Every year, thousands of Australians make the big trip abroad to the UK, with many choosing London as a base.
Some stay for several months before returning home while others find themselves caught up in the London life and never leave.
The latter could be said for womenswear label Antipodium. The firm was established in 2003 by Australian ex-pats Geoffrey J. Finch and Ashe Peacock and is still going strong nine years later.
The label has consistently brought a unique Australian influence to its designs, often infusing earthy outback browns and gum-tree greens in its designs.
In many ways, these subtle influences shone through in Antipodium’s most recent collection, which presented at London Fashion Week on Saturday evening.
The label, based in London’s funky east, drew inspiration from a world of chaos and the, “natural habitat of the outsider” for its Autumn/Winter 2012 collection called VERMIN.
Antipodium said ‘vermin’ can be an incendiary word, but to the label, “it has a positive, authentic quality. It’s about the way you see things: opening your eyes to the beauty of the everyday.”
As such, the designs showed influences of personal style taken from the street, pristine sportswear, contemporary looks of the young and creative, and sharp clashes of class and culture, architecture and nature.
Models walked to bass-heavy beats in a salon showroom at London’s Somerset House which was flooded with stark, white fluorescent lighting. Hair was worn down at a simple centre part and makeup was sheer – pale skin and nude lips were key with a touch of bright blue and green on the eyes.
The range focused on a palette of camel, tobacco brown, lilac, black and nude with sharp accents of forest green and sky blue.
Luxurious textures of silk georgette, wool boucle and grosgrain – a fine ribbed fabric – were seen throughout the collection.
Designs included hooded ponchos in suede and trimmings in paper-thin nappa leather mixed with the simplicity of sheer print blouses and loose-knit mohair tees.
Pencil skirts also made for key items throughout the range appearing both in mini-skirt length and the more classic knee-length with a small split at the front.
A notable outfit included a pair of beige slim-fit trousers teamed with a soft blue print sheer blouse, finished with a sky blue collared coat and matching suede stiletto heels. The look was clean, sleek and sophisticated.
Creative director Geoffrey J. Finch described his design style as, “confident simplicity, subverted classics and a hint of kink.”
The show was also, appropriately, sponsored by British hair product brand Aussie – perhaps cleverly positioned to remind fans of their unique Australian influence abroad.
To view the Antipodium show seen at London Fashion Week, click on this media.
Image credit: Sharon Green
