week head before I wear myself out with my own excitement over the coming week in Melbourne …

I absolutely love your label. It has been a long time since I have seen such innovative, interesting, and most importantly wearable men’s fashion in Australia. Who is behind the AMXANDER label?

AMX

The label AMXANDER was formed from the ideas and experiences of a few close friends.

We all come from various design and design-related marketing backgrounds. Our business manager, Jake Chen, Art Director, Edmond Chua, and myself, Creative Director.

All of us joined together with the goal to bring a new light to the menswear market, which we found to be especially under-represented/under-developed in Australia.

You describe your label as ‘print focused’ design? Would you regard this the same as sublimation garments?

AMX

The idea of print should not be constricted to only being sublimations or digital applications. By print we mean creating a motif – a symbol. It may be through different textile applications, for example knitting, embossing, or embroidery. There are various ways to ‘create print’. This is the core idea behind our label and we try to think of new ways to communicate our symbols in new and innovative ways each season.

You have been described by NJAL (Not Just A Label) as ‘Black Sheep’ … ‘designers revolutionizing the industry and forging their own paths’. How do you see yourselves?

AMX

It truly is an honour for us as a young label to be given such credit. I see us as a small team of hardworking individuals who have a clear vision of what our take on a menswear brand should be. I am glad that we are still able to have that vision and keep our minds focused – relieving ourselves of the fads that revolves around this industry. We try to keep ourselves on the right track.

How would you describe the AMXANDER man? Who specifically is your demographic?

AMX

The AMXANDER guy is someone who understands and appreciates fashion in an understated manner; someone who would like to stand out from the crowd and exert their individuality from time to time, but also be cautious of not going overboard.

Do you intend to take your label overseas?

AMX

Taking the label overseas has always been an initial plan of ours. So far we have showcased in New York, London, Paris and also have a wider presence in Asia.

I particularly love your collection ‘Forage’, but I love the others too! How do achieve making each collection look so distinct?

AMX

Our main idea revolves around the fact that the menswear market doesn’t shift around trends as much as womenswear – as such, our collections are based on a ‘theme’ rather than being a seasonal inclusion.

You’ll notice that our collections all feature classic menswear silhouettes (the tee-shirt, sweatshirt, etc.) and each collection uses prints, textiles and other techniques to bring forth the theme that the collection is named after.

Each theme that we explore revolves around existing masculinity ‘myths’ and symbolism. For example, our first collection, Shatter, revolved around the primal man, contrasted against the digital revolution, and our second collection, Hounds, revolved around the classic hounds tooth motif – traditionally a symbol of wealth in the late 1800s.

Please define the term ‘Capsule Collection’

AMX

‘Capsule Collection’ to me is a sufficient sized range that a label puts together that represents a clear theme/concept.

It is also an appetizer for the core concept behind the brand and what it has to offer.

As you can see from our website, we’re currently offering our 5th collection’s capsule to communicate the core ideologies behind the collection via simple garments.

Where do you find the themes/names for each collection?

AMX

As with all ideas, these themes come from curiosity. We throw these ideas around, and sometimes we hit an idea that just resonates well for each of us.

I believe you worked for Mary Katrantzou in London. Wow! What did you love most about this experience?

AMX

She has always been an inspiration to me since my days in university. The best part was actually getting exposed to the fashion industry at an international level.

Hectic schedules, business meetings, fabrics you can only dream of creating, top models, London Fashion Week backstage – these are only a few a many things that I got to be a part of and I remember it all very fondly.

You say you wanted ‘to bring a breath of fresh air to the Australian menswear market’. I believe you have. How did you formulate your plan to bring this into being?

AMX

We have noticed that there has been a drastic shift in the once static high-end market that resulted in contemporary labels really making an impact on the fashion scene. What was especially interesting was that we found men wanted to escape the pencil pushing life, and express themselves as individuals. We wanted to create an avenue for this and thus created AMXANDER.

Where and how do you look for inspiration?

AMX

I usually articulate ideas from what I experience every day. I am a very ‘visual’ person. Random things capture my attention in day to day life – whether it is a well dressed stranger or things that I see on the media. I am not one who is fixated about where I draw my inspirations from; it is something that is ever changing.

How do you feel about the support levels within the Australian fashion industry?

AMX

It is gradually improving as more and more organizations realize the importance of their input in cultivating Australia’s next generation of fashion creatives.

Of course, it would be great to see large retailers take on emerging labels – it’s going to be a risk, but it could pay handsomely for the industry.

Do you believe that there is more support for Australian emerging designers overseas? If so, why?

AMX

I must admit that there is a much bigger platform outside of Australia; the market for fashion is just more responsive to interesting ideas. There is still a level of conservativeness here in Australia.

Do you believe that the creation of a successful menswear label is more difficult than women’s wear?

AMX

Women generally spend more time and effort deciding and putting together what they wear. So my answer would be yes.

It almost takes double the effort selling clothing to men as apposed to women – that’s just how it is – for now.

Do you believe that Australian men dress well?

AMX

I believe they actively care for their appearance but it can be quite monotonous – in a good way.

Most men seem to favor blue-collar dressing and/or what I call ‘slouch-chic’ (a combination of various loosely-cut garments, almost loungewear-like).

If you could offer Australian men advice on how to dress better, what would that be?

AMX

I might be a bit biased on this one but I’d obviously hope to see more men willing to tackle a wider range of textiles and colours.

Most of my male friends tend to say that they feel comfortable in t-shirts and chinos/jeans.

This is where a subtle pop of color or small applied details could separate one from the crowd without going overboard.

What is your opinion of the way Australians present themselves in general?

AMX

Australians are generally quite outspoken and can easily adapt to being in most foreign situations.

From experience, they definitely light up the room!

Your designs almost remind me of a media/visual arts graduate’s work. How have you taken your vision of patterns and transformed it to fabric?

AMX

We design as a team. Despite being in different areas of design, we all come from common arts backgrounds. (Sketching, Painting, Computer Aided Design etc.). This is a form of language that we communicate with. Together we figure out ways of executing our work in 3D context.

Where are your fabrics sourced?

AMX

It varies but most of the time it would be locally sourced in Australia or Asia.

Where are your garments made?

AMX

Some garments are made in-house. Otherwise, we work closely with our pattern makers (who have over 40 years experience) in Hong Kong.

Does the production of your garments require particular machinery?

AMX

It depends on the requirements of each season, but we do sometimes require particular machinery to create certain things outside of the basic industrial machinery.

What are the ultimate dreams of your label?

AMX

For me, I hope that AMXANDER can be a pioneer in the Australian menswear fashion scene.

We hope to be able to showcase to the world that there is a lot of creative talent down under. That we deserve the spotlight once in a while.

What is your view of the runway and do you believe it is an important vehicle for exposure?

AMX

I believe having put together a runway show is an important vehicle for exposure but it is not the ONLY way. Established labels invest a lot of time, money and effort into putting together runway presentations and this may not be a luxury that all upcoming designers can afford.

Today, even the biggest brands are testing non-conventional ways of presenting their line and most have been extremely successful.

Do you believe that much of your exposure is achieved through social media?

AMX

Social media has definitely played an important for us growing as an independent label.

I believe it is the most direct and efficient way to interact with our customers and they seem to react to it well.

How do you feel about the traditional roles of editorial?

AMX

Editorials have been an important segment for decades.

Traditional or non-traditional, the images we see on most blogs or fashion websites are in fact editorials. Whether it be a set of backstage photographs or snaps of a dolled-up model from someone’s iPhone, any images that have been stylised in one way or another is a form of editorial work – that’s how I see it.

How do you select working with particular stylists and creative teams?

AMX

We surround ourselves with people whom we feel comfortable with and who respect us for being creative individuals.

What are you most looking forward to in your involvement with VAMFF?

AMX

It is our first runway show with VAMFF and so far the pre-runway preparations have been very smooth.

We are definitely looking forward to meeting new people and get as much feedback as we can to further grow AMXANDER.

Until next time,

Jade xx

Accreditations:

Model: Greg Han & Benjamin Charles | Photography: Chen Chi & Vikk Shayen | Stylist: Jake Chen |

Australian Fashion Industry, Bloggers, Editorial, Shopping

Gotta Love Women

March 2

Model Irina Shayk in black dress and glasses with long dark hair.

From the editor’s desk …

I’m sure some women DO shop because they actually need clothes, shoes and bags … I just don’t know any of them.

As a long time lover of designer fashion, and a stylist of many years, I have been thinking a great deal lately about being a woman.

As a woman I love being able to enjoy gorgeous designer labels, makeup, perfume and all the lovely things that are so readily available. I take enjoyment from such things every day.

This started me thinking a lot about the various roles that we have as women and I noted just a few.

We are mothers, friends, wives, girlfriends, mentors, colleagues, nurses, cooks, ironing ladies, confidantes, step parents, counsellors, sports coaches, taxi drivers, stylists, decorators, gardeners, CEOs, marketing directors, volunteers, and ambassadors.

Often we are all of these things in one day. I know I have been, sometimes 365 days in a row.

Women have so many varied roles to play in their lives. No wonder we often feel pulled in many directions and struggle to get it all done.

I thought I would share some information from a group of women I know about WHY women shop.

It will make you laugh.

I certainly found myself in this list. Maybe you will too …

Women Shop because

They are premenstrual.
They have their period.
They are turning 50.
They are turning 40.
Their husband is turning 50.
They found a grey hair.
Their husband is turning grey.
They dented the car.
They need glasses to read texts.
Their husband lot his job.
They found out their child is gay.
They found out their partner is gay.
It is the first day of the school holidays.
Their mother is here from London to stay for a month.
It is the last day of the school holidays.
They are having a fat day.
They are expecting a baby that wasn’t planned.
They just ate a cake in the middle of their diet.
Their mammogram appointment is tomorrow.
Their husband just bought a chainsaw when you are desperate for a holiday?

Sound familiar?

The wonderful sisterhood. Yep, gotta love us.

mwah x

Until next time,

Jade xx

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, 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.

Australian Fashion Industry, Editorial, Interview

Wanna Be Seduce ‘d?

July 28

Jodie Gordon modelling for the Winter Seduce campaign 2015

I recently interviewed the wonderful team at the iconic Australian label Seduce. Magdalena Velevska, the very talented head designer and Abbey Pantano, Marketing Manager. Seduce is a contemporary label, enriched with the plethora of design elements that make it one of Australia’s most successful names. It is known for it’s gorgeous prints, good tailoring, and expansive collections. It is affordable, relevant, and accessible to all women of all ages. I have always loved Seduce. And here’s why.

Enjoy xx

After travelling to Europe in April, I returned home after Australian Fashion Week had finished. I realised that Australian designers have so much freshness … There is something specifically Australian about everything we do. We are so relevant, we have our own style, our own sensibility. Australian designers are amazing!!

… Magdalena Velevska

The Seduce woman knows herself and knows her body. She Seduce woman doesn’t have to be sexy for men, she can be sexy for women, and for herself. There is very much a level of emotional independence for this woman.

… Abbey Pantanto

Makeup Time for Jodi Gordon for the Winter Seduce campaign 2015

Makeup Time for Jodi Gordon for the Spring/Summer 2015 Seduce campaign.

Does the Seduce customer prefer to shop online or in store?

MV & AP

Most of our customers still like to shop in store. Online sales make up about thirty percent of our customer base, but we see enormous potential in the online environment and feel excited that this will allow us to reach many customers that we are currently unable to reach.

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