Melbourne label Moss Tunstall’s new ‘Antipodeans’ collection pays homage to the unique beauty of Australian fashion
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JESPER HEDE
CREATIVE DIRECTION BY AJAY JENNINGS
STYLING BY Ella Murphy
MAKEUP BY MEG MCCONVILLE
HAIR BY Shannon Bunn
WORDS BY IZZY WIGHT
“A troubling amalgam of colour, denim and confidence.”
Compared to the rest of the western world, Australia’s a little strange. We’re far away, isolated and somewhat misunderstood (in both a literal and figurative sense). “[Australia] has allowed its country’s people to develop a visual and verbal language that is so uniquely different to everywhere else,” explains Ajay Jennings, the designer behind Melbourne-based fashion label, Moss Tunstall.
Ajay’s new collection Antipodeans is a celebration of – like much of his other work – the weird and wonderful. The “upside down and back to front,” as Ajay says. Antipodeans is a place where the denim is dynamic, the proportions are wonderfully skewed and the concept of ‘new’ clothing is reimagined.
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Joining the likes of local designers Alix Higgins, Posture Studio, Ngarru Miimi and Strateas Carlucci (to name a few), Moss Tunstall will be debuting Antipodeans at Melbourne Fashion Week’s Fashion x Art Runway. Below, Ajay speaks on the creative process behind his new collection.
Can you share more about the influences behind your new collection, Antipodeans?
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Like most Moss Tunstall collections, Antipodeans is influenced by [the] garments and materials I’ve most recently collected and have at my disposal in the studio… [it’s] then been guided by experimentation and research.
The physical garments themselves are by-products of the fashion industry. The shirts and jeans in this collection are once-loved secondhand pieces, the blank hoodies are deadstock victims of fashion, and all of the denim used for producing the vests are end-of-roll tragics. The notion of adapting and recycling is at the heart of the collection.
The campaign, Antipodeans, is like a by-product of living in Australia – a giant island on the other side of the world. [Australia] has allowed its country’s people to develop a visual and verbal language that is so uniquely different to everywhere else.
How would you describe this campaign/collection aesthetically?
A troubling amalgam of colour, denim and confidence.
What was the creative process like in creating this campaign/collection?
It was very organic, both [in] the campaign and producing the garments. It started in the denim womb and grew from there. I started experimenting months ago with airbrushing denim jeans, then dying some cotton business shirts, reimagining the charcoal hoodies I had… then finally, [I had] a strong desire to create a denim top that could be worn in both warmer and colder seasons.
The experimentation process was a thrill for the most part. However, having not presented something since early March, [Antipodeans] required a lot of perseverance and planning; two things I’ve now developed in spades!
The Fashion x Art M/FW Runway features some amazing local talent. Is collaboration important in your work?
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Amazing talent! Yes, collaboration is essential in Moss Tunstall’s operation on so many levels! From pattern making to photographing the campaigns, I get to work with a brilliant array of artists and designers to bring everything to life and collaboration is the formula.
Can you share your favourite piece from Antipodeans?
The denim vest I’ve designed in collaboration with local designer Jack Hancock (Camus Broad Brim Hat, a previous collaborator) is my favourite piece. The shape and fit are flattering and versatile and [it] comes in two size breaks… it’s also the first non-accessory I’ve designed from scratch, which is special.
Browse the Antipodeans collection here.
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