Meeting Jordan Dalah in early 2018 was fate; courtesy of a mutual friend who thought our aesthetics and ideas would work well together. Our joint focus and determination towards creating without limitations and  for the person, idea or story first is why our designer-stylist relationship is one that communicates possibility. We both want the best result and both acknowledge what that is or could be for each other. The silhouettes that he dreamt are pushed in this collection, and were a dream to style with– the clothing he creates is as much fantastical as it is ready-to-wear.

For his first runway and leading show for AAFW 2021, Jordan wanted to create a collection that saw no bounds from his imagination. Where bustle skirts around the women's body were stylistically storied through hues of pink and red with a uniform of patterned stripes, spots and idealised florals.

A dream show to help create – here, I share with you some unforgettable highlights and BTS moments behind the making of the Jordan Dalah AAFW show and collection.

The Shoes

A second collaboration with Jordan Dalah and Melbourne based experimental accessory workshop @actually_existing. Melbourne designers and sisters Anna and Olivia Nicholas created the runway shoe from up cycled fabrics that saw an experimental hand-crafted construction of a slipper-thong style come to reality in embroidered colours of green, brown, pink, nude, black and red and in a very special moment beaded and embroidered with up cycled lace.

The Music

A music collaboration that shaped the show to be a runway to remember was the talent of musician and producer Mitchell Tolman aka "3NDLES5", who has lead the deeply respected Sydney punk bank Low Life for the last decade and also performs, produces and creates within his own "bass" sound. Speaking to Mitchell on the curation of the show music he shares that " Jordan wanted to wake everybody up, I thought by using symphonic field recordings, Tudor choirs and candy raver elements, I could do something interesting with his love of middle eastern experimental hip hop".

The Bustle

This collection was formed with the idea of a stylistic perspective where Jordan designed towards a final image which ( said image) developed from our previous collaborations together. The bustle skirts were so much fun and seeing the models try on this new and exaggerated silhouette over and over, communicated how elegant and confident this type of silhouette made women feel.