Sydney label Dallas Hurts creates silhouette-bending, genderless pieces
PHOTOGRAPHY BY FERGUS FOWLER FOR DALLAS HURTS
WORDS BY IZZY WIGHT
“A bit camp and a bit staunch.”
Dallas Hurst’s journey to forming his almost-eponymous label, Dallas Hurts, has hardly been linear. Following a life-altering experience, two design schools and three dropouts, he started assembling a collection from a shared Sydney warehouse-turned-studio. Dedicating time to learning the principles of patternmaking, garment construction and high-quality design, Dallas’ label began “after a year of doing the fundamentals”.
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It’s this thoughtfulness and his reverence for fashion design that allowed Dallas to invert the classics, flipping quintessential menswear on its head. Below, he speaks on experimentation, process and the local fashion industry.
Tell us about you. What’s your creative background?
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I was into drawing and art really young but at the age of 11, I became obsessed with architecture. I started sketching houses until I found Sims 3. Every day after school, I’d just come home and build houses all night. Around that time we were living at my mum’s ex-boyfriend’s house, he was a graphic designer and had a huge collection of design books.
He left when I was 14, so I stole a lot of those books and still have them with me to this day. They formed the basis of my understanding of design. I went to a creative arts high school in Sydney, which really nurtured [my love for design] too. There was no uniform, which was a big deal for me. I always cared about fashion and personal style, it’s been the most meaningful thing in my life since I was 12… since then, it’s consumed me.
In my first year after high school, I wound up in a really bad situation that almost ruined my life. While in that situation I made a promise to myself. If I made it out, I’d start taking it seriously and dedicate my life to fashion design. It’s dramatic but yeah, that was the beginning of it all.
How did the label get started? Talk us through the process and the challenges.
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The following year I started fashion school. I ended up dropping out three times, three years in a row, at two different schools. I was never gonna make it through. I was completely out of control, immature and spent all my time doing the wrong things.
I saw other people around me balance their lives and uni just fine but I was one of the people that couldn’t. After I dropped out for the last time – with almost no skills, a $50,000 debt and no degree – my best friend (Fergus Fowler of Senzer Online) and I started renting a warehouse studio to make clothes.
I taught myself pattern making, sewing and garment construction. This was at the beginning of COVID, so I lost my job, got on Centrelink and just made clothes every day. I left my mum’s house in the city and moved into the same warehouse we had the studio. I lived there for almost two years and every day just became about making clothes and developing my skills.
Without a degree, I knew it would be harder for me to get my foot in the industry, so I started the brand as a way to build a portfolio with what I had. That’s where the label began and after a year of doing the fundamentals, I began experimenting with pattern making and found my style.
What were you trying to achieve from the project at the time? How has this evolved and what are you trying to communicate through the brand now?
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In the beginning, I was just trying to make clothes and put them online, build a portfolio and maybe eventually people would buy them. I wanted to give myself a second shot at a design career and as I recovered and developed my skills, I began formulating what I wanted to communicate through my design.
At this point, the best way I can frame it is a postmodern take on menswear… removing function and historical relevance and replacing them with over-the-top silhouettes and obscure cuts, reflecting the subcultures I came up around. Essentially, I want to do genderless menswear.
I want to touch upon the cultural and historical impacts of silhouette, shape and form and how those things affect the way we express ourselves through dress. What we wear is so ingrained in history… most of us don’t even know where certain styles come from, I want to take what already [exists] and bend it.
How would you describe Dallas Hurts to someone who’s never seen it before?
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A dramatic, exaggerated and reconstructed take on menswear, made for someone who isn’t fazed by another persons’ perception of them. A bit camp and a bit staunch.
What piece are you most proud of?
The Wave Pants are definitely what I’m most proud of. When I came up with the idea for the pattern, I was beginning to experiment with form. It was one of the first times I visualised the pattern before the sketch and exactly how the shape would create the overall silhouette of the garment.
The custom pair I made for DJ Thick Owens’ wedding is what I’m most proud of. He’s someone I grew up around and always looked up to, so it was a very full-circle moment for me.
What do you wish you knew when you started?
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Take your time, don’t rush and focus on the fundamentals first. Everyone wants to do crazy shit right off the bat but you need to understand garment construction and patternmaking thoroughly before you can experiment. Also, don’t compare yourself to others. Just focus on yourself and the progression of your own work and ideas.
Who do you think is most exciting in the local fashion industry right now?
Firstly my studio partner Fergus, who runs Senzer Online. I like what Alix Higgins is doing with prints, what Phillip O’Donahoo is doing with recycling and I love what Ramp Tramp Tramp Stamp is doing in womenswear. Flux 2.0 makes beautiful bags and Diaspora does some amazing work, same as Hilary.
Also, Die Horny from Melbourne is sick. I don’t really care for most local designers who are already established. I think the most exciting designers are the young people making wild shit out of scrap fabric in their bedrooms or studios. A lot of established local designers don’t really seem to be pushing the envelope or doing anything new but I won’t get into that.
What about the local fashion industry needs to change?
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It’s harsh but the world doesn’t need your streetwear brand. There are too many cheap clothes in the world and I don’t agree with [people] starting labels with only the intention of making money or adopting the designer steeze.
I think local designers should be trying to make interesting and high-quality clothing with an emphasis on actual sustainability, not streetwear merch that will either fall apart and end up in a landfill or wind up at Salvos in a few years. Also, do made-to-order only. I love streetwear but there’s a right and wrong way of doing it. Always quality over quantity.
Dream local collaborators?
I’m tryna collab with anyone who’s making experimental clothes in the local scene. All the people I just named before and more. I’d really love to work for Perks and Mini one day. I really respect what they’ve created as a brand and what they represent. They’re one of the only Australian labels I’d want to work under.
Who’s in your wardrobe right now?
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Raf Simons. I’ve been obsessed since I was 14 but only this year I’ve been able to afford to start collecting. [Also] a bit of Commes des Garçons, Jeremy Scott x Adidas shoes, my own pieces I’ve made and random thrift items.
Where can we buy your clothes?
On my website, it’s linked to my Instagram. I’ve had to take a step back recently to work and save so I can reinvest but a new collection [is] coming soon.
Anything else to add?
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If there are any kids reading this who want to start a label, I urge you to learn pattern making and garment construction. Take apart your favourite clothes and remake them. It’s definitely the long way but it’ll work in your favour one day when you can confidently execute your ideas. Understanding is everything.
Browse the Dallas Hurts collection here.
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