Even before his models took to the runway in New York this week, there was a feeling that fall/winter 2016 would be a defining season for Dion Lee.
The Sydney-trained designer has been gaining traction in the northern hemisphere for several years now, but the past six months have been particularly eventful – helped in no small part by Oscar-winners Jennifer Lawrence and Cate Blanchett and pop star Selena Gomez, stepping out in his signature tailored jackets and understated evening wear.
By now, Lee’s status as an honorary New Yorker is well-worn ground: although the designer’s profile is highest in Australia – his business and manufacturing are headquartered in Sydney – praise from the American fashion press has been growing.
But with praise comes pressure. Could Lee balance the technical rigour and overt formality that defined his previous collections with his new status as a designer worn by some of Hollywood’s freshest (and least formal) stars? Or would the range prove inconsistent, or irrelevant?
Within hours of this weekend’s show, the critics had passed judgment. “With his show this morning … Lee came of age as a New York designer,” declared American Vogue, before praising the collection’s accessibility. “For all the heady notions informing it, this really was a very grounded collection. Lee could continue to simplify his approach … without losing the sense of intellect in his clothes.”
With his new collection, Lee has both broadened his scope and streamlined his best-known looks, creating a range of elegant dresses and separates that could be worn just as easily on Madison Avenue as on the red carpet. Lee’s experiments with more voluminous shapes and embellished fabrics are striking (some dresses were studded with scores of tiny Swarovski crystals), but it’s the apparently effortless pieces that show real commercial potential.
Lee may finally be accepted in the market he has worked hard to break into, but he says he still feels Australian: “I think you’re almost more conscious of being Australian when you’re showing in other places,” he laughs. “Having said that, the focus for the brand has always been international. My aim from the beginning was to be considered a designer on the world stage rather than an ‘Australian designer’. I hope I’m achieving that.”
You showed one collection in London before aligning with New York fashion week. Why did you relocate and what keeps you showing here in Manhattan?
“I was always attracted to New York on a personal level so it made sense to show here, but I also think that there are considerable parallels between the Australian and US lifestyles. The brand simply seemed more transferrable to the audience here than in London. And now, New York really has become a secondary base for the brand.”
What were your creative goals for this season?
“The collection is about balancing utility with embellishment and decorative elements; creating clothes that are purposeful and functional, yet ‘designed’ at the same time. We’ve taken the outerwear concepts that we started experimenting with for our pre-fall collection and developed those a little bit further, and we’ve played with a few embellished fabrications, which is new territory.”
What sets these pieces apart from their predecessors?
“The silhouette is more sculptural and the fabrications are more voluminous. There’s a lot more movement in the clothes. Simultaneously, there’s an ease and comfort that runs through this collection. We’ve worked with a lot of wools: double wools and wool felts, as well as double-weave viscose fabrics. These are fabrics that I can build volume with. We’ve also worked with a few boiled wools for the first time.”
What effects were you able to achieve by using these treated fabrics?
“Boiling wool creates something akin to a felt – the fibres boil together and open up and become intertwined with each other. We also used baked sequins, which are sequins that are knitted on to a mesh which then undergoes a heat process. The mesh curls onto itself, creating a lightweight, foiled, textural quality.”
What excites you about Australian fashion in 2016?
“Right now, I think there’s a really strong collective of Australian designers who are concise in their vision and maintain a very international focus. It’s also great to see so many designers with very different aesthetics working in the Australian market at the moment. For womenswear, [Perth-born former journalist] Kym Ellery is doing amazing things, [Melbourne-based] Toni Matičevski is doing so well, and there’s Christopher Esber, who I actually went to college with in Sydney. I love his work.”
Is Australian menswear keeping pace?
“Definitely – it’s grown enormously over the past few years. [Upscale tailor] Patrick Johnson has his own store in New York now and is doing such great tailoring, and it’s exciting to see [Melbourne duo] Strateas Carlucci showing on schedule at Men’s Fashion Week in Paris. I also think [Sydney avant-garde label] Song for the Mute has a really distinctive offering and it’s wonderful to see them successfully building an international business.”
Quite a few high-fashion designers wear similar clothes every day. Do you?
“[Laughs] I do, yeah. I’m fairly low-maintenance. When you spend so much time thinking about clothes, you often don’t want to fuss too much about what you’re wearing yourself. Also, when you’re interested in design, you tend to appreciate the most basic elements. I’m drawn to designers that do something very simple very well. Recently, I’ve been wearing Bassike t-shirts and Acne jeans.”
