Seven Of The Most Exciting Fashion Success Stories Coming Out Of Perth
Big things are happening out west.
Step out in style.
This article is sponsored by Betts.
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Maybe Perth doesn’t immediately come to mind when you think about the world’s fashion leaders, but this quiet achiever has nonetheless turned out pretty major Australian labels like Ellery, One Fell Swoop, Wheels and Doll Baby, and exceptional clothes ponies Gemma Ward and Megan Gale. In the way that places left to their own devices often do, the quarantine of being the Earth’s most remote capital city seems to incubate a kind of unaffected creativity. Here we look at some good fashion stuff coming from the wild West in 2016, what labels to look for and where to get it.
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Dyspnea
Dyspena is pure, unapologetic confectionary. With a heavy thing for pastel bunny fur, mermaid sequins and miles of lace, this design duo and long time best friends Rachel Motteram and Jameen Zalfen make no bones about their aesthetic direction: this label is part fairy rave, part Japanese pre-teen iPhone case, all girl.
Favoured by the likes of Alison Wonderland, Miley Cyrus and Nadia Fairfax, Dyspnea’s signature silk slips and candied statement pieces tread lightly between the lines of 90s fluff and boudoir chic. By cleverly fostering a close relationship with their cult following on Instagram, the label has an iron clad idea of their customer base and plays to that with everything from the development of their collections, to styling, to their mid-summer-night’s-dreamy runway shows.
Ethel and Leo
Designer Jess Pollitt named her label after her boss bish grandmother Ethel, who was a tailor in the 1930s. Each of her collections, released transeasonally, feature bombastic prints inspired by all manner of warm climes, African colour blocks up against exploding Caribbean florals, Aztec pyramids and juicy fruit resort wear.
Each piece is handmade: Jess designs the patterns and art work, then hand prints the silk in Fremantle. Her designs are high quality, individual and singularly able to drag you out of the depths of, say, a Melbourne winter.
Ae’lkemi
Ae’lkemi designer Alvin Fernandez tends towards timelessly elegant pieces by taking classical shapes then twisting them into contemporary forms. His theatrical garments (and these are definitely ‘garments’ – not your every day body rags) are hand detailed and have a lot in common with giants like Guiltier and Zac Posen.
Fernandez’ previous collections have taken inspiration from, “the intricate style and design of Venetian gothic architecture, with Byzantine and Moorish influences”, and covered themes as elaborate as the Spanish Armada and have graced the catwalks in New York City, London and that of Australian, Milan and Berlin Fashion weeks.
Bhalo
Bengali for ‘good’, Bhalo is a Western Australian ethical label produced in rural Rajshahi, Bangladesh. Their handicraft program is independently run and has 168 permanent, predominantly women, producers. The program has been internationally approved by the World Fair Trade Organisation (WFTO), and ECOTA Fair Trade Forum (Bangladesh). All their staff are made aware of the meaning of fair trade and are anonymously surveyed regularly on the company’s adherence to the principles.
But this isn’t just a feel good label, it’s a look good label too: their bold but graciously spaced prints on natural hand woven textiles are set to airy, Japanese-y designs perfect for a Perth summer, the big shapes and dominantly blue colour palette a neat reflection of the Indian Ocean edging the city.
But it’s the brand philosophy at the heart of the label that’s so impressive, Bhalo has a genuine desire to connect the wearer to the garment and encourage people to make ethical decisions towards the the clothes they buy and even link each garment to a video of the piece being made.
Eldorado
Eldorado fricks heavy with the menswear, supporting some great Australian brands like Mr Simple, Nique and Nobody – right alongside heavy hitters like Fred Perry, Carhartt and Herschel Supply Co.
Like its namesake, Eldorado’s a little tricky to find – keep your peepers peeled for the bright blue doorway on Murray St. They’ve been racking clothes for over 30 years and have a real focus on offering a quality alternative to the chain stores and multi nationals.
Dilettante (Shop)
The story of how a 24-year-old TAFE graduate went to Paris to buy some of the world’s edgiest brands for a store that didn’t yet exist is one that even Dilettante owner Diana Paolucci, years after the fact, still seems surprised by, “I went to Paris with no contacts whatsoever. It was really difficult at the time, I had nowhere to start but I was really young and I just had balls,” Paolucci said of the beginnings of her successful shop.
Walking into Dilettante you immediately get a sense of exclusivity, flip the racks and you’ll find beautiful clothes by Vivienne Westwood, Luella, Gareth Pugh, Helmut Lang, Preen, Ann Demeulemeester, Marni, Acne – on, and on.
Paolucci now travels to Paris and Milan fashion weeks four times a year, attending runway shows, running luxury fabrics through her fingertips, carefully selecting collections and observing trends to bring back to Perth. Nice work if you can get it, huh?
S2 (Shop)
S2 is a shop that looks like an art gallery which sells clothes that look like what people who go to art galleries should wear. This makes it sound bad, it’s not. Stocked with sleek, individually selected pieces by Australian designers like One Fell Swoop and ESS Laboratory, perfectly placed beside international labels Isabel Benenato and Zambesi, this is a place of structure. A pristine haven in an otherwise chaotic world.
The most interesting thing about the store, though, is the small team who work there. They are legitimately concerned with their customers. They understand that for most people these clothes are ones you’ve probably saved up for, and they go to extreme lengths to make sure you’re making the right decision. They’re super involved with styling and assisting without being overbearing and they work closely with the designers they showcase.
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Betts knows that nothing completes a look more like the right pair of shoes, and they know shoes. Since 1892 they’ve been slinging great quality products at an ace price.
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Feature image via Eldorado Perth City by Jed Lyall Steele