Sat 20 Feb •
Meet Fashion’s Future
What does the future of Australian fashion look like? We asked fashion students which trends and shifts are reshaping the industry.
Fashion has always been a fickle industry, but this year's crop of fashion graduates are stepping into a world where disruption and change are the only things they can count on. Bricks-and-mortar retail has been hard-hit by lockdown; digital advancements are accelerating at a dizzying pace; even the way we dress is changing thanks to the pandemic.
What do the class of 2021 make of this brave new world? And how do they think that our cultural shift towards sustainability, gender fluidity and diversity will shape the way we dress?
In the lead-up to Australian Fashion Week – sponsored by Afterpay for the first time – we spoke to a range of fashion students and graduates about how they see the future of fashion, and which trends and social shifts are reshaping the world as we know it.
"One of my favourite aspects of the Australian fashion industry is how designers [now] embrace sustainability… and it’s crucial. What’s the point of creating beautiful fashion for a world that doesn’t exist?"
- Thomas Anderson, a recent graduate of TAFE NSW
The shift to sustainability.
For Shanni, who is studying fashion at UTS in Sydney, one of the biggest changes in the fashion industry is the move away from fast fashion towards sustainability. ‘There’s been a shift in mindset,’ says Shanni. ‘A lot of designers are moving towards more sustainable practices, using local production and showcasing the behind-the-scenes processes.’
‘Sustainability is really important to me,’ she says, adding that it’s a concern that many of her fellow students share. Today, most students study sustainability at design school, and after learning about the industry’s enormous environmental impact (millions of tonnes of garments end up in landfill every year), many enter the industry determined to make change.
Thomas Anderson, a recent graduate of TAFE NSW, agrees, adding that there are promising signs the industry is transforming. ‘One of my favourite aspects of the Australian fashion industry is how designers [now] embrace sustainability… and it’s crucial. What’s the point of creating beautiful fashion for a world that doesn’t exist?’
Both agree that local production, transparent production processes, made-to-order fashion and the use of natural fibres like wool will become increasingly important to the future of Australian fashion.
The rise in gender fluidity.
For Thomas, another important shift is the move towards gender fluidity.
With fashion shows increasingly featuring non-binary and transgender models, and designers like JW Anderson and Australia’s Dion Lee creating gender-neutral clothing, Thomas believes that Australian fashion will only become more inclusive.
‘Gender-fluid fashion has definitely had the taboo removed from it,’ he says, adding the rise of gender-fluid fashion reflects the steady progress of LGBTQIA+ rights worldwide.
Eventually, Thomas hopes to run his own fashion label. ‘Ultimately, I’d like to own my own womenswear and menswear brand, but move beyond those labels and just have my own brand.’
If there was ever a time to embrace change, he believes that it’s now. ‘These times – with Covid-19 – are unprecedented, and there’s an opportunity to create an extremely inclusive narrative.’
Why technology and social media matters.
Ask any fashion student where they get their fashion inspiration, and it’s likely that the subject of social media will come up. ‘I get all my inspiration online,’ confirms Grace Laycock, who is studying business and fashion at The Fashion Institute in Sydney, while also running her own sustainable swimwear brand and working as a digital marketing executive for fashion brands.
Grace believes that social media is reshaping the fashion business landscape, with designers and brands increasingly viewing social media as both their primary sales channel and their main marketing tool. ‘Social media is the way consumers interact with fashion businesses. It’s the way some fashion businesses start and grow.’
But even as social media lowers the barrier to entry for smaller fashion brands, other technological innovations are democratising the industry for consumers, too.
Shanni is especially interested in the way that fashion, and especially fashion shows, are becoming more accessible, thanks to digital technology. ‘It’s really exciting being in the fashion industry right now. It’s interesting to see how people showcase fashion differently, and digitally.’
A celebration of individuality.
Shanni believes that at its heart, fashion is a form of storytelling, and that in the future a wider variety of stories will be told.
UTS student Avrocina Ayoub says that as an Australian-Egyptian teenager, she rarely saw women who looked like her in fashion campaigns. ‘Growing up all I saw were Australian models with the typical blonde hair, blue eyes and fair skin – which is beautiful, but nothing I could relate to.’
In the early days of her fashion degree, she worried that her cultural background might be a liability. ‘I didn’t know whether I would make it in the fashion industry because I was bringing something different, and I didn’t know whether people would receive that openly. I was quite insecure about it.’
And today? ‘I’m owning it and embracing it,’ says Avrocina, who believes that the Australian fashion industry is increasingly celebrating individualism and diversity. ‘I feel excited about entering the Australian fashion industry right now.’
