Sydney-based luxury womenswear brand Leo & Lin has a very sexy-boho-feminine aesthetic with an emphasis on creating original prints. Founder and creative director, Leo Lin, makes the most of his love for his new home, Australia, by delving into a variety of artistic and cultural concepts.
Lin describes his brand as “Modernistic Nostalgia” explaining that it is a style that “perfectly resonates through time, mixing modern and the past era design elements”. What this means exactly is unclear, but it is interpreted via a combination of tailoring, leisurewear shapes, and bits of floof – ruffles and draping, handkerchief skirts and a touch of Victoriana in the use of lace details.
The Leo & Lin look can kind of be described as something a boho princess would wear. Fabrics range from silk-linen mixes, lace, linens, and spandex, and the pricing is firmly in the contemporary range with dresses costing from around AU$400 up to AU$700 or more depending on the materials used.
What is most interesting about the pieces is the use of original prints. Lin creates a series of new prints for each seasonal collection, based on his source of inspiration. For the Spring Summer 2020 collection entitled Rebellious, Lin was inspired by a nighttime stroll.
“Creative Director Leo Lin looked up and saw wondrous stars blinking ‘I’ve always been mesmerised by the beauty of Australian night sky, it is just pure magic and serenity’. It is this Aussie magic that led him to the world of tarot cards, and the creation of the Spring Summer 20 REBELLIOUS collection,” states the collection description on the brand’s website.
This concept was further translated as creating “a unique world that fills the wearer with this sensational, celestial space”, as well as the addition of another theme, that of the “conflicting concepts of Astronomy and Christianity”.
That’s a lot of ideas going on in one collection. What it translated to in the prints was placing a star chart print on top of an image of cathedral glass to create the central print, called The Baroque. Additional prints like The World features a lion’s head; The Lover is a mix of snakes, a woman, and a cross; Starry Night is a print that mixes all the others up with a celestial map.
The colours range from monochrome black and white, to dark browns, and a pale yellow, and they are all printed on silk, linen and cotton. An additional pattern and texture is added via the use of a checked shiny vinyl fabric – described as adding a sense of juxtaposition.
Does it all work? Yes, for the most part. The Leo & Lin brand could be described as being an acquired taste for some, it is more nostalgic than neutral, more maximalist than minimalist, and very definitely shows some links to the rising Victorian aesthetics showing up on social media thanks to movements like #cottagecore.
Is this a sustainable fashion brand? Hmmm … hard to say. There is not a lot of information available about where the products are made, or by whom. Nor is there any information about sustainable practices in-house or packaging or delivery. It could perhaps be described as being ‘slow fashion’, but again, this is unknown since it is not clear on how many products are produced per collection.
Still, Leo & Lin is an interesting outlier in the Australian fashion market. Less organic and girly, more sexy and womanly; dare I say even glamorous.
Singapore Stories is an annual fashion design contest organised by the Textile and Fashion Federation (TaFF), and this year despite the impact of Coronavirus is on track to choose a final winner on 22 October, 2020.
All five of the finalists will hold a runway show on the same date at the Asian Civilisations Museum, where the judges will choose the winner who will be included in the annual Contemporary Gallery at the Asian Civilisations Museum, and be able to launch a collaboration with one of Asia’s top multi-label fashion retailer SocietyA. There will also be an opportunity for a showcase at Paris Fashion Week for the holder of the Singapore Fashion Award.
As with every year, there was a theme for the designers to work around: Reimagining the History and Creating the Future, based on the idea of “examining the past and interpreting the future of design”.
Described as “feminine, timeless, versatile and luxurious”, Nude Femme is a sexy ready-to-wear brand that is made by hand in Singapore and around the region, with a focus on supporting women. The brand adheres to the principles of Fair Trade, Fair Wages, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Garment without Guilt (GWG) standards.
A family-owned tailoring business, CYC was established in 1935, and is best known for its affordable, quality tailored shirts. Cara Chiang is a family scion who is involved with creating new concepts for the brand. The brand has a strong Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme including, recently, creating and distribution of 300,000 Masks for Migrants in Singapore after the outbreak of Coronavirus.
Carol Chen
Founder of Covetella, a designer dress rental service, Carol Chen is using the opportunity of the Singapore Stories competition to relaunch herself as a designer of her own namesake brand. Her design aesthetic fits into the world of glamour that the former beauty queen knows well.
Using traditional batik, Martha Who by Mette Hartman is a sustainable resort wear brand that features hand dyed silk caftans in jewel tones. Very Bali luxe. The pieces are hand-crafted by artisans then sewn by hand and embellished in Singapore.
A glamorous womenswear brand, Nida Shay has been around for a few years and features the substantial use of artisanal hand embroidery created in the rural areas of Pakistan. The designer believes in supporting traditional artisans, with a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme that provides a living wage, educational ventures and vocational training to support the wider community of craftspeople in Pakistan.
For more information about TaFF’s Singapore Stories contest, go to singapore-stories.com.
In my recent Instagram browsing I have been coming across a lot of interesting fashion brands, some I know of, and others that are new to me.
One of these is Gail Sorronda, a Brisbane-based designer whose eponymous brand has been worn by a bunch of famous people like Winona Ryder and Lorde. Sorronda was also apparently described by no less than Karl Lagerfeld as “one to watch”.
All this information was gleaned from various Australian media reports as unfortunately Sorronda was unavailable for an interview, as she is “just really selective with interviews” according to her husband and business partner Atlas Harwood, who is also famous for playing bass for post-punk brood band, Gazar Strips.
Still, despite the lack of access, and the dearth of information on the brand’s website, I’m still excited enough about Sorronda’s work to spend time writing up this article.
Sorronda launched her label in 2005 at Australian Fashion Week in Sydney, with an aesthetic that is “ethereal, dark, romantic” according to the designer in an interview published earlier this year. Her collections are named for her obsessions – Holy Water, Oh My Goth! and Angel at My Table (her graduate collection) – and obviously swing towards the gothic. Which, of course, is why I was so attracted to the brand in the first place.
After launching in Australia, the designer worked in Paris from 2008, where her work was chosen to be featured by Dolce & Gabbana to feature in its Milan boutique, before returning to Brisbane – the capital of Australia’s sunshine state, Queensland – and establishing an independent boutique and atelier. Sorrondo’s penchant for the theatrical has also seen her work with Queensland Ballet and Expressions Dance Company designing costumes.
While there isn’t an obvious sustainable or ethical focus in her production, Sorrondo does fit neatly into the Slow Fashion Movement.
“I prefer for pieces to be timeless. That is how I value good design. I think major trends can echo what is happening in society at the time just like music and other modes of the arts can. I just have a problem with fashion’s ceaseless cycle of replacement operating on planned obsolescence, artificially inducing trends, in a unsustainable and economically insatiable way,” Sorronda said in a recent interview.
The brand’s garments are manufactured in Australia for the most part, from a range of luxury, internationally sourced fabrics. The designer is also in favour of supporting local artisans, as she stated in that same interview that supporting ‘local’ meant “thoughtfully buying locally designed and made products”.
As for the garments themselves, there is a definite hint of Japanese cult Lolita styling in the most recent collection – black and white, bonnets, capes of lace and voluminous sleeves all echo the mid-Victorian era stylings of the genre.
There is, however, a delicacy to Sorronda’s pieces due to the quality of the construction and lightness of the fabrics, particularly when combined with a sense of transparency that is visible in the garments that bare more skin.
Yes, this is another brand that would fit quite neatly into the #cottagecore aesthetic, but I prefer to think of it as a softer, more romantic version of Victorian Goth; plus the garments in white and at shorter lengths make it more appropriate for warmer climates.
I’ve never been shy about my love for Kpop … yes, I’m a YG stan from way back! Which is why I gleefully watched the latest video from the entertainment company’s girl group BlackPink with eyes wide open to spot the latest Korean fashion trends.
And there, front and center were some fabulous traditional Hanbok-with-a-twist garments. I recognised the fabrics, prints and decorative details from all those Kdramas we all watch, but teamed with boots, short-shorts and minis, this was definitely not something Queen Seondeok would wear!
I was already following a number of other Korean brands that were working with traditional fabrics and clothing shapes on Instagram, but these garments were a cut above with the attention to detailing and how modern they looked. Eventually I tracked down the brand behind the looks and discovered Danha.
Danha is not only a brand that is focused on creating a modern version of traditional Korean clothing, it is also a sustainable and ethical fashion brand – not something that is common in the Korean fashion industry.
The brand describes itself as “sustainable ethical ‘slow fashion’ rather than ‘fast fashion’ that causes global warming, [and] will contribute to improving the world’s environmental problems”.
Named after the designer Danha, the brand has always been about two things – celebrating traditional garment heritage in Korea, and being environmentally responsible. The brand works with organic and recycled fabrics, upcycles fabric offcuts – it creates gorgeous foldable shopping totes – and using the traditional flat-cut method of Korean garment design, actively reduces fabric waste. Danha also produces limited runs of stock and will create made-to-measure garments.
WATCH THE VIDEO:
Designer Danha discusses how her clothes ended up on BlackPink
The garments are mostly created out of organic cotton, and eco-fabrics made from recycled plastic bottles. Silk and an eco-friendly tweed is also used for some items, and the brand continues to experiment with creating new sustainable fabrics. Their organic cotton complies with GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard), and is grown in a three year process with no chemical fertilizers, plus only natural starch and wax are used during the spinning process.
Like many brands these days, Danha also uses recycled and biodegradable packaging, and is in the process of trialing an upcycled paper shipping box made of recycled materials.
Another part of the brand’s ethos is its ethical production methods, describing its sewists as “free workers who can choose what they want to do”, in a collegiate workshop environment where all the garments are handmade, “working comfortably together, respecting each other”.
From the customers’ perspective Danha is also remarkably inclusive unlike other Korean fashion brands which historically have had issues with sizing, creating only small sizes and with little consideration of non-tiny shoppers. Danha, on the other hand, is quite inclusive. The brand’s ‘free size’ ranges from Korean sizes 44 to 66 (that’s XS to M on the international size chart), wrap skirts go up to a 35in waist. Garments also come in sizes that are equal to an international L, and the brand will also customise garments to order in any size you like.
Those are all the sustainable and ethical requirements on the current hit list, but what about the clothes?
Danha’s aesthetic fits neatly into the growing #cottagecore movement of light layers, ruffles, soft voluminous shapes and an ethereal, fairy vibe. Think drifting around in the moonlight waiting for your prince to arrive while simultaneously discovering a herbal cure for cancer, but in Seoul. These are pretty, pretty clothes with a distinctly Asian traditional take.
Should you wear them if you aren’t Korean, or Asian? Yes! If you love the look it doesn’t matter where you come from, just make sure you don’t do something stupid like add ‘yellow face’ makeup or hair.
Well, it looks like my focus is becoming almost exclusively about sustainable and ethical fashion brands. As I have ranted before, however, the definition of a brand shouldn’t really have to include these tags – all fashion brands should be sustainably and ethically produced just on principle. Sustainability shouldn’t have to be a definition; it should just be an automatic part of any fashion brand’s production.
That’s the dream, right? So, until sustainable and ethical production becomes the norm, I still feel the need to highlight the emerging fashion brands that ARE doing something about it.
One stop for sustainable fashion, accessories & beauty
Here are three relatively new brands I discovered after reaching out to Susannah Jaffer, the founder of Asia-based online fashion store Zerrin.
The Zerrin concept is an interesting one, especially in this age of too much stuff, available too easily. The online store offers a list of brands that are “tried, tested and vetted” before being added to the inventory of clothing, accessories and skincare products for sale.
Apart from the retail component, the site is also focused on spreading awareness about sustainable and ethical fashion and accessory brands.
“We want to make sustainable fashion uncomplicated and be your guide to building a more mindful, meaningful wardrobe,” states a line on the website.
To do this, the site offers more than just shopping, but also handy information like guides to understanding the different aspects of sustainable production, including interviews with industry insiders and breakdowns of various terms to make understanding buying sustainable fashion more accessible.
Zerrin also has a growing directory of smaller and emerging fashion brands – particularly from around Asia – that have sustainable and ethical credentials, describing them as #BetterBrands, that can help you source your fashion buys.
The #BetterBrand mark is based on a comprehensive rating system designed by the Zerrin team that takes into account a brand’s performance based on five key factors – “people, planet, product, packaging and principles”.
Three new brands to look out for …
WHISPERS & ANARCHY
With an aesthetic that fits into the currently hot #cottagecore trend, Whispers & Anarchy has a mixed origin – born in Spain, designed in Singapore, and made in Bali. Based around the Slow Fashion Movement of limited handmade production and natural fabrics, there is also consideration for those of us on a budget with lower prices than comparable products.
The garments are made in Bali, which despite being one of the more expensive places to manufacture in Asia, does have a strong sustainability focus. The brand uses a family workshop that provides living wages, safe conditions and complies with internationally accepted working hours.
Natural fibres like BCI certified cotton and rayon voile made from wood pulp and other agricultural products, are used to make the clothes, and they are handmade and hand-dyed on site with non-toxic dyes. The cuts are such as to create as little wasted fabric as possible, and the trims and labels are locally sourced to reduce the carbon footprint. The brand also has a ‘made to measure’ service, and only uses biodegradable packaging.
If that’s not enough, Whispers & Anarchy also have a tree planted for every one of their compostable mailer orders in collaboration with the non-profit organisation One Tree Planted.
Based in London, Hide was launched by siblings Shereen and Ryan Barrett, with the goal to produce “effortless silhouettes that fit well, last longer and can be worn by every woman, every season for every occasion”.
Another brand that comes with a bit of a #cottagecore vibe, Hide features strong prints and classic, soft feminine cuts. The draped and floaty effect comes from the use of recycled polyester fabric made of post-consumer waste which is woven in the Global Recycle Standard (GRS) Certified fabrics.
Using recycled polyester fabrics not only keeps plastic waste out of landfills, but also reduces water use in production and has a lower carbon footprint. Hide also uses viscose fabrics which are semi-synthetic plant based materials made of wood pulp from regenerative trees. The prints are created using a system that doesn’t create water waste or surplus ink.
Like many sustainable brands, Hide uses recycled paper and bio-compostable materials for its shipping and packaging too.
The brand will be available on Zerrin at the end of August, launching with its new collection made with ECONYL, which is a nylon fabric made from recycled synthetic waste like industrial plastic, waste fabric and ocean fishing nets.
Shop Hide online at hidethelabel.com, or at Zerrin for the new collection.
STEP OF GRACE
An Indonesian brand based in Jakarta, Step of Grace creates garments from natural fibres, mostly 100% pure linen, GOTS certified cotton and bamboo fibres, as well as from recycled fabrics like rayon and tencel. Many of the garments are undyed and those that are use non-toxic natural dyes.
The brand also offers cool slip-on handmade leather slides and slip-on shoes that are made in Jakarta by small scale Javanese artisans using traditional skills passed down the generations in family businesses.
Step of Grace has a very laid-back, boho vibe with loose cuts and light neutral colours. The pieces have a hippy minimalist feel with simple, unadorned shapes like loose tees, baggy shorts, soft wide-leg pants and voluminous wrap tops. This is very much a brand of separates; perfect for throwing on in super hot weather.
Step of Grace will be launching on Zerrin at the end of August 2020, but you can also shop it on their own website. The brand also plants a tree for every product sold.
Emerging Australian brand Joslin was founded by designer Elinor Joslin in only 2018, but since then has become one of the country’s most popular sustainable fashion labels, famous for pretty, linen dresses.
The brand’s aesthetic is based on the designer’s artist parents and features feminine details like smocking, ruffles, pintucks and buttons in Joslin’s signature linen. But what the brand is really known for is its comprehensive dedication to producing sustainable and ethical fashion.
The brand’s site lists in detail anything and everything you want to know about how the clothes are produced. Elinor is aware that the label has only begun its journey towards being a completely sustainable brand, so prefers to describe Joslin as a “conscious” brand, and being “committed to the improvement of sustainable processes with every collection, and to provide further transparency and accreditation as her business grows from an emerging designer brand into an established sustainable designer brand”, as her website states.
Elinor “believes that much of the Fashion Industry as it currently stands, is a cycle of planned obsolescence and synthetic landfill. Fashion itself is a business model of creating and selling new products that are made from the earth’s resources, only to be worn once or a few times before becoming obsolete.”
Joslin then is part of the Slow Fashion movement. “Being conscious, being considered, making responsible choices, encouraging positive change, pushing for transparency and always evolving in ways to lighten one’s ecological footprint is both a brand and consumer’s best foot forward to a sustainable fashion industry,” says Elinor.
This translates into using textiles and yarns that are “planet friendly and traceable to the source wherever possible”. These fabrics are ramie, silk, wool, cashmere, cotton, and of course, linen. Getting hold of these fabrics, however, isn’t as easy as you may think.
“Fabric minimums are a major challenge for small-business designers. Due to the fashion industry’s lower demand for sustainable fabrics, pricing and minimum order quantities are in so many cases unattainable,” explains Elinor. “Joslin faces many barriers in price, quality and scalability for many bio-based, certified and innovative alternative textiles. Instead, for now, the business focuses on natural fibres and naturally occurring sustainable fibres.”
About 70% of Joslin’s pieces are made of linen, the brand gets its linen-flax from the Normandy region of France; then the combed flax is imported to Jiangsu, China, where it is spun. According to Joslin, “linen uses approximately 90% less embodied energy in its manufacture than polyester -‘fast fashion’s’ most common fabric – and is long lasting and durable in the wardrobe.”
Elinor believes “the world urgently needs to lower the usage of fossil fuelled textiles and move towards textile-to-textile recycling if fossil fuelled textiles are to be of continued use.” Despite this, the brand does use some synthetics and plastics, but only when there is “no natural alternative, or when it benefits the natural composition”.
Still, this is not for lack of desire. “In garment production, it is not always possible to avoid synthetics and plastics – buttons, zips and fusing’s are the benchmark of standard manufacturing and garment construction. There is currently no natural alternative that is commercially viable for fusing,” says the brand’s website.
However, the Joslin knitwear collection makes use of pre-consumer recycled nylon, because it helps the knits to be stronger, so that it will last even longer. The brand also uses manufacturers and dyers that meet the OEKO-TEX® 100 STANDARD which is 100% free from over 100 harmful chemicals that are recognised as being harmful for humans.
The brand’s packaging is eco-friendly with 100% compostable bags, 100% recycled tissue paper, card and paper, plus all of the international e-commerce orders are carbon offset through the DHL GoGreen Climate Neutral shipping service. Even the garments exported from China come in 100% compostable plant-based satchels.
You can read all about the full complement of actions that the brand takes to ensure that it is as ethical and sustainable as it can be on the website.
The Slow part of the brand’s production is the reduction of overproduction and ensuring the garments are seasonless, with a sense of longevity – no piece is ever designed to only be worn once according to Elinor. This is why she focuses on traditional detailing combined with ways to wear the garments in more than one way, and sticks to a minimal palette of neutral shades.
There is a touch of the #cottagecore movement to Joslin’s style with the use of natural fabrics, ruffles and loose-fit cuts, but it is elevated by the traditional detailing and the sexiness of deep-v necklines and transparent inserts.
With most of the world still struggling through the Coronavirus, the fashion industry is in the odd position of being seen as either a pointless waste of resources and time, or a psychological escape from the doom and gloom.
But what does that mean for the young creatives graduating during this weird time, like the recent grads from Lasalle College of the Arts’ BA (Hons) Fashion Design and Textiles course?
For one, it meant no graduate fashion show with friends, family, media and industry insiders to show off to, rather the school for the first time created a virtual runway on July 16.
“The world we live in today is more unpredictable than ever. This pandemic alone has ground the world to a halt and increased our online consumption to curb social isolation. Although the fashion industry has long functioned based on the expectation that a runway has to be present, we are already seeing fashion houses worldwide begin to explore different ways to present their new collections. To some extent, the change has also arisen out of ongoing conversations about sustainability and the future direction of fashion. We believe it is more important than ever that our students graduate with a consciousness of these issues and the role of fashion in this changing world,” said Circe Henestrosa, Head, School of Fashion at Lasalle.
Henestrosa refers, of course, to the recent attempts by international fashion weeks to claw back some of the media focus with less than successful digital events. Of the various attempts from London Mens, to Couture, few of the brands managed to create an online experience that topped their regular live shows. Only Helsinki Fashion Week – which has been online only since 2016 – has managed to create something that is at least as interesting in a creative way, as the physical shows.
Prada, Gucci, Dior Women (oh dear, Dior. A whole other problem there), basically just made fashion films. Dior Men created a fabulous fashion film, but still these were all just background and additional to what was usually the centrepiece, the clothes.
So, if even major established fashion brands with their endless budgets found it hard to stand out on the digital platform, how were 17 mini collections from a bunch of graduates based in Singapore going to do?
The ‘show’ …
To be honest, the virtual fashion show was, again, basically a fashion film. There was a lot of post-production and atmospheric shots of Pasir Panjang Power Station and the college campus – already a well-known location for sci-fi inspiration – but it was difficult to really see the clothes.
Watching via Zoom, you could not tell how well the garments were made, what the materials used were, or see the details that create the points of difference that make a new designer stand out.
Another thing that seemed a little behind the times was the concept of using Sustainability as an overarching ‘theme’ for organising the various designers. The collections were separated into five themes – Sustainability, Future Forward, Heritage, Textures, Body & Identity. Not unique concepts, but definitely topical ones, ideas and themes that are obviously affecting young creatives.
My issue with Sustainability as a separate theme, is that in the time of climate disaster, it should no longer need to be defined as a point of difference from ‘other types of fashion’. Sustainability should not have to be a ‘theme’. Sustainability is a fact; and any designer who produces today should be doing so in a sustainable and ethical manner automatically. The idea of using ‘sustainable’ or ‘ethical’ as a brand marketing tool is over. All brands need to be both, and therefore need to find another point of difference.
OK, rant over. Still, the Lasalle teachers and directors do take the issue seriously, while also allowing students to make their own decisions as to whether or not they incorporate it into their collections.
“One of the pillars of Lasalle’s School of Fashion and its BA(Hons) Fashion Design and Textiles programme is the continuous development of the notion of ‘future crafts’. Through this, we understand a seamless symbiosis between artisanal techniques and modern technologies,” explains Dinu Bodiciu, the lecturer in charge of the BA (Hons) in Fashion Design and Textiles at LASALLE College of the Arts’ School of Fashion.
“With the increase in awareness of sustainability, there is greater attention paid by our students to the materials employed in their collections. The graduation project allows them the time to play, experiment, investigate and innovate new textile processes in the search of creative fashion solutions.
“For instance, even though the plastic used by Felicia Agatha in the collection Repelebb was not recycled, she still chose to work with it because she needed a vessel to hold liquid substances like water and cooling agents. Her collection hydropuff proposes possible new materials and fashionable alternatives in a future when humanity has to face the consequences of global warming.
“Another example is Kwok Minh Yen’s collection 1.5oC. It expanded the notion of zero waste design by engaging in textile manipulation of leftover materials, turning these scraps of fabric into decorative elements in the collection. Minh Yen further worked with UV reactive threads and pigments, combining them with synthetic materials like mixed polyester/nylon organza.
“This juxtaposition of materials, preferred by fast fashion companies against the slower process of zero waste design, aims to criticise the industry’s unsustainable ways and how this contributes to global warming,” says Bodiciu.
Good, bad or blah …
To be expected, a number of the graduates were inspired by our dystopian times with collection themes that covered humanoid spaceships with different personalities, and one concept that was literally entitled Dystopia. Other current topics were covered as well; sizeism, sustainability, global warming, climate change, LGBTQIX, #metoo, etc. All to be expected in our modern world of global pop culture and TikTok. Some of the most successful concepts were those that didn’t focus on the global theme to the detriment of the actual design and craftsmanship of the garments. Of the most interesting were the designers that reimagined their concept into garments that functioned as both an artistic statement and an intellectual concept.
Cheah’s collection sat under the overall theme of Sustainability, using zero-waste pattern cutting techniques, but it was her modern take on traditional Malaysian prints inspired by the decorations of traditional kites that stood out. The draped, floaty shapes in the strong traditional colours ways of orange and black were softened with additions of hand dyed blues and yellows. While the cuts were somewhat reminiscent of early Japanese designers, the addition of ‘string’ interlacing referencing kite strings offered slivers of skin, creating a sense of fluid femininity. It will be interesting to see where Cheah goes from here. These pieces would definitely find a commercial market.
A mix of Iris van Herpen and Simone Rocha, Kwok’s work was also in the Sustainability theme, and was based on “draw[ing] attention to the increasing rate with which global warming is causing coral bleaching”. The garments were basically white, oversized dresses with ruffles and collars decorated with recycled textiles created to look like bits of coral. A series of adornments on one dress – donut shaped 3D rings studded with Swarovski crystals and UV reactive threads and pigments light up. Unfortunately this function wasn’t able to be clearly seen during the virtual show, but can be spotted in the photographs. Without the additional decoration, these pieces are cute, wearable clothes that don’t look much different from a lot of #cottagecore dresses seen all over TikTok and Instagram but come with a new take on the sustainability concept.
A pretty collection of pastel and embroidered separates, Schriber’s collection also sat under the Sustainability theme based on its entirely vegan material use. What these vegan materials are is unclear. No leather, so does that mean ‘vegan’ leather ie. plastic? Are the fabrics natural fibres? Or manmade and therefore less environmentally friendly? These are the issues that keep cropping up when it comes to defining what sustainable fashion really is. Still, the overall collection, while looking rather similar to Korean brand Ti:Baeg’s early work, is very wearable despite the fact that some of the concept was a bit too literal with large embroidered birds and prints being featured.
Part of the Future Forward theme, Agatha’s collection is described as “delving into science in order to devise climate-sensitive solutions for our future”. What that translated into was a lot of plastic. Presumably the plastic stood in for as yet unavailable technical materials that will adapt to issues of climate change like floods and such. The “activewear-influenced” pieces appear to be less about being active and more about creating shapes to be worn under the clear technical materials. The shapes and cuts had a vaguely 80s feel, added to by the combination of black, clear plastic, zips and pastel lavender shades of shiny fabric. The designer’s work with hydrogels is quite fascinating and it will be interesting to see how her research translates into future garments.
One of the collections that riffed on the issue of sizeism, Ng’s work looks like a mix of streetwear and 80s ideas of ‘future clothes’. The concept is described as being “built on the foundation of science fiction, imagining a world where plus-size is no longer a separate category”, but the interpretation falls a little short. Instead of creating new silhouettes for larger sizes, the cuts echo already existing oversized streetwear staples like shorts, hoodies, and collared shirts. The addition of ‘spaceman’ bits and pieces like zips and plastic pockets, plus the very literal use of flames to represent the sun combined with technical shiny materials gives the work a cartoonish vibe.
Phang is obviously a lover of anime. The entirely weird concept of the collection looks exactly like a real life version of Kantai Collection known as KanColle (艦これ, KanKore). The story line has cute girls who somehow turn into ocean-going battleships to fight off their enemies. While the underlying concept is completely daft, Phang’s work is some of the most interesting of the graduates. The designer hopes that future research and technological development will be able to turn his “fantasies into functionality”. The collection features a mix of form-fitting bodysuits as the basis for a series of layered pieces that add various functions to an outfit, like a coat, shirt and even a currently needed accessory, the face mask. It is also interesting that although his collection is placed firmly in the future, the fabrics used are more traditional like a Prince of Wales check in menswear fabric, showing that this guy really knows how to cut and fit a garment. It will be interesting to see how his work translates commercially.
Another of the collections focused on the issue of sizeism, particularly that of South Korea where the extreme social conditioning of Kpop has reduced women to equally extreme diets and plastic surgery. Lee’s work is a rather literal interpretation of her traditional heritage, the hanbok, with a slight nod towards modernity in the addition of capri pants. While pretty, these pieces are more akin to the trend of hanfu, where young people dress in slightly modern versions of historial outfits, with a nod to nostalgia and an Asian version of #cottagecore. While it is refreshing for the designer to create for larger women, again this just translates into bigger sizes of the same clothes that are already being made and worn. Still, the pieces are pretty.
Also part of the Heritage theme, Basri’s collection looks at subverting the “misogynistic symbols tied to the Malay folklore figure, promoting body acceptance in the process”; also incorporating the current #metoo trend to a certain extent. Basri uses the traditional ghost story of the Pontianak – a misogynist tale of a female vampire who is transgressive in Malay society due to her inability to have a child – to talk about definitions of womanhood and femininity. The concept has been translated into a series of garments that evoke simple working clothes combined with the colours of mourning – black, white and grey. Although there are a couple of embellishments of red ‘blood’ tracing the fabrics which are a little too literal, overall the collection is wearable and interesting with a nod to the simplicity of Japanese design.
Based on the Japanese concept of “Ma” (間), the idea of allowing a sense of space in between other things, this collection is somewhat hard to define. There is definitely a very Japanese style overall, with some very obvious takes from the work of designer Yohji Yamamoto in the use of gaps or cuts in patterns for classical coats and jackets. There are also pieces obviously inspired by the work of Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons with the use of padding and strips of menswear fabric.
Sitting under the Textures theme, Tibrewala’s collection is based on “fluid and distorted lines in order to express chaotic emotions” which really just translates into adding squiggly lines to her fabrics via print and hand-done spray paint. The shapes are based on early 80s, including a definite nod to Issy Miyake’s Pleats Please collections – one round-shouldered top in particular. Overall the collection has a pleasant run through of shape and colour, although a collared, open back jacket strikes a bit of a wrong note, as it seems too different to the rest of the pieces. There is also something a bit off with the proportions particularly in the short length of the pants. However, there is a softness and wearability to these garments; they are very ‘art gallery worker’, much like Issy Miyake.
Supposed to be all about the sense of touch, with the aim of making the viewer – not the wearer? – want to touch the garments, this collection appears, in fact, to be the opposite. Created from some sort of stiff, hard, sharp-looking faux leather (maybe?), the garments jut out from the wearer more like spines saying ‘stay away!’. There is little attention given to the wearer either, with the stiff fabric removing any human softness from some of the more encompassing pieces, while adding excess volume to the body in others. The juxtaposition with sheer fabric and the use of bright colours certainly imparts a kind of child-like playfulness, and while some of the cuts are simple, the more textured pieces have an interesting use of volume. Are these pieces actually soft to the touch? Or do they feel as stiff as they look? Interesting.
Based on her imagined idea of what people on magic mushrooms see, Halim has created garments that are basically traditional in shape and cut, but have various parts – the sleeves mostly – ‘blown out’ with the addition of sheer voluminous additions. The concept reads well in the original sketches, however the finished garments seem unbalanced and overly complicated. The addition of various colours, crystals, fabrics, more embellishments, and even more textures gives an impression less of the distorted vision of a bad trip, and more a toddler’s idea of dress up. The designer’s central premise of “a reality where vision is blurred by hallucinogenic drugs”, has been lost in translation.
Based on the myth of the Chimera – part lion, goat and dragon – the designer chose instead to combine a butterfly with a jellyfish, with unfortunately little success. The interpretation is all too literal with actual, human-sized butterfly wings adorning half a garment, while the other half features a long, full ‘jellyfish’ sleeve. A lopsided puffball skirt recalls not only the very worst of the 80s but also a dying blue bottle jellyfish on the beach. The concept was interesting – the idea of combining various and opposite creatures; air and water – creates fertile ground for juxtaposition and contrast. It is just unfortunate that in this iteration the clunky construction overcame the concept.
Part of the Body & Identity theme, Balachander’s collection is a cleverly wrought interpretation of the concept that “underneath our skin, our human anatomy is all one in the same”, a powerful nod to the current global reassessment of racism. The designer translates her links to her grandmother, with her age and experiences etched onto her body into a series of oversized menswear garments that expand the silhouette far outside the original body, stretching out with padding and extreme length. Yet somehow, these pieces still look like someone, somewhere could happily wear them. Actually, with many parts of the world still in lockdown, these voluminous pants and sweatshirts are the perfect hide-from-the-world-in-comfort pieces. Using a quilting technique, Balachander implies ideas of wrinkles on skin, or the lines of a topographical map, which is also echoed in the original print in the collection. All in all, this collection is an accomplished piece of conceptual design, that still feels not only like fashion, but like something you could actually wear, and want to buy.
A mix of the Mona Lisa and an Instagram influencer sounds like an interesting starting point for a collection. However the garments created by Latib appear less a “satirical conversation” between the Renaissance and contemporary culture, than an excess of shiny, oversized, blinged up streetwear pieces. The Renaissance references are lost in a sea of snap-on trouser legs, puffers, sleeves and hoodies, with a lone neck ruff to voice centuries of innovation and philosophical thought. The influence of Moncler X Craig Green is also very obvious. What is really a shame is that the designer’s earlier work as seen on his Instagram account is way more interesting, better constructed and unique.
Inspired by his personal medical issue, a diagnosis of Wolff Parkinson White (WPW) Syndrome, that causes random heart palpitations, this collection is one of the more personal. The translation into a series of voluminous, non-gendered garments, however, seems to have little connection. It is hard to see the link between a backless jumpsuit, a cloak of bunched red vinyl and a white shirt with long cuffs as “an abstract form of a journal – penning and scribbling down what I felt when the palpitations attack”, as the designer writes. Presumably the shapes and volumes are how the designer translates his feelings. Whatever the connections, the pieces themselves are well tailored, pretty evening wear for the non-gendered.
There is something very Leigh Bowery and Judy Blame about Xun’s collection, mixed in with current Drag Queen Culture, added to Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons and even a touch of Moncler X Craig Green. The work is a celebration of “queerness, artifice, irony and high aestheticism” that is obvious in its theatricality, shouting ‘look at me’ as loudly as possible. But it is because of this blatant obviousness that the collection works. The fact that the construction is impeccable and, while riffing on the work of other experimental designers, does not copy slavishly, it also positions the designer at the head of the conceptual pack. Xun’s work is unashamedly more art than retail, but that is exactly why it will grab the eyes and hearts of dedicated fashion lovers the world round. Can’t wait to see where this designer goes, and what they decide to make.
All images Lasalle College of the Arts. For more information, and to watch the original virtual show, go to www.lasallesof.com.
There’s a new fashion trend that’s been popping up, first on TikTok, and now it has moved onto Instagram and Pinterest. Cottagecore is a mix of 21st century hippies, Japanese Mori Girl and Lolitta, a touch of the 18th century, a love of enormous sleeves and a girlishness that harks back to simpler times.
The origin of the Cottagecore aesthetic is one that emphasises Western idyls of the countryside, farming, nature, simplicity and peacefulness, however it has also been adopted by a wide range of young people – particularly lesbians – searching for a decorative ‘soft’ place to identify with, somewhere to celebrate all things handmade, sustainable and ethical.
This Soft Aesthetic, or Cottagecore fashion, is inspired by the Edwardian era – both the men’s and women’s clothing styles to be worn by either men or women now – and a touch of grandma style.
What is fascinating about this new style is that it comes at a time when a range of new fashion production concepts are also playing out in the retail world due to the impact of the coronavirus – the slow fashion movement, being locked down and dreaming of the great outdoors, the increased interest in using sustainable fabrics and the ideas behind #buylessbuybetter.
In Australia there are a number of interesting emerging and independent brands that fit neatly into this new Cottagecore trend, making soft, voluminous, natural fabric garments that seem equally suited to roaming the meadows of the British Isles, as they do to traipsing the paddocks, forests and beaches of Australia.
MUSE THE LABEL
Established in 2016, Muse the Label is based in Melbourne and handmade makes everything in linen. The founder of the brand does everything from creating the patterns, choosing the fabrics, sewing the garments and even acts as the delivery driver.
The linen is sourced from mills that guarantee a fair living wage, and are fully compliant with current REACH regulations. The brand also re-uses as much designer leftovers, mill overrun fabrics and deadstock fabric as it can. Muse only produces small runs of items that are trans-seasonal, so that they reduce wastage and can also create limited editions based on available fabrics.
The brand’s aesthetic is based on a love of natural fabrics and being out in Australian landscapes, hence the mix of rich earthy and natural colours. This is Cottagecore done in a simple, feminine and slow fashion style.
Another Melbourne brand also set up in 2016, Revel Knitwear is all about handmade knitwear that is ‘made by women, for women’.
“I wanted to create knitwear that was classic and timeless. Being hand-made, it provides more of a bespoke and exclusive experience for the consumer. A knit that has been truly made for you, with a lot of passion and love,” explains brand founder and knitwear designer Shannyn Lorkin.
Revel Knitwear has five core values that they stick to. The first is Handmade; all the pieces are hand-knitted by a team of Australian crafters who take up to 20 hours to create one sweater. “I gained all my knowledge and skill of hand-knitting from my grandmother Beverley who this label is a legacy for. She taught me the value of wearing something that has soul and that has love in every stitch,” says Lorkin.
Using only natural fibres like wool and cotton are the second core value; and repurposing waste is the third. Revel Knitwear makers save all the fibre off-cuts to be spun into new yarn, and use recycled cotton yarn fabric labels and biodegradable packaging.
Value four is linked to reducing waste, the made-to-order production of garments. The items are all made on demand – which is why it can take 14-21 days for delivery after an order is made. They do have a small number of made to order items during different seasons – like winter – but everything is generally only made after it has been bought. The final value is tied to using natural materials – wool doesn’t need to be washed very often as it is odour resistant, and even if you do wash it, it only needs a light handwash saving on water usage.
Revel Knitwear is oversized, with lots of textural details, fun coloured stripes and with fabulous voluminous sleeves – the perfect sweater to go on top of a Cottagecore linen dress.
Eva’s Sunday is a brand that’s based in country Australia, and again works almost entirely in linen. The design philosophy is based around agelessness and comfort, and of course, slow fashion and natural materials.
The brand doesn’t release seasonal collections as the majority of their items have been designed to be layered depending on the season, neutral shades like white, cream and grey are balanced with darker blues and touches of black, plus additional pastel shades of green.
“We design and release new ranges consistently throughout the year and prefer to avoid the strict seasonal approach to garment design, opting instead for pieces that work well layered up or down depending on your climate,” writes Nic MacIsaac, the founder and CEO.
The voluminous shapes, natural fabrics, asymmetrical cuts and additions like rosettes and flowers makes Eva’s Sunday the perfect example of Mori Girl Cottagecore style
Designer Kate Thornell created Garçonne in 2018 after searching for clothes that not only suited her personal style – a mix of “French workwear from the 30s to the high-waisted pants and gorgeous dresses of the 40s; Harris Tweed waistcoats from the 70s to the denim overalls I wore as a child in the 80s” – but also fit into the Slow Fashion Movement.
Thornell chose the brand’s name for its historical links to the 1920s French flappers, as well as its tie to the Tomboy fashion aesthetic. “Garçonne is [also] used today to describe the modern gentlewoman: think Tilda Swinton and Dianne Keaton,” writes Thornell.
Although the brand originally started as an idea for a small knitwear range, after working with a knitwear consultant and enjoying the creativity, Thornell decided to take the leap and launch as a full womenswear brand also incorporating linen garments.
The brand only produces limited numbers of items using natural yarns like alpaca and wool, and linen in small runs per each trans-seasonal collections.
Merri is more of a boho Mori Girl style with influence from the 50s, 60s and 70s. The designer describes the brand concept as being “born out of a love affair with my mothers’ wardrobe”.
The collections are again relatively limited and once sold out, they are not restocked. The garments are non-mass produced and ethically handmade, with the idea that the pieces will last long enough to become heirlooms.
“… at Merri I wanted to create beautiful clothing and accessories with meaning and soul,” writes the designer and founder Rhea.
Veronica Tucker is a Melbourne designer who founded her label in 2019. Her brand is more like a traditional atelier where she designs, cuts and hand sews all her garments in very limited runs.
What makes her work different and exciting is that she also produces bespoke designs on request that feature her signature use of volume, ruffles and natural fabrics. Tucker’s style is feminine but comes with a polish that adds an understated elegance to her work.
Currently working on her new collection, you can’t actually shop her brand at the moment. As a slow fashion brand, Tucker only produces limited runs and once they’re gone, they’re gone. This also reduces waste as she only makes as many items as are being bought.
Based in Sydney, designer and crafter Liya Mira creates handmade and hand-dyed clothing from organic fabrics. Her style is definitely at the hippy end of the Cottagecore spectrum with the simple silhouettes acting as a platform for her natural dying techniques.
The garments take about four weeks to make, and all of the colours are created from natural plants and other organic materials. Each garment is unique due to the natural and handmade nature of Mira’s process.
Mira designs, cuts and sews all of the garments, making the brand part of the slow fashion movement. As the unique aspect comes from the hand-dyeing process, the pieces are designed to be worn layered for a trans-seasonal wardrobe.
ESS Laboratory by designer Hoshika Oshimi sits at the gothic end of the Cottagecore trend with its focus on historical cuts and inspiration mixed with a focused attention to detail and high quality Japanese fabrics.
Oshimi’s work is hand-crafted in Melbourne in limited production runs using natural fabrics and trans-seasonal concepts. There are no synthetic fabrics or non-biodegradable materials used, everything is made from hemp, wool, linen, cotton and silk. Even the buttons are made of natural materials like shell and horn, or self-covered using the same fabrics.
The manufacturing is local and waste is avoidable by only creating as many garments as are needed for each trans-seasonal collection. The brand also makes special orders on some pieces so that they can tailor the designs personally.
On top of all these sustainable practices, ESS Laboratory also offers a repair service for all their garments. Minimal repairs like buttons, and hem adjustments are free, however they will also do more substantial work like tailoring, large patching and resizing for a fee.
The brand’s aesthetic fits neatly into those of the original Japanese designers like Yohji Yamamoto and Comme Des Garçons, with the same attention to textures and timeless shapes with a unique artistic twist.
Australia is home to not only a burgeoning slow fashion movement, but also to a slew of homewares brands that are likewise focused on sustainable and ethical production practices.
With everyone still mostly locked down across the country, the focus on our homes has seen an increased awareness of what we really want when we are making our nests more comfortable – style and coziness without a corresponding impact on the environment.
ABODE LIVING
Established by the same Melbourne family behind Australia’s top bedding brand Adairs, Abode Living is was set up in 1991 after selling the original business to focus on creating handcrafted luxury bedding in small, hand-sewn runs of sheeting and quilts. The brand produces in Australia using fabrics from around the world manufactured at ethical facilities. While offering the usual sheets and quilt covers, Abode Living also produces its own filled quilts and pillows, towels and bathmats, table cloths, napkins and placemats, throws and cushions and even sleepwear and loungewear – basically everything you need for your home that is made from fine fabrics. The brand also has plans to move into creating furniture hand-crafted in Melbourne. Go to: www.abodeliving.com
DOLLMA DESIGN
Established in 2014, this Melbourne brand creates hand-crafted homewares specialising in woven baskets and bags made from cotton rope, jute, sisal and other natural materials. Set up by two friends Olga and Danijela, the pair make everything by hand from wall art, wooden serving trays and baskets to cushions. The baskets are great for decorative plant pots or home storage and come in a wide variety of sizes. Go to: www.dollmadesign.com
MARLA + CO
For pretty decorative wall-hangings and tassel chandeliers, check out Marla + Co by Melbourne artist Shannon. The pieces are all handmade from natural materials and can also be made-to-order to exactly match your interior decor. All items are made to order and take between two to three weeks to produce depending on the size. Go to: marlaco.com.au
MILK WORKSHOP
These ceramic pieces have an artistic, minimalist style featuring unique shapes and detailed textiles in natural materials. The plates are detailed with beautiful line drawings and match fabulous gifts. Go to: milkworkshop.com
HUXTER HOME
Started in 2016 by Claudine Welsh, Huxter Home offers a mix of pretty gifting products, but its focus is on Australian-made soaps and skincare with unique packaging featuring the work of Australian artists using all natural materials and sustainable packaging. These products are perfect additions to any bathroom or powder room and make stunning gifts. Go to: huxter.com.au
LITTLE RAY DESIGN
Artist Jessica Anderson produces beautiful floral paintings that are the perfect addition to any home. Her works are available framed or unframed from The Artisan Storeroom or Forman Art & Framing, both stockists of more fantastic Australian artists’ work. Go to: www.littleraydesign.com.au
R2 DESIGNS
Gracie Ferro started R2 Designs for her handmade soy candles. All of her candles are non toxic and non-paraffin. Since the brand’s launch the online store has also begun stocking other Australian homewares brands including Kip & Co bedding, Sage & Clare bathroom goods – fabulous fun bath mats in particular – and Summer Salt Body crystal deodorant. Go to: r2designs.com.au
ROBERT GORDON POTTERY
This brand has been around for 35 years making handcrafted ceramics and pottery pieces in the back streets of Melbourne. Robert Gordon was an art potter who was also the son of renowned Australian potter June Dyson. The brand is known for its beautifully finished fine ceramic pieces including full dinner sets, stunning feature bowls, platters and vases, as well as cool items like keep cups. Everything is made on site in the Melbourne factory using their own unique stains and glazes with a range of traditional and modern tools, and sustainably recycling the clay offcuts. This is statement pottery at its best. Go to: www.robertgordonaustralia.com
SELJAK RECYCLED BLANKETS
Sisters Sam and Karina Seljak established Seljak in March 2016, with the aim of creating a circular production system. The brand works with Australia’s oldest mill in Tasmania and a 92-year-old weaving mill in Lithuania to weave recycled wool blankets made from a minimum of 70% recycled merino or lambswool and a 30% blend of other fibres (mohair, cotton and alpaca and poly). After you have finished with the blanket, the brand collects it free of charge and recycles it again into a new blanket. On top of these sustainable credentials, for every 10 blankets sold the brand donates one blanket to the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) in Melbourne. Most importantly though, these blankets are beautiful, super soft and amazingly warm. Go to: www.seljakbrand.com.au
STUDIO TINTA
The stunning hand-dyed bedding by natural dyer Katie Wilkins is not only uniquely beautiful but also all natural. Studio Tinta is based in Newcastle, NSW, where Wilkins hand produces her dyes using fresh and dried plant materials, non-toxic metal mordants, heat and water, before using them on natural fibres like silk, linen, hemp and organic cotton. The fabrics are then turned into sleepwear and bedding. Even the natural materials used to make the dyes are composted. The Studio Tinta silk pillowcases are made at a family run factory accredited by Ethical Clothing Australia, and the silk eye masks and scrunchies are handmade in the brand’s studio. Studio Tinta uses compostable packaging, carbon neutral shipping, and is plastic free. Go to: studiotinta.com.au
THIS IS INCENSE
If you love a scented home, try the Australiana scents from This Is Incense. These incense sticks are created from native Australian essential oils from the coastal surf spots of Bells Beach, Byron Bay and Margaret River, and are all hand-dipped in Melbourne. The brand also produces handy incense holders in ceramic, timber and metal. Go to: www.thisisincense.com.au
YUMMY LINEN
Yummy Linen is a bedding brand that offers a variety of products, but the highlights are their organic cottons, handmade Kantha bedding and bedding recycled from Indian saris. While the brand finishes much of its bedding in Australia, they also support ethical consumerism via support for small family manufacturers in India when they source their fabric. The brand also works with a small family run business that employs local villages to make Kantha fabric pieces. The men do the block printing, and the women do the Kantha hand stitching. The recycled sari fabrics are hand-dyed with plant-based dyes before being turned into soft furnishings. If you are looking for pretty, boho pieces for your home, this is the brand for you. Go to: www.yummylinen.com.au
WAVERLEY MILLS
Established in 1874, Tasmania’s Waverley Mills is Australia’s oldest working textile mill producing fabrics and products that are beautiful and last forever. The brand works with wool, alpaca, and cotton to create artisan crafted blankets, rugs, throws, scarves, and recycled blankets. The mill also uses the latest in sustainable production practices, that cover everything from fibre sourcing, minimising waste and using own unused yarn and to produce recycled blankets to distribution. Most importantly, however, is that these products are beautiful, comfortable, long-lasting and the perfect addition to add texture and luxury to a home. Go to: waverleymills.com
Ethical and sustainable fashion, like all trends and styles, has begun to settle into a series of expected norms; organic cotton, neutral and natural shades, prairie dresses, cable knits and a somewhat ‘earth mother’ vibe.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. The work of Melbourne-based designer Erik Yvon is a fabulous example of design overcoming the expected norms. Yvon uses bright colours, strong prints and unique textures inspired by his Mauritian origins, to create clothes that are joyful, inspired by art and culture, and dedicated to sustainable and ethical production.
“As an independent label we firmly believe in making a change and strengthening our local industry by keeping our production, onshore, transparent and ethical,” writes Yvon. “We are mindful of the footprint we have on our surroundings and try to have a positive impact on the community within our supply chain.”
The brand stocks limited runs of different pieces, and produced made-to-order so as to reduce waste. Yvon also produces all of his products in Melbourne, supporting local industry businesses and working with various communities.
“We pride ourselves on being made in Melbourne and work closely with local suppliers,” writes Yvon on the brand’s website, listing the local businesses they work with.
The Erik Yvon look is an interesting mix of streetwear comfort, and over the top avant garde use of colour, texture and pattern. There is a strong gender neutral thread running through the brand, particularly in its use of separates – tops and pants that can be worn by guys, girls, anyone. The style is also relatively size inclusive, with generous cuts and the use of volume creating flattering shapes for most body types.
There is a touch of the 90s in the brand’s designs too – particularly the use of legging type trousers, tights and black and white geometric patterns. Strong colours like neon yellow and hot pink are softened by the use of more natural shades, but the feel is one of sunny days and parties on the beach.
niki bruce 