Day 2, May 4,2010, RAFW - Rosemount Australian Fashion Week

Camilla and Marc
09:00 AM

A brother and sister duo is the driving force behind label ‘camilla and marc’. Although only established this year, the team have always existed in philosophy.

The label is based on strong ethics of tailoring and a firm sense of history.

Since graduating from the Whitehouse Institute of Design in 2002, Camilla was awarded a scholarship to pursue a master’s degree in Florence, Italy.

In January this year, Camilla was invited to present her collection as part of the inaugural Cruise Fashion Week and walked away with the winning prize, a fully sponsored show to launch her label on return from Italy.

Marc brings something different to the partnership. He is a qualified Engineer and is near completing a Masters of Commerce.

The labels initial collection is modest but selective. Both designers believe in building a strong foundation in the marketplace. Quality and uniqueness is the key to the range.


Rosemount Australian Fashion Week - Off-site show
camilla and marc -Individual designer show - Spring Summer 2010/11 Collection
Tuesday May 4 / 9am / 467 Pitt St, Haymarket

VISION OPPORTUNITY:
- Spring Summer runway presentation of camilla and marc’s Spring Summer 2010/11 Collection in Parisian style salon room
- Designers Camilla Freeman-Topper and Marc Freeman
- Front row celebrity attendance of Sydney ‘it’ girls including Lara Bingle, Gracie Otto, Kate Waterhouse
- Globally inspired collection featuring bright colour & print
- Swimwear collection also featured
- Debut of camilla and marc accessories line – Jewellery, Bags, Shoes


Camilla and Marc for Blackberry
Camilla and Marc are making digital fashion history this week, being the first Australian designers to launch a Blackberry application. The application that launched yesterday not only provides its users with Camilla and Marc information while on the move but also includes a blog, wish list section and an online shop.

The most exciting part of the Blackberry application however is the alliance with RAFW with its users having the opportunity to purchase limited edition items as they come down the runway at the Camilla and Marc collection on the 4th of May.

Marc Freeman says of the application, “We are completely addicted to our BlackBerry’s as well as the use of mobile apps and have always seen the BlackBerry brand as an unbeatable pioneer in mobile technology. With this app we wanted to push these boundaries and become the first to offer exclusive limited edition items to purchase during our fashion week show as well as providing our fans and loyal customers the option to buy Camilla and Marc as and when they desire.”

To download the application simply visit the Camilla and Marc website www.camillaandmarc.com/blackberry or log on to the BlackBerry App store. The first 1,000 users will also have the opportunity to access the exclusive Camilla and Marc BlackBerry Messenger group.


Zimmerman
10:00 AM

This quintessentially Australian label stays true to its original vision: sophisticated femininity, strong silhouettes, clever colour combinations and delicate original prints.

Sisters Nicky and Simone Zimmermann founded their eponymous label in 1991. They fast won a loyal following – smart, sartorially savvy women with an eye for quality fabrics and clever cutting.

Maintaining a reputation for being elevated yet casual, confident with a twist of fun; there’s a certain energy and lightness to a Zimmermann piece that you won’t find elsewhere.

Zimmermann present their ready-to-wear collections each year at Australian Fashion Week (May), and the Miami Swim Fair (July) in the US. They maintain showrooms in Sydney, London and New York and most recently have opened a Spring/Summer concept store in SOHO, NYC.

Internationally, Zimmermann has focused on swimwear, which found its footing with the fashion elite. Zimmermann swimwear’s bold original prints, beautifully made one-pieces and sculptural bikinis create a new point of reference in flattering, sexy and stylish swimwear. As the Sydney Morning Herald so nicely puts it,

“If Sydney was personified, she’d be bronzed, brazen and…wearing a Zimmermann bikini, so synonymous has the sunny label become with Australian style.”

The success of the swimwear resulted in increasing demand from international retailers and press for Zimmermann to make ready to wear collections available outside of Australia. In 2007, Zimmermann launched tightly edited collections to the Northern Hemisphere market to great success.

Nationally and abroad, the label receives extensive and enthusiastic editorial coverage and has graced the pages of magazines including: Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, Elle, W, Glamour, Nylon and Marie Claire. It’s also been a regular feature in international swimwear bible, Sport Illustrated.

The collections are stocked in stores internationally. USA stockists include the iconic Barney’s, Saks, Bloomingdales, Henri Bendel and in-the-know fashion chains such as Intermix and Hilary Rush. Zimmermann is also featured on the world’s premier online stores such as Net-A-Porter and ShopBop. And the likes of fashion houses Marks & Spencer (UK) and Be Be (US) have commissioned Zimmermann to develop in-house lines of swimwear with future international collaborations currently in the pipeline.

In Australia, Zimmermann maintains 12 stand-alone stores in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast, working with the highly acclaimed designer Don McQualter to create seductive and dynamic retail destinations.

In 2008 Zimmermann also launched their online boutique at www.zimmermannwear.com. David Jones and other high-end retailers stock the ready-to-wear and swimwear lines.


Sara Phillips
11:00 AM

Using her signature youthful wit Sara Phillips draws on an almost endless tapestry of childhood memories to create collections with a modern, yet slightly off kilter
take on femininity.

After growing up in the industry it was a natural progression for Sara to study fashion design under Nicholas Huxley at the prestigious East Sydney Design Studio.

Following graduation, Sara worked for established design houses Jayson Brunsdon and Saba before launching her own eponymous brand in 2007.
With a rich tapestry of childhood memories driving her and the ability to design from the heart Sara’s collections illustrate a modern femininity with just the rightamount of strength and fragility.

The common threads that draw each collection together are print, soft tailoring and a penchant for luxurious fabrications. The use of deliciously soft suede’s, unique feathers and hand drawn prints has built a cult customer base for the brand in its short lifetime.

Rejecting trend, Sara cleverly balances classic tailoring with fluid shapes with an individual creativity and an unsurpassed passion for attention to detail. Bringing all of these elements together Sara Phillips creates a new romanticism for the modern, free spirited woman.


Little Joe Woman
12:00

THE LITTLE JOE LABEL was launched from New York in 2002 as a wholesale company wholesaling to 80 exclusive boutiques and department stores worldwide. Following three years of success in New York, life led co-founders Gail Elliott and Joe Coffey to Sydney after deciding to further expand the budding fashion label in Australia.

In 2005 the first Little Joe Boutique was opened in Sydney and marked the beginning of a rapid expansion of the business. Today, Little Joe has firmly established itself as an retail based operation with 7 stores in Australia. Each boutique exclusively offers the Little Joe collection as well as a range of complementary labels that Gail has sourced from around the world.

As the company's operations have grown so the philosophy behind the label has evolved. The Little Joe offering is now a complete range of ready to wear fashion, with three collections a year Fall/Winter, Spring/Summer and Resort and a new drop in store every two months. Little Joe, originally known for its gorgeous camisoles and slip dresses is now all grown up, boasting a collection of not only camisoles and slip dresses, but a range that can complete a woman's wardrobe, including suiting, silk and cashmere knitwear, sleepwear, jewellery, jackets, leather, furs.

Little Joe prides itself on its high quality garments made from beautiful fabrics, designed to be worn for seasons to come. This wearability reflects the timeless nature of Little Joe garments, which are true investment pieces for women who place importance on sophistication, elegance, luxury and value.


One of the Australia’s Hottest Designer’s, Gail Elliott. Will launch her new little Joe Women Spring Summer Collection.

GAIL ELLIOTT rose to fame in the 1980's and continues today to enjoy a stellar career as one of the world's top models.

Gail has enjoyed an incredibly rewarding career shooting editorials, covers and advertising campaigns for magazines including Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, Elle and Marie Claire.

Gail has also walked the runways for all of the most talented designers - Gianni Versace, Calvin Klein, John Galliano, Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Ralph Lauren, Gucci, Prada and Marc Jacobs to name a few. As well as worked with photographers such as Mario Testino, Steven Miesel, Patrick Demarchlier, Arthur Elgort, Craig McDean, Peter Lindberg and JC.

As a teenager in London, Gail began modelling at the behest of her ballet teacher. She was quickly signed by an agent and went to Japan, where the 17 year old matured into a professional model, learning to speak Japanese along the way. A year later she arrived in New York and promptly booked her first job with Steven Meisel.

More than 20 years later, Gail continues to travel the globe on modelling assignments using the opportunity now to gather inspiration for her ever growing fashion label - Little Joe.

After a successful international modelling career in the 80’s and early 90’s during which time she worked with Gianni Versace, Calvin Klein, John Galliano, Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Ralph Lauren, Gucci, Prada and Marc Jacobs just to name a few, Gail Elliott started her Little Joe Woman label working from New York alongside her husband, Joe Coffey, in 2002. As a husband and wife partnership the label has evolved so much from the sexy little slip and lingerie line that they started eight years ago. This is Little Joe Woman’s first ever show at RAFW and a host of celebrities & fashion industry VIPs will be in the front row to celebrate & show their support.

GUESTS: Gail Elliott and Joe Coffey ,Samantha Harris , Louise Van Der Vorst , Alyssa Sutherland , Kelly Landry , Terry Biviano , Sandra Sully , Deborah Hutton , Tracey Grimshaw , Kate Waterhouse & Luke Ricketson , Kate Ritchie , Laura Csortan & Chris Iannou , Melissa Doyle , Leah Wood & Jack McDonald ,Michelle Glew-Ross & Tim Ross ,April Rose Pengilly ,Lindsay Rodriguez ,Liz Cantor ,Carla Zampatti ,Kathy Ward – Chic Management ,Victoria Campbell – Lancome ,Geraldine Dielenberg – Jimmy Choo

Sabatini White
01:00 PM

Sabatini White is Sabatini’s premium label launched in Paris over 5 years ago the label has been featured in only the best boutiques and department stores worldwide. Sabatini White has a loyal following due to its unique, directional and quality focused garments.

This family owned business has been operating since the 1950’s, proving its longevity by maintaining pace with technology, individuality and style. Designed and manufactured in-house to maintain both quality and inspiring originality.

Each Sabatini White piece moves effortlessly from day to evening, reinforcing that it’s all about style and ‘love of chic’.

Modern knit dressing has developed and changed the face of fashion, and Sabatini
White has been the leader in creating progressive and adventurous collections with each new season it presents. The white collection is complex and innovative, yet simply elegant. These subtle characteristics also infuse the range with a dose of French charm.

Showing at London and Paris fashion weeks, Sabatini White has cracked the tough European market and caught the attention of key buyers and media alike. Sabatini White has proven that they have what it takes to make a mark both nationally and internationally.

Magdalena Valevska
03:00 PM

Creating for women of the ‘Twenty 10’s’ is the focus of emerging brand Magdalena Velevska. The Spring Summer 0910 collection is a creation of charming ingénue. Coloured with urban, clean, and refined attributes, the collection depicts on a new age of modernism and curiosity. The Spring Summer 0910 collection will celebrate a new decade and all it’s offerings to fashionable women of the 21st century. With slight nostalgia for the past and a yearning curiosity for new days to come, the collection is a wardrobe ritual of mixed provocative ideals. Taking direction from Romanesque draping and combining this element with strong shouldered 40’s silhouettes makes the collection lavish and sexy, yet youthful and modern. The vision advocates a stylish play on colour, print and silhouette that can sustain the dynamic and speed of the coming decade.

Magdalena was born in Macedonia in 1980. Her initial influences were the realities of common socialistic lifestyle and the creative surrounding housed by her parents; mum an architect and dad a musician. Magdalena grew up drawing, playing the piano, singing and made her first dress when she was only nine. Migrating to Australia in 1991 Magdalena realised her dream whilst spending a week with the Zimmermann sisters during the very first Australian Fashion Week, May 1996. She then was accepted and enrolled at the University of Technology, Sydney and went on to complete a degree in Fashion and Textiles. Snapped up by PR agent Lisa Lane (Fast Lane PR) as her pick from the graduating show, Magdalena was offered a year with the agency to help launch her brand. Attention from the media and editorial pages soon followed with Melissa Hoyer from The Daily Telegraph dubbing the designer as “one to watch”.

To ensure future success in her dream career, Magdalena precociously went on to work for designers Akira Isogawa, Pablo Nevada and Wayne Cooper before accepting and integral role with Australian designer Nicola Finetti. Over five years Magdalena’s role in the company grew from strength to strength, working closely with the Australian media, national and international buyers and finally being appointed as the head designer for the Nicola Finetti brand.

In 2008 Magdalena took on a new role as a senior designer for Lisa Ho and worked on 4 of the most recent collections, including Summer 2010, as well as designing the Winter and Spring 09 Third Millennium collections.

Wanting to creatively express her own vision for stylish women of today, inevitably Magdalena Velevska the brand was born.

With a sales schedule launching the collection to boutiques and department stores nationally in early April, the brand is destined for every success.


Women’s Ready To Wear
Breathless
Gary Yang Collection
Leigh Schubert
Sally Koeswanto
00:04 PM


Flannel
05:30 PM

Kristy Lawrence

Award winning Australian designer Kristy Lawrence has always had a definite design ethos and in her new label, Flannel, has found the perfect medium to translate her vision into a signature range of fashion and home wares.

A designer who is happier on the beach with her children than on the runway for her latest collection, her signature Flannel label is about lifestyle, about family, about effortless elegance and pared back style.

Summers spent growing up on the beaches south of the Western Australian capital of Perth, instilled an early appreciation for comfort, for simple luxury and natural beauty, which is very much reflected in her choice of fabrics and materials and in her desire to create a lifestyle range that is as relaxed and effortless as it is beautiful.

In 2007 Kristy began her new “family” business and was joined by sisters Brooke, Anna and Cath, who added their expertise in sales, marketing and production.
The success of the initial capsule Flannel collection combining luxury with casual. Fine silks with lace trims, slips and shorts in embroidered cottons and delicate hand knits in a palette of milk and cream, was immediate.
Two Flannel concept stores opened in Perth in 2007 in quick succession to meet growing consumer demand and were followed by the opening of a Sydney flagship store in the boutique village of Woollahra.

Each store is unique and housed variously in an old art gallery, corner store and butcher shop and with their white washed walls and vintage architectural flair, they reflect Flannel’s chic bohemian personality.

Flannel’s Summer collection was premiered at 2009’s Rosemount Australian Fashion Week where the positive reaction was instantaneous.
Flannel stood out immediately in an industry full of imitation and mass production with its hand crafted focus and attention to fine detail, with inspiration drawn not from following others but from a woman glimpsed in the street, a look, a gesture, a vision.

The Western Australian born label was catapulted into the spotlight after being awarded Fashion Week’s Rising Rock Star by an international panel of fashion designers and judges.

The judging panel were impressed by the label’s understated European styling and high production values declaring “that was so beautiful, so beautifully put together, that we thought we can’t leave it in Australia, it is export quality fashion that is incredible for the Australian market”.
Kristy returned from an extremely successful trip to the US with Agency and PR representation, floor space in Fred Segal Fun and an invitation to show as a premier designer at Coterie in New York.

Flannel is now stocked on the shelves of prestigious stores worldwide.
From its earliest incarnation Flannel has been about creating and sharing the things Kristy loves to have 
around her.



Nicola Finneti
06:30

The Nicola Finetti label was launched in Australia in 1995 and has been selling nationally in leading boutiques and giant department store Myer ever since. The Nicola Finetti accessories are also stocked in Myer. Nicola Finetti has now secured leading stockists in Singapore, Dublin, Dubai, Kuwait, LA, New York and Moscow. Nicola Finetti is the latest label to gain cult status and inspire interest around the world

Nicola Finetti also has one flagship stores in Sydney, which has an established client base that spans through to celebrities such as Naomi Watts, Rose Byrne, Jennifer Hawkins, Dannii Minogue, Dita Von Teese, Kristy Hinz to name a few.

Friedrich Gray
07:30 PM

Friedrich Gray
Ben Pollitt

Friedrich Gray is a dark, brooding character, an atypical neo-gothic hero.
Alter ego of designer Ben Pollitt, Friedrich Gray is the character upon which the label is based.

Friedrich’s exploits form the inspiration for each collection, which is based on a narrative, another chapter in the life of the fictional protagonist.

The dark horse of Australian fashion, Pollitt’s story has been unconventional from the outset. He launched a clothing label with no formal training in fashion and refuses to be dictated to by established concepts of design, rather entering into the creative process with a more instinctive approach.

Pollitt studied industrial design and building construction in Sydney, before relocating to New York. The idea for the label germinated during years spent in New York, and upon Pollitt’s return from to Australia, the first chapter in the Friedrich Gray tome was writ.

Armed with a strong vision and design sensibility, Pollitt started out labouring by night on his label, while working as a delivery van driver during the day for the Corner Store’s Belinda Seper.

Foremost in the self-taught designer’s mind was the desire to articulate something. His starting point was a singular aesthetic ideal of what a garment would look like and how it would sit on the body.

Pollitt showed his first solo collection at Australian Fashion Week in April 2007, and the same year was named the winner in the fashion category of the prestigious Qantas Spirit of Youth Awards 2007. The label’s role in the chronicles of Australian fashion was quickly established.

The label assumed its own personality, characterised by understated style with subtle details.

Cuts are individual and timeless, and clothing fulfils a function as well as meeting the stringent requirements of form.

With an almost obsessive adherence to his distinctive creative vision, Pollitt has created stylised moodiness with his exacting and experimental use of fabric. He experiments with weights and drapes of fabric, making leather soft, silk stiff, and sometimes fluid. Fabrics are selected for the tactile experience of the wearer.

Unusual constructions offer movement and panels provide a strong visual effect. Jeans are skintight, jackets slim-fit yet flowing, and tanks trail in the wind. Sleeves provide an unexpected dénouement to a garment, super-fine cottons are zipped and draped to create androgynous shapes for layering.

Androgyny is a utility of the clothing, not a theme; Friedrich Gray garments are created to push the boundaries, with subplots to be interpreted by the wearer, male or female.

He draws influence from moody music, listening to experimental bands while he works to allow his imagination to roam unfettered. Designing is an all-consuming process for Pollitt, and one that takes him to places of great light and darkness.

Collaborating with Australian artists including Scrapwall for prints, Pollitt also works on an ongoing basis with Think Positive to create the one-off digital prints for his collections.

The designer is preoccupied with delivering timeless relevance rather than a seasonal application, with quality fabrics and meticulous construction rather than trend or price.

Pollitt’s designs overstep a seasonal, trend-driven approach to fashion, comprising of elements of both summer and winter attire for his conceptual collections that meld seamlessly together from season to season. Garments are part of a continual, evolving body of work, rather than being broken up into seasonal ranges.


Alex Perry
08:30 PM

Alex Perry is Australia’s most glamorous designer, by virtue of his magnificent gowns and sensational red carpet eveningwear.
Alex Perry knows how to make a woman look and feel glamorous, and after doing so for over seventeen years, the brand has become synonymous with luxury, prestige and quality.

In 1992 Perry opened his first atelier creating one of kind explosive gowns, jewelled corsets and masterfully tailored sheaths, which soon became his trademark signature.
Perry has become a red carpet favourite amongst his celebrity following, which includes such Perry Girls as Jennifer Lopez, Nelly Furtado, Rihanna, Eva Longoria, Natalie Portman, Miranda Kerr, Elle Macpherson, Sarah Murdoch and Megan Gale.

Alex Perry has shown annually at Australian Fashion Week since 1997 and his shows continue to be touted as one of the most highly anticipated events on schedule.

Located within Sydney’s iconic Strand Arcade, the Alex Perry flagship store showcases all aspects of Alex Perry including Haute Couture, Red Carpet, Brides and the Ready-to-Wear collections.

Perry’s great sense of humour, quick wit and candid responses are “made for television”, and he has developed into an accomplished media personality. His public speaking talents are frequently sought, most recently featuring on Australia’s Next Top Model Series Five on Foxtel.


Ellery
09:30 PM

ELLERY is the go-to label for Australian it-girls. Since launching her eponymous line in 2007 the designer’s effortlessly hip aesthetic is fashion’s newest asset.

Strong signature silhouettes, daring combinations of textures and unique hardware detailing, create ELLERY’s distinctly modern vibe. The Ellery girl is fierce and super confident. Tailored Virginia blazers, slouchy brocade pants and easy-chic mini dresses are the signature uniform of models, editors and style-setters alike. ELLERY’s collections are the ultimate tool in mastering the elegant and relaxed, “Off-Duty Model” look.

Working with imported Italian brocade, lace, the softest leathers, luxurious sheer jersey, silks and crepes, her collections offers serious sophistication with signature ELLERY appeal. Embellishments are hand designed to enhance the designer’s collection themes. The designer’s muse is individualistic and decidedly feminine. ELLERY adorns luxurious fabrics with unexpected details adding dimension and personality to each piece.

Graduating from studies in Fashion Design and Production in Perth, Kym continued studies in Fashion Illustration and Sketchbook building at Catherine St. Martins, London. Upon returning home from London, Kym pursued an interest in styling and began work at pinnacle magazine Russh Australia.

Having started the label Ellery whilst still working on the Russh editorial team, Kym has since left to focus solely on Ellery as she has seen the label successfully grow. With leading editorial in Vogue Australia, Harper’s Bazaar, Madison, Russh Australia, Marie Claire and the Sunday Magazine, Ellery has developed a celebrity fan base as well with Kelly Rowland, Madonna, Theresa Palmer, Isabel Lucas, Jess Hart, Abbey Lee, Catherine McNeil, Myf Shepperd, Jodhi Meares, Sarah Murdoch, Jennifer Hawkins; Lara Bingle all wearing the label.

November 2008, Ellery was a finalist in the SOYA, Qantas Spirit of Youth Award. Sponsored by Vogue in March 2009, Ellery was nominated for the L’Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival Designer of the Year award.