I’m with them
Sydney-based earthling Emma Mulholland is signing you up to the cosmic cool kids’ club, with or against your will
Designer Emma Mulholland talks out-of-this-world influences.
There was no dramatic X-files-style alien abduction or close encounter of the fourth kind inspiring designer Emma Mulholland’s resort 17 collection, as much as we would love to have retold that story. Instead, it was a kitsch phone cover she picked up at Sydney’s Paddy’s Markets that provided the lift-off point for Intergirlactic, a star cluster of sequins, short shorts and slogan tees stamped with “Be My Space Baby!” and “Not Of This Earth”.
“I love buying funny phone cases; it was this pastel, galactic thing and I just kept looking at it because you look at your phone so much, and it all stemmed from there.” Add to that a Milky Way’s worth of comic book influences, arcade games and Gregg Araki’s ’90s teen apocalypse trilogy of films including Nowhere and The Doom Generation and you have yourself a ready-made space crew, er, with a “beachy vibe”.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR QUIRKY MOTIFS?
I commissioned artist Brodie Jackson from Byron Bay. He’s a tattoo artist who does surfie-style drawing. We created a few prints together; I wanted there to be a B-52s inspiration so we have a little surfer in a tuxedo and a rock lobster.
AND THE STAND-OUT FABRIC?
I wear denim all the time, more vintage because it feels like better quality, but now I’ve found places that can do the right washes and then vinyl printing over the top so the pieces will fade really nicely.
WHAT’S YOUR COLOUR THEORY?
I don’t like to pull back on colour, but as I mature, things are getting simplified – there are pieces for everyone in this collection. There are cool prints that can tie back with more plain stuff, or you can go mental and wear three at once.
I always love a bomber jacket.
FAVOURITE PIECE? WHO’S ON YOUR PINBOARD?
We had a few pictures of Rose Mcgowan. She’s awesome. Even in the ’90s she didn’t want to be the pretty blonde girl; she just did her own thing but was cool and hot in her own way.
WHAT’S YOUR MORNING ROUTINE?
I have my own studio now and live quite close, so I don’t get up as early as I used to! I have apple cider vinegar, which is disgusting but a good start to the day, porridge, then I get a coffee on the way or make one when I get to work.
SOUNDTRACK ON REPEAT?
We were listening to a lot of Heart People. [Musicians] Rachel Rutt and Ryan Grieve are friends of mine and we got to play a preview of their album at our show. Then we finished with the Beastie Boys!