I have been waiting, waiting, waiting to write this post. And considering I’m not the most patient person this obviously is something I am very excited to talk about. I first came across Brisbane designer Jess Chatterton of the label Lubanci maybe six months ago. A friend of mine who is a buyer for a local boutique managed to wrangle some artwork from Jess’ final year fashion assignment. I don’t know how, I couldn’t care how because from her fashion illustrations alone it took me about a second to fall head first for her ideas of fashion. How could I find her? She kind of remained elusive, no MySpace or Facebook sites to speak of (and without SM sites you kind of feel lost to the more archaic ways of tracking down a person), until we accidentally bumped into each other at a local fashion festival. She looked romantic and beautiful, adorned head to toe in her soft, fairy-like designs. We did the exchange of details and have kept in contact over the last months while I waited (patiently) for her look book to come through.
In the meantime, Jess filled me in a little on Lubanci. Perhaps it was because I was so in awe of the clothes, but I now realise that my questions read like an awkward first-date.
CANVAS: Is this your first collection under the label Lubanci?
Lubanci: Yes, this is the first official collection for Lubanci.
Such an interesting name. Where does Lubanci originate from?
The name originated a few years ago as I was reading an article describing the nature and rituals of clan communities around the world. Throughout the report it highlighted significant trends and ideal’s between the clans, like that of the fashion industry and from this the label Lubanci was created…
What ideas transpired through the collection?
Earlier in the year I was traveling around the snow-covered countryside of Sweden, and was transfixed by the monotone landscapes; the light and softness appearing from the endless darkness, the floating of the ice covered snow flake and this bare silence that penetrated over the frozen lakes. It gave me this desire to create a collection that played with the floating, mythical, sinister nature of purity.
Your lines are very fluid and soft – is this a reflection of your own style? Or do you have someone different in mind when you are designing?
It is mostly a reflection of my style and the feeling I want to portray through my label. This summer, I felt I needed to delve into a more mythical and monotone look that expresses hints of innocence, purity and escapism.
See what I mean? I love the way she mixes leather with the soft mesh tones. The collection is far more replete than what I’ve shown here, working feathers and florals in both black and white into the range, but I’m completely enamoured with the nude. I don’t have exactly the same figure as this model but I am working hard at making the soft skater-style dress (shot number two) work for me this summer. And seeing as though this is only her first collection I have big expectations for what’s to come from Lubanci in the following seasons.
