Fashion Palette worked with six fashion brands to bring Aussie flair to NYFW.
Sunday at New York Fashion Week experienced international guests in the form of six fashion brands from Australia with agency Fashion Palette. An aggregate established in 2009 that exposes the talents of top Australian designers to worldwide audiences, Fashion Palette showcased Australian fashion, which is known for its boho-chic, beachy, and ethereal vibes. Six Spring/Summer 2020 collections hit the Pier 59 runway by brands including Sōnya Swim, Torannce, Made With Love, DEA the Label, House of Campbell, and Portia & Scarlett.
Fashion Palette founder and designer Sōnya Mefaddi of Sōnya Swim sent resort wear, swimwear, and Spring/Summer ready-to-wear down the runway. A brand that emphasizes the intersection of a timeless and exotic aesthetic, Sōnya Swim showed a variety of breezy linens, silks, chiffons, and summer-ready accessories that embodied a sophisticated, Australian vacation.
For a more modern perspective on classic looks, designer Julia Torannce Hemingway displayed a collection of pieces for a true fashion lover. A black-and-white, pinstripe, zoot suit-esque piece combined the big 2019 trend of relaxed yet structured suiting while an ensemble of a latex skirt and a crisp, puffy-sleeved white button-down channeled, oddly enough, the image of a Victorian dominatrix. Overall, Torannce mixed feminine and edgy pieces, which offered a refreshing take on Spring/Summer style.
Family-run business Made With Love has been creating wedding gowns for the fashionable bride since 2013. Their brand ethos is that “our biggest desire is that our brides’ natural beauty will take the spotlight on the day, so we create designs that highlight their different personalities,” according to designer Carla Jenkins in a press release. This commitment to a bride’s natural beauty shined through in their current collection by going against the grain of traditional wedding dresses with giant skirts and excessive detailing. Made With Love delivered bridalwear that puts women first with expertly crafted and tailored gowns—all composed with textiles including French crepe, silk chiffon, and hand-beaded lace—second.
Specializing in tailored, leather garments, independent and Melbourne-based DEA, delivered rocker-off-duty looks at NYFW. Featuring distressed, light wash denim, patent leather tube tops and shorts, founder Julian Ferro packed a punch of attitude with relaxed fits to his collection. Ferro also ensured that his pieces “[represented] a modern gender fluidity, proving that clothing doesn’t have to fall into a category of masculine or feminine,” stated a press release. DEA’s Spring/Summer 2020 pieces were a refreshing escape from the florals and light fabrics that usually dominate aesthetics for the season.
If Gossip Girl’s Blair Waldorf was an Australian fashion brand, she would be House of Campbell. With a mission that “speaks to the leaders, innovators, and visionaries—not simply fashion followers,” creative director Abby Potter channels the gossip queen bee with preppy, feminine looks. Think menswear-inspired blazers over tulle skirts and sharp button-downs or fluffy, Millennial pink coats and calf-length socks with heels. House of Campbell also made strides by displaying its “commitment to tailored, well-crafted fashion [which] means [it offers] an inclusive sizing range, created to celebrate women of diverse shapes, ethnicities and lifestyles,” stated Potter in a press release. The brand that strives to empower women proves that fashion, especially with feminine attributes, can be done while moving into a more progressive and all-encompassing landscape.
Portia & Scarlett doesn’t want high costs to intrude on someone’s evening gown buying experience. By designing eveningwear with unique, one-of-a-kind prints, the brand focuses on the individual and the “allurements of a woman’s figure.” With pieces perfect for a ball or even prom, Portia and Scarlett sent encrusted lace and handmade crystal mesh gowns down the catwalk in a rainbow of colors including lavender, rose gold, and red. At the end of the day, Portia & Scarlett wants to ensure that women don’t sacrifice fun and personality for elevated looks.
