I’m sure this is the same for most people, but when I sit at my computer I have a routine of blogs I devour on a daily basis. Diane, Garance, and The Unknown are the obvious, but the ones that resonate most with me are Evie’s, Imelda’s for a bit of humour, and of course Kat’s. The latter, the lovely Kat George, has agreed to be Canvas’ special guest editor for our next edition of the Editor’s Pick series. Our choice: relatively unknown Australian designer Carly Hunter who is exhibiting her summer collection with an exhibition at Berlin’s Projekt Gallerie.
Since its inception less than two short years ago, Carly Hunter’s eponymous label has gone from strength to strength. Having graduated from the Western Australian School of Art Design and Media, Hunter has shown her stand out collections at annual fashion festivals in both Melbourne and Perth. Now, the young designer is flitting effortlessly from the West Coast of Australia to the artistic hub of Germany to show her S/S 09-10 collection at Berlin’s Projekt Gallerie. An overnight sensation, Hunter is set to be more than just a proverbial flash in the pan; she is defiantly poised on the brink of world domination, liable to strike out at any moment to claim her deserved prize.
As Berlin sleeps in anticipation of Fashion Week, it can only be assumed that modest punters have little notion of what awaits them from Hunter’s debut international collection. Indeed, Hunter’s S/S 09-10 collection is something of an anomaly, blending conceptual design and innovative tailoring with easy wearability and relaxed ease. This is the kind of dichotomy many designers strive for, but few achieve with the refined elegance that Hunter conjures. Indeed, Hunter makes blurring boundaries look easy, as she ceaselessly pushes the design envelope without ever falling into that risky void of ‘avant garde’.
Aptly named ‘Apollo’, Hunter’s new collection is haunting, stirring and deeply provocative. This orbital range speaks of interplanetary expeditions, and the girl who wears them has an almost inconceivable glint in her eye; she’s traversed the universe and bounded across galaxies before landing on our humble planet. Now she walks amongst us, barely discernable except for her enigmatic presence, her easy, thoughtful silence and those clothes she wears, the ones that fit, flow, drape and seem to square off architecturally all at once.
Like the face of the planets themselves, Hunter’s collection is riddled with textures that have been created by manipulating fabric- draping, tucking and folding form delicate craters where none existed before. From subtly sexy cut outs to purposeful tailoring, Hunter’s garments not only adorn the body, they consume and transform in into something ethereal and otherworldly. Taking its queues from the atmosphere above and around us, ‘Apollo’ is concerned with the interplay of light and darkness, revolving around the mythical notions that accompany the solar eclipse.
The collection evolved from Hunter’s interest in Galileo’s astronomy, Wolfgang Tillman’s photographic series ‘Venus Passage’ and the illustrations of fellow Perth artist Jessyca Hutchens. Influenced by minimalism and geometry, it’s no wonder that Hunter’s collection seems to effortlessly simple, despite its many design technicalities and intellectual shapes.
Words by Kat George
