Wednesday, April 7, 2010

BEHIND THE WINNING COLLECTION...



Fashion is all about interpretation. Each fashionista re-imagines the current trends to suit their budget and body. Launch Initiative is taking advantage of this creative spirit by giving a design brief to emerging and established designers and letting their imagination run wild. Submissions are voted on by elite fashion media personalities and the public. The top 10 designs are then produced and marketed for sale.

The brief for a Spring/Summer 2010 collection was “Sex and Skin”. Taking their cues from the kings of couture to masters of streetwear, the winning collection shows influences of designers such as Alexander Wang, Chanel and Versace, who began the sex and skin trends.

Keen to show off the female figure, most of the winning designers chose a stretch jersey fabric, making their product versatile for all body-types. Soft and flattering, this fabric also lends itself to being able to be transformed from casual to dressy with a simple change of accessories.

With the brief being all about flaunting the body, the focus in the collection is on the legs, with the designers following the lead of Donatella Versace and making spring/summer all about the mini. Always one to be watched, relative newcomer Alexander Wang can see his cut-out and see-through mesh techniques sprinkled throughout the winning collection.

With risque hemlimes and revealing windows, the collection is balanced with a neutral colour pallete. Many designers used a two-tone effect to streamline the body, made famous by the house of Chanel. Cream, black and navy make these pieces perfect for mixing and matching together or with pieces you already have in your wardrobe.

With the industry and fashionistas everywhere keen to see how designers interpret the Autumn/Winter brief, “Layers”, a limited run of the Spring/Summer collection will be available in select boutiques around Australia.