I'll just say it. As much as I love the big budget affairs of established designers, there's something special about witnessing a fashion week debut. Not all the designers new to AAFW are new to the fashion industry itself. In fact, it takes years to build up to your own show. But seeing newcomers on the schedule always stokes my excitement. It's the "go big or go home" attitude. It's making the most of whatever resources you can muster. It's the determination to take up space. All these variables, at least in my mind, is what gives fashion its energy.
At AAFW in 2023, that fresh blood came in the form of labels like Youkhana, Verner, Caroline Reznik, Wackie Ju and Speed. Although the former presented its first collection, a series of handwoven 'One Of' pieces sent out on a truly diverse cast of models, the latter four designers are due to debut during the second half of AAFW. While we wait to see what they have in store, RUSSH caught up with Nathaniel Youkhana, Ingrid Verner, Caroline Reznik, Jackie Wu and Alvi Chung of Speed. We'd introduce you to them, but we'll let them do so in their own words, below. These are the new kids on the block. Are you ready for them?
Nathaniel Youkhana of Youkhana
Describe your label in three words…
Unique, empowering, individual.
This is your first time showing at AAFW. How are you feeling?
I have to admit, I'm feeling a mixture of nerves and excitement, but I’m very ready. I’ve waited for this moment for quite some time. I’ve poured my heart and soul into honing my craft and drawing inspiration from every professional and personal experience along the way. Timing is everything, and I truly believe that I'm exactly where I'm meant to be right now, ready to showcase my most personal collection yet at Afterpay Australian Fashion Week. I'm so grateful for the journey that has brought me here, and I can't wait to see where it takes me next.
Where was your head at while designing this collection? How do you think this translates into the final result?
My aspiration of having a runway show has finally materialised, and this collection feels akin to my very first. It is an embodiment of my identity as a designer, meticulous and 100% me. After participating in Melbourne Fashion Festival and successfully collaborating with Jordan Gogos in 2022, I was deeply inspired by that group of like-minded creatives. Being immersed in that space with them genuinely gave me the push I needed to make some serious design changes, which you’ll see at my debut AAFW runway.
Who are your muses for this collection?
I draw a lot of inspiration from the people I surround myself with. I find that their personalities and unique characteristics often inform my designs. Sometimes it's a particular colour that resonates with me and I think it would make that person shine. I really respect, admire and appreciate the people in my life, and I approach my design process with them in mind. It's important to me to create something that is not only beautiful, but also suits the person who will wear it.
What has been the most challenging part of your debut?
The most challenging part of debut has been learning that I need to be in control, and sometimes it’s important for me to step back and ask for help! I’m consistently learning something new every day, including the fact that it’s okay to not have the answers for everything. It’s super normal and not a character fault or a reflection on who I am as a person.
Whether it’s producing, music, casting, or dealing with hundreds of emails – as a sole business owner, you tend to make mistakes. It’s a lot to juggle working on your own label, working part-time, being a good son, brother, friend and lover, while being inclusive to all types of people who appreciate and acknowledge your work.
You can’t juggle it all which has been a very humbling experience.
Do you have a favourite piece?
There are so many that I’m fond of. They all have such a personal meaning to me. However, the first design that is special to me is the one I created in May last year. It’s a gold, cream and white corseted-design, with a headpiece to match, that has hundreds of circular, hand stitched braids. It was the piece that truly pushed me to keep one-upping myself in order to continue elevating my work.
Any last words?
You’re welcome.
Ingrid Verner of Verner
Describe your label in three words…
Bright, honest, original.
This is your first time showing at AAFW. How are you feeling?
I’m feeling super grateful for the opportunity to share my work with a wider audience. I’ll be excited to see the collection with new context.
Where was your head at while designing this collection? How do you think this translates into the final result?
I started by decoding the concept of resort wear, thinking about dress in relation to climate and environment. I explored references to disassembled Australian kitsch and the luxury connotations of resort wear.
Who are your muses for this collection?
Carol Jerrems, Ray Petri and Emilio Pucci.
What has been the most challenging part of your debut?
Being organised – as a creative person I struggle with order.
Do you have a favourite piece?
The dresses that incorporate swimwear into an eveningwear context.
Any last words?
Thank you to the team that’s supported me with this show and to my beautiful family and friends.
Alvi Chung of Speed
Describe your label in three words…
Spiritual, exploratory and resilient.
This is your first time showing at AAFW. How are you feeling?
I'm very excited to finally share the story of Speed. Tears of the Oasis has been an amazing journey of community, emotion, tranquility and chaos.
Where was your head at while designing this collection? How do you think this translates into the final result?
My head was in a sacred tropical oasis with artificial elements that have been incorporated with the melancholy disruption that humanity brings to the nature. I wanted Tears of the Oasis to prompt hope for an alternative ideal society in which regeneration is at the centre of our values.
Who are your muses for this collection?
The muses to my collection are the everyday people around me who I see “hustling”. I was also very happy with the casting for my runway as I wanted to ensure the characters of Speed were authentic and every model were just being themselves; fierce, confident and resilient.
What has been the most challenging part of your debut?
Funding and sponsorship has proven to be quite a challenge however it has enabled me to push the creative boundaries.
Do you have a favourite piece?
A white cactus leather shirt.
Any last words?
Hope you enjoy the show! Xxx
Jackie Wu of Wackie Ju
Describe your label in three words...
Liberty, sarcastic, sleek.
This is your first time showing at AAFW. How are you feeling?
We are very excited to debut our long waited couture collection. It has been a roller coaster journey and we're hoping the world enjoys and receives the messages from the deep layers of this collection. By presenting some stereotypical postmodernist human characters down the runway, Summer Fade collection takes an optimistic and humorous approach to romanticise the grief and the inevitable deterioration of the capitalist system. We hope the show creates an immersive space for storytelling that leave the audience with strong emotions.
Where was your head at while designing this collection? How do you think this translates into the final result?
This collection has been in the works since the 2020 covid lockdown era. The designs have elevated and shifted with more insights and development on the criticism towards the capital-centric post modernist lifestyle.
Down to the construction details and design features of each look, we have inserted subtle elements to create nuanced images of toxic relationships that symbolise the conflict of our co-existing relationship between the sociological system and postmodernist human.
Who are your muses for this collection?
Postmodernist human stereotype. Toxic masculinity and femininity.
What has been the most challenging part of your debut?
Being so new to the game, the logistics side of bringing our production alive has been the most challenging. As an emerging label, it truly has been difficult to navigate sponsorship-related financial support. We are confident in our creations however funding within the fashion industry always seem to go towards more commercialised practices instead of creative-centric practices, especially for emerging designers.
Do you have a favourite piece?
My favourite piece would be the deconstructed silk habotai scarf dress with a beaded harness look named Malicious Betrayal. This look is a sentimental piece and shows a glamorised understanding of the extreme side of a toxic relationship.
Any last words?
I dedicate WACKIE JU to the queer community, the trans community, the non-English speaking migrant community.
Caroline Reznik
Describe your label in three words...
Feminine, daring, emotive.
This is your first time showing at AAFW. How are you feeling?
I have mixed emotions, some heightened with happiness and longing to see it all through, and at times I'm frightened. I naturally have this feeling of fear sticking with me every time I initiate something new and grow in any way, and I get in my own head a lot.
I do remind myself that I was once told that fear means you are toeing the line to great things. So, I tend to get to this point and find comfort in the words of encouragement that mentors have given me.
Where was your head at while designing this collection? How do you think this translates into the final result?
My head was in many places to begin with. Sometimes it was simply a weird sign that showed up during moments in my life over the past year. There was a mixture of looking inward and at my past with the correlation of dance, its significance in history and the retrospect of how times have changed since then and plugging in the importance of where that stands for me now. The moments looking outwards, the awareness of what is happening around us. The chaos, the hard times, and generally a sense of people still seeking peace and belonging globally.
This is all translated through themes in music, movement, and the lighting in the room. The clothes represent the aftermath. And the anchor in the synergy of it all is uniting the pieces through my understanding in dance, and how a story can be portrayed via an artform which is fashion.
Who are your muses for this collection?
Strangely enough, myself. Not as a complete reflection of me, but in the sense that to imagine any work, it feels personal before it becomes open to global perspectives. Once I find common ground within myself and how I view something, I then take those ideas as a catalyst to find synergies within real/other worlds. And then the muses become an array of feminine energies that represent that.
What has been the most challenging part of your debut?
Definitely making time for the people closest to me in my personal life. It is very hard to provide the same level of attention when I am deep in my work. And I feel that is the most challenging part I face as I get closer to my debut.
Do you have a favourite piece?
No, haha. I enjoy the process of making more than I do just looking at something when it’s finished. The favoured piece is in the memory of the craft and due to that it feels the same for every garment.
Any last words?
Simply, gratitude.
Images: @carolinereznik @thisisverner @alvi_chung
