NEW GEN

Jonté’s Time To Shine

The champagne is chilling, the models are backstage limbering up and Perth’s fashion pack is staring at their wardrobes agonizing over what to wear… which can only mean one thing - Perth Fashion Week is finally upon us!

In its first year, Perth Fashion Week will pay homage to established West Australian labels such as One fell Swoop, Garth Cook and Ruth Tarvydas, plus a small group of up-and-coming designers, who are currently flat-tack putting the final touches on their collections which will hit the runway for the New Gen showcase.
    Set to take over the Perth Convention & Exhibition Centre at 11am this Friday, April 20, the New Gen runway will feature collections by Jonté, Jessica Bratich, Mec & The Maid, Rosie & Broken, Talweez Kaur Senghera and With Grace.
    Though she’s previously created a couture collection for Perth Fashion Festival’s Hyogo Banshu event, Perth Fashion Week will mark the first time that Jonté Pike will present a ready-to-wear, commercial collection, and the young designer is eagerly awaiting her label’s catwalk debut.
    “I’m very excited but a bit anxious because this will be the first time I’m showing a commercial collection,” Pike responds when asked how she’s faring ahead of Friday.
    “It’s much harder creating a commercial collection because you need to think about producing more than just one garment, and also something that more people are willing to wear, but that doesn’t mean you need to make it boring. It’s definitely more challenging though.”
    Drawing inspiration from the WA coastline, the forthcoming Jonté collection features party dresses and separates executed in beautiful fabrics, with splashes of bright blue leather and psychedelic digital prints.
    “I usually like to do something which is quite ethnic, and this time I’m going to focus on the Australian coast line. The collection is called Pearlesque and it’s my Spring/Summer 2012/2013 collection. It will incorporate some of my favourite fabrics – I’ve got cobalt blue leather and gold leather as well, plus two digital prints inspired by the blue ring octopus and pearls.”
    Designing for “fashion conscious women who are feminine but want an edgy flair to their outfits,” Pike has worked tirelessly to complete her collection for Perth Fashion Week, and knows its effort well spent.
    “The two minutes of seeing your clothes on the catwalk is so worth the pain and the hours of stress that are behind it!”
    Tickets for the New Gen showcase and other Perth Fashion Week events are on sale now from perthfashionweek.com.au.