From left: Courtney Zheng, Alix Higgins. Photography by Rena Zheng / Bowen Aricò. The creative director position at a decades- or centuries-old fashion house is a dream gig for many, and one that calls for confidence. However, an equal, if not greater, measure of self-belief is required to court consumers under your own name, with your personal aesthetic defining the branding.
Amassing a strong local following for her cool-girl spin on classic wardrobe staples, the designer Courtney Zheng says her family’s experience in textile manufacturing — particularly denim — was a driving force in her professional journey. Zheng recalls spending her school holidays alongside her mother and father in their workshop, and while she flirted with the idea of a career in banking, she instead learned the family business. Courtney Zheng the label officially launched in 2023, with style signatures that include razor-sharp pleating, ankle-skimming hemlines, tailored waistcoats and a pared-back palette of black, grey and taupe, punctured with the occasional burgundy or teal.
Exposure to the nuts-and-bolts realities of clothing production led to Zheng’s “deeply pragmatic” approach to design. “I start with the feel and potential of fabrics, which then guide the design’s development,” she says of her process. Zheng’s “mostly androgynous and casual” approach to dressing heavily flavours her concepts, and she lists a well-cut suit, masculine silhouettes and hardware accents as fashion essentials. Treasured pieces from her personal wardrobe include a Rick Owens gown purchased for her year 12 school formal and a Saint Laurent Le Smoking jacket, patiently saved up for and bought around the same period. Both of those brands have muses who mirror her own: in her words, “strong sensual, and sophisticated”.
Despite her line of work, fellow designer Lesleigh Jermanus says she doesn’t take personal style too seriously. “There’s always a playfulness,” says the co-founder and creative director of the women’s ready-to-wear label Alémais, which was founded in 2020. “I love colour and great accessories. But above all, I have to feel comfortable.”
Jermanus’s personal taste echoes through her sustainably created collections — comfort, colour and a sense of whimsy are all markers of an Alémais piece. Jermanus cut her teeth on the design team of the Australian ready-to-wear brand Zimmermann. For her own label, she envisaged creating a contemporary wardrobe for an ageless, “spirited individual” looking to build their look with “pieces that bring a little bit of magic to getting dressed”. Attracting fans such as Gwyneth Paltrow and the “Bridgerton” star Nicola Coughlan, the label saw Jermanus win the prestigious National Designer Award in 2022. It also scored the coveted opening slot on the 2023 Afterpay Australian Fashion Week schedule for its debut runway presentation.
In terms of Australian summer trends, Jermanus points to the country’s strong connection to the environment. “Right here at home we have some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world and our daily interaction with nature, the ocean, the sunsets, the bush means that we have a more relaxed approach to life,” she says. “This laidback lifestyle influences the garments Australians reach for as wardrobe staples — easy silhouettes, natural fibres, pieces you can throw over swimwear and styles that are comfortable in our hot summers.”
The natural world is equally inspiring to the designer Ryan Morrow. An alumnus of the renowned independent local labels Jac+Jack, P Johnson, Song for the Mute and Commas, Morrow spent years honing his perspective and craft under the names of other creatives. This year he debuts a namesake collection that articulates his own vision, representing “something that has been with me for as long as I can remember”. Morrow the brand keeps to a narrow focus, building a “quintessentially Australian presence” through a menswear range spanning technical outerwear, precision-cut trousers and gauzy shirting that feels at home both indoors and out. Its hues are earthy and industrial, and selected materials are woven for the elements — think Japanese all-weather cloth and specialty-dyed recycled nylons.
“I found myself finishing work [in the city] and jumping in a friend’s four-wheel-drive to go camping, jumping out in the Australian bush and being very aware of my clothing in these two environments,” says Morrow of the collection’s origins. “I loved the idea of connecting them through my design and simplifying the movement from the everyday to the outdoors.”
The collection’s light touch belies the designer’s fastidious attention to detail. “Thoughtful adjustments in width and length can go a long way in giving a piece a sense of ease,” says Morrow, who took the time to pattern-make his own designs, “testing the shapes and design details”.
Across the aesthetic divide sits the Sydney-based breakout talent Alix Higgins, whose designs sidestep the natural realm in favour of the digital. With famous fans including the “Euphoria” actor Hunter Schafer and the musician Grimes, an Alix Higgins runway show — brimming with slogan-covered separates, iPhone-captured prints and polka-dot motifs composed of the designer’s own fingerprint scans — is one of the most sought-after tickets at Afterpay Australia Fashion Week, with good reason. Higgins has the pedigree, having studied fashion and textiles at the University of Technology Sydney before undertaking a master’s in fashion at the prestigious Institut Français de la Mode in Paris and a stint as print designer at the renowned French label Marine Serre. He also has the accolades, including the Australian Fashion Laureate’s Emerging Designer of the Year award last October.
But it’s perhaps Higgins’s intimate approach to the design process that fuels the brand’s upward trajectory, the pieces being inspired by his own wardrobe. “My personal style always bleeds into the collections,” he says. “I have been obsessed with polos and flannos for the longest time,” he says of the classic preppy and Aussie flannel shirts. “This most recent collection featured them quite heavily. I also love short skirts and graphic tees, which have become a signature of mine.”
The Higgins universe is bright, propulsive, Tumblr-style tongue-in-cheek and, like a continuous scroll, ever-extending. With an eventual foray into denim, leather goods and bridalwear on the horizon, Higgins says he intends to “keep expanding the output in a more luxurious direction each season”.
