Australian designer keen to study consumer taste in China
While Australian fashion brands do not have much exposure in China as yet when compared with those from the United States and Europe, some of the country’s designers are getting noticed here with their distinctive style.
Toni Maticevski, a top emerging designer from Australia, made his debut in Beijing in November, in collaboration with multibrand fashion boutique Lane Crawford.
The store also introduced Kym Ellery, another Australian designer, to China last year.
Known for his masterful interpretation of classic sil- houettes, Maticevski’s 2016 fall/winter collection is a combination of punk-androck style with feminine, seductive elements. The collection highlights gowns and dresses in black, white and grey tones for the upcoming festive season.
Born in 1977, Maticevski studied at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. He then worked for Donna Karan and Cerruti before founding his own brand in 1999.
The label has been a fixture at fashion weeks in both Aus- tralia and New York.
His followers include style icons Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid.
For Maticevski, the process of design varies with the season.
Sometimes he starts with fabric and sometimes the sketches come first.
He says his top influencers are his close friends, customers and his mother.
“They give me real and strong inspiration in terms of style and attitude.
“They are the people who really perform for me … It is about how they want to feel and things they want to show,” he says.
The brand has been actively seeking an international presence, marketing itself in Britain, the US and Middle East.
The fact that consumers in different regions wear the same pieces differently is also a source of inspiration for the designer.
“For me, it’s not about balancing markets, it is about connecting with their (customers) desires,” he says.
Although Maticevski does not have immediate business plans in China, he says he is fascinated by the country’s heritage and wants to return to explore opportunities here.
“I want to do more research and find out things not just for my company, but for my own inspiration. It is nice to learn about their (the customers) preferred styles.”