Hey, I Like Your Style! Inside the wardrobe of Sydney-based designer, Alix Higgins

“I can’t really wear a completely new outfit, I feel ridiculous.”

We know personal style is a journey (I’m looking at you, Tumblr years), so we’ve introduced a new series Hey, I Like Your Style!, diving into the fashion psyche of our favourite creatives. We’re talking the good, the bad and the 2007.

While the internet has made our fashion icons feel closer than ever before, even the most effortless of outfits came from a closet with some (well-dressed) skeletons. Clickable product tags, photo archives and lives chronicled in 30-second clips just don’t tell the full story.

For more fashion news, shoots, articles and features, head to our Fashion section.

These are the stories behind the wardrobes, exploring how we develop our own personal style. There’s a brilliance behind the way we choose to express ourselves and at FJ, we know every outfit has a story. As an official media partner of this year’s Afterpay Australian Fashion Week, Fashion Journal is spotlighting some of the local creatives who feature in this year’s jam-packed program.

This week, we’re delving into the personal style journey of Sydney-based designer, Alix Higgins. Alix’s eponymous label is known for its digital prints, hyper-sunset colour palette and signature sans serif font, spelling words like ‘fairy’, ‘future’ and ‘immortal’. But in his personal wardrobe, Alix is all about “fun, easy things”, with a focus on high-quality pieces and beautiful fabrications. In the lead-up to Afterpay Australian Fashion Week, Alix speaks on his favourite designers, his style evolution and why he’ll never wear skinny jeans again.

Who are you and what do you like to wear?

My name is Alix Higgins and I like to wear fun, easy things. I love Ghesquiere Balenciaga, JW Anderson, Levi’s, RM Williams, black shoes with white socks and mini skirts.

What has your style evolution looked like? Do you feel like you’ve gained confidence in the way you dress?

Hmm… I was always pretty confident I guess, but it’s definitely evolved since my time in Paris where I mostly wore this one wolf-fur coat I found in a vintage store and skirts from Vetements, Prada and Balenciaga from The RealReal.

Personal style is a journey. Have you ever felt like you needed to fit into a particular fashion box?

I remember when I first started studying Fashion at UTS (University of Technology, Sydney) I really, really, really wanted to be rich. Like, absurdly rich. I had some classmates from Vaucluse or wherever and alongside them in my old T-shirts, school shoes and Uniqlo, I felt like trash.

I quickly got over this. Now my style is mostly made up of vintage or secondhand pieces and designer… mixed with newer things. I can’t really wear a completely new outfit, I feel ridiculous.

Take us back to those awkward teenage years. Do you have any fashion regrets?

When I was a teenager, I definitely dressed terribly but I don’t have regrets as such. I would never wear skinny jeans again. But other than that, the biggest change is just looking for and appreciating well-made clothing, beautiful fabrics [and] things that will last or that will age beautifully. I wore a lot of fast fashion when I was younger which I will never do now.

What are the most expensive and least expensive items in your wardrobe?

The most expensive item in my wardrobe is a Loewe Oro Suede Amazona Bag, which was a gift from some friends of mine, one of which worked at Loewe at the time. It’s super, super beautiful and delicate, a really classic shape that makes me feel old and powerful.

The least expensive item in my wardrobe is hard to define, I have a lot lot lot of cheap things. I have a beautiful gold necklace with a rabbit on it that is often mistaken for Alessandro’s Gucci (which I love) but was $1 from a Salvos down on the South Coast.

What is the most meaningful fashion piece you own?

The most meaningful fashion piece I own is a grey T-shirt with a super hot pink screen printed logo and text that says ‘Buzz Blocks, the adult ice block with attitude’. It’s an heirloom/piece of merch from a small family business my father and uncles worked on. It’s falling apart further every day but it’s really special to me.

What fashion piece are you saving for right now?

There’s very little on my wishlist at the moment. I’m on a self-imposed shopping ban, just funnelling all of my money into my brand. My idea is if I want something I just have to make it… but at present, I dream about everything by Patrick Carroll, Clare Wigney’s China Heights merch, the Balenciaga Technoclog and all of the knitwear from my next collection.

What are the wardrobe items you wear on repeat?

At the moment… I’m wearing blue Asics trainers that say ‘Paris’ on the side, Acne black suit shorts, a blown glass bead bracelet I bought in Tasmania, a ring from Seb Brown, small crushed silver Balenciaga earrings and an Alix Higgins hoodie, [which was] look three from the last show.

Who are your favourite local designers?

My favourite local designers are Amy Crookes, Jordan Dalah, Max Thomas Sanderson, Loki Patera and All Is a Gentle Spring.

Get your tickets to see Alix Higgins on the Afterpay Australian Fashion Week #WeWearAustralian x Afterpay runway here.