Indigenous Fashion Projects at AAFW The Experience
After much anticipation, it’s finally showtime, with Afterpay Australian Fashion Week (AAFW): The Experience kicking off for five days of spectacular designer shows and events.
Celebrating the diversity and uniqueness of New Zealand and Australian fashion, innovation, and creativity, AAFW: The Experience takes place from 15 to 19 May at Carriageworks, Sydney.
AAFW: The Experience features 45 runway shows from new and notable names (including New Zealand’s Wynn Hamlyn and Maggie May), as well as Acler, Albus Lumen, ALÉMAIS, Alix Higgins, Aje, Anna Quan, Asiyam, Auteur, BEC + BRIDGE, Bianca Spender, Blanca, BONDI BORN, Caroline Reznik, Christian Kimber, COMMAS, Gail Sorronda, Haulier, Henne, INJURY, Joslin, macgraw, Mariam Seddiq, Nicol & Ford, Phoebe Pendergast, SARAH & SEBASTIAN, Speed, St. Agni, Verner, Wackie Ju, Youkhana, and Yousef Akbar among others.
AAFW: The Experience will close with a groundbreaking showcase championing Australian fashion – a collaboration between Afterpay and #WeWearAustralian, an initiative established to empower the fashion sector in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, creating an immersive runway featuring more than 50 Australian brands and giving consumers the chance to see more of the brands they love on the runway.
The Talks (presented by Glenfiddich) delivers a series of informative panels with industry leaders, artists, and icons embracing topics including Identity and Agency: Gender Diversity and the Fashion Industry; I Love the Nightlife: Club Culture and Fashion; New Voices in Fashion Criticism; and On Trend: Key Directions in Australian Fashion.
Reporting from AAFW: The Experience for FashioNZ is Ava Wardecki who will be sharing action from the event, fashion looks, and their highlights.
We get some quick insights from Ava as the event launches today.
What Kiwi brands you are most excited about?
Wynn Hamlyn. I’m looking forward to seeing how his structured, utilitarian yet splashed with effortlessness and modernity translates to the season ahead. It’ll be interesting to see the reaction and thoughts of the Australian crowd – especially Sydney – on this style.
Are there any shows/brands of particular interest and why?
I’m particularly interested in Yousef Akbar’s opulently structured take on evening wear. I think evening wear has been going through a renaissance in the past few years – dipping into more relaxed style territory – so it’ll be inspiring to see his take on the intersection of impossible structure and opulence to cut through this. Yousef’s story of U-turning from the world of logistics into carving out a path for himself in the arts too is equal parts inspiring and intriguing, and I wonder if any threads of this past industry carry over to his fashion career.
Some snippets on the vibe so far
I’d put the main sets of styles into two camps. I’d call a key I’ve noted the ‘1970s Palm Springs pashadelic’ – a heavy dose of greens ranging from lime to fluoro, pinks, all wrapped up in bold silhouettes, long hemlines, statement shoulders, and a few prints that could really give that decade a run for its money.
On the more subdued flipside, I’m seeing plenty of neutral layering with light trenches taking centre stage. It’s perfect for the in-between weather and rain here in Sydney to be honest. Oh, and the classic oversized gamine blazer is still going strong.
We Wear Australian
Karla Spetic
Left: Michael Lo Sordo Right: Cue
Erik Yvon
FashioNZ contributor Ava Wardecki
Images supplied