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Young Guns
Sharing the limelight with fashion's biggest names at the consumer-driven Rosemount Sydney Fashion Festival, from Wednesday, will be the new generation designers. Here are the ones to watch....
KARLA SPETIC
Bondi Beach's Karla Spetic will be flying the flag for young Sydney at the Rosemount Sydney Fashion Festival this week.
The 26-year-old designer launched her self-titled label three years ago, drawing inspiration from her Croatian hometown of Dubrovnik. Spetic says her early life in Croatia contrasts with the glitz and glamour of the fashion world she inhabits today. She and her mother escaped civil war in 1993. "I remember getting ready for school, when I heard an explosion and, in the harbour down the street, all the yachts were on fire.
It was surreal," she recalls.
Fifteen years on, Spetic's bold designs are stocked in Sydney stores including Bloodorange in Elizabeth Bay and The Graduate Store in the Strand Arcade (which showcases the wares of graduates of The Fashion Design Studio).
She also has her threads stocked overseas, including at American Rag in the US and Cara and Co in Moscow. "Cara and Co have a collection of my swimwear as well, which is strange because you wouldn't think 'Russia and swimwear'. But, then again, they go swimming at below zero, don't they?" Spetic ponders, grinning.
DHINI
Sri Lanka-born designer Dhini Pararajasingham describes her three-year-old label as "high-end, experimental tailoring".
The designer, who is Melbourne-based but has lived all over the world since she was seven, says her diverse experience has helped shape her clothing today. That includes training with a tailor from the Australian Ballet, studying in Japan, and working in London. "It has certainly given my work
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a worldly feel," she concedes.
One of her signature pieces this season is a Deity Trench Dress - a softly tailored number,
using a whopping seven metres of silk.
She names the late UK magazine editor, Isabella Blow, as her style icon, as "she swam against the current and was fearless in being different and pushing boundaries with fashion". Head to www.dhinicouture.com.
GAIL SORRONDA
Gothic Lolita. That's how Queenslander Gail Reid sums up her latest spring/summer collection.
The 26-year-old designer, who is behind the Gail Sorronda label (which uses her mother's maiden name), says her penchant for a monochromatic palette and a strong silhouette will continue this season. "There's a lot of ruffles, femininity and dark romance," she enthuses.
While Reid showed off-schedule at the trade-only fashion week in April, she is looking forward to the public frock-fest. "I like the idea of it being a fashion-driven event for the consumers and the public being able to be part of what's coming out and celebrating fashion," the ex-model says.
Her label, which she describes as like "her visual diary, pressing the pause button on images", is available at Sydney stores such as The Corner Shop in Paddington and Tuchuzy in Bondi Beach.
Festival make-up sponsor M·A·C Cosmetics will daub the faces of ticketholders for free at the fest. Get the latest runway looks, from berry-stained lips to '70s- inspired eyes, at the M·A·C Lounge in Martin Place. Appointments are from 10am to 7pm daily during the festival. Bookings: www.rsff.com.au
KARLA SPETIC
Bondi Beach's Karla Spetic will be flying the flag for young Sydney at the Rosemount Sydney Fashion Festival this week.
The 26-year-old designer launched her self-titled label three years ago, drawing inspiration from her Croatian hometown of Dubrovnik. Spetic says her early life in Croatia contrasts with the glitz and glamour of the fashion world she inhabits today. She and her mother escaped civil war in 1993. "I remember getting ready for school, when I heard an explosion and, in the harbour down the street, all the yachts were on fire.
It was surreal," she recalls.
Fifteen years on, Spetic's bold designs are stocked in Sydney stores including Bloodorange in Elizabeth Bay and The Graduate Store in the Strand Arcade (which showcases the wares of graduates of The Fashion Design Studio).
She also has her threads stocked overseas, including at American Rag in the US and Cara and Co in Moscow. "Cara and Co have a collection of my swimwear as well, which is strange because you wouldn't think 'Russia and swimwear'. But, then again, they go swimming at below zero, don't they?" Spetic ponders, grinning.
DHINI
Sri Lanka-born designer Dhini Pararajasingham describes her three-year-old label as "high-end, experimental tailoring".
The designer, who is Melbourne-based but has lived all over the world since she was seven, says her diverse experience has helped shape her clothing today. That includes training with a tailor from the Australian Ballet, studying in Japan, and working in London. "It has certainly given my work
read on below advertisement
a worldly feel," she concedes.
One of her signature pieces this season is a Deity Trench Dress - a softly tailored number,
using a whopping seven metres of silk.
She names the late UK magazine editor, Isabella Blow, as her style icon, as "she swam against the current and was fearless in being different and pushing boundaries with fashion". Head to www.dhinicouture.com.
GAIL SORRONDA
Gothic Lolita. That's how Queenslander Gail Reid sums up her latest spring/summer collection.
The 26-year-old designer, who is behind the Gail Sorronda label (which uses her mother's maiden name), says her penchant for a monochromatic palette and a strong silhouette will continue this season. "There's a lot of ruffles, femininity and dark romance," she enthuses.
While Reid showed off-schedule at the trade-only fashion week in April, she is looking forward to the public frock-fest. "I like the idea of it being a fashion-driven event for the consumers and the public being able to be part of what's coming out and celebrating fashion," the ex-model says.
Her label, which she describes as like "her visual diary, pressing the pause button on images", is available at Sydney stores such as The Corner Shop in Paddington and Tuchuzy in Bondi Beach.
Festival make-up sponsor M·A·C Cosmetics will daub the faces of ticketholders for free at the fest. Get the latest runway looks, from berry-stained lips to '70s- inspired eyes, at the M·A·C Lounge in Martin Place. Appointments are from 10am to 7pm daily during the festival. Bookings: www.rsff.com.au
Story: Carla Caruso
