Following the recent success of their shared pop up store at South Melbourne’s SO:ME Space, Couturing shines a spotlight on the design aesthetic of Melbourne-based labels APOM and Brkich.
Kate Brook and Kajsa Kvernmo hit upon the name for their label while on a plane to Shanghai. Playing with ideas which summed up their design aesthetic, they stumbled across the perfect name.
“We wanted something that is a part of who we are… That’s a part of us,” Kajsa explains.
Thus, A Part Of Me was born.
The current collection “Little Lost Woods” is a woodland fairytale of beautiful, soft fabrics, all manufactured right here in Melbourne. Exquisite paintings by local artist Sharon McCrae, featuring soaring birds and a rainforest, are digitally printed onto silken blouses and dresses.
A soft colour palette of dusky pink, dove grey, and splashes of teal, navy and oyster are woven throughout in beautifully draped viscose, cotton, linen and a touch of tulle.
Described by Kajsa as “mythical Norwegian meets Australian worklife”, the line has an element of fantasy intermingled with practicality, using low stress fabrics like cotton and linen that are easily washable.
APOM place a high level of importance on transparency within the label, ensuring each garment is fairly and locally produced.
“We want everybody to know where their garment comes from, throughout the whole process. It’s really important to know that it was made right here in Melbourne,” Kajsa says.
APOM will be releasing a Summer collection with an intriguing concept that is hinted to be based around grown-up storybook characters.
Belinda Crossley screen-prints fun graphic prints on to simple silhouettes; this season in hues of coral, lilac and chartreuse.
Featuring crisp collars and natural fibres, her design motto is simplicity.
“My ideas are simple. I like to play with colour, texture and shape,” she says.
With a background in textiles, Belinda is a self-taught pattern maker, designing all her prints herself.
“I’m really colour based, and pattern based,” she says.
This season’s prints for her label Brkich are hyper-coloured, distorted patterns based around a National Geographic photograph of volcanic smoke. Bearing no resemblance to the initial inspiration, the print takes on a fractured, amoebic vibrancy.
Brkich garments are all viably produced in Melbourne, using local printers and manufacturers.
Demonstrating a strong belief in collaboration and supporting their creative community, designers like Belinda, Kajsa and Kate help to foster quality production and responsible innovation in Melbourne’s fashion hub.
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