Naarm label Faze One is a dystopian fever dream
Photography by Skye Sobejko
Words by Kate Streader
“I find that having everything overly planned ruins the creative process and limits me from experimenting and expanding…”
Taelah Aitchison always dreamed of becoming a fashion designer, so when she turned 18 she moved to Naarm to make it happen. Her label, Faze One, was born during her final year of studying fashion, serving as an opportunity for her to stretch her imagination as far as possible and experiment with her designs.
Faze One is what you’d imagine post-apocalyptic couture to look like – think exaggerated silhouettes embedded with utilitarian elements, designed using performance fabrics, discordant textures and found hardware.
Looking for more fashion news and features? Head to our Fashion section.
With Faze One’s recently released second collection, Series, Taelah has refined her designs while staying true to the label’s signature style and ethos. It’s elegant yet edgy, full of asymmetry and intricate detailing and, above all, never tied to current trends.
Tell us about you. What’s your fashion background?
View this post on Instagram
I always knew I wanted to be a designer, so I moved to Melbourne at 18 to begin my studies. I graduated my third year of Fashion Design and Merchandising in 2019 from the Masters Institute of Fashion.
How did the label get started? Talk us through the process and the challenges.
My label was born in my final year, when I had the opportunity to showcase my work in the Emerging Runway for Melbourne Fashion Week (MFW). This was the first time I had complete freedom to create whatever I wanted, I found this challenging as I was so used to working to a brief – the options of what I could create were endless. I really enjoyed the process of finding my signature style, and it took a lot of refining to do so.
When creating the collection, I wanted to keep things organic and designed as I went. I would figure out a concept, mood and a rough range plan and go from there, as I tend to find new inspiration and ideas as my work continues to evolve. I find that having everything overly planned ruins the creative process and limits me from experimenting and expanding on the original designs.
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?
View this post on Instagram
During the creation of my first collection, I had the time and the freedom to explore whatever I wanted. This was the time to take my work as far as I could and it was fun to explore oversized silhouettes and puffiness, as well as cinching and lacing details. I wanted to challenge myself with new intricate techniques and added as much detail to my work as possible. My designs have evolved to be less costume-like and more couture in my second collection, Series.
My overall handwriting is the same and I continue to add as much detail and texture to each piece. What I am trying to communicate through the brand is a theme of trash to treasure in a dystopian setting. Combining crinkled fabrics, discarded hardware and sporty design elements, with elegant but edgy silhouettes to create an almost high fashion yet distressed look.
How would you describe Faze One to someone who’s never seen it before?
The pieces are inspired by an industrial dystopian setting, with influences of hiking and workout gear that give it a sporty, utilitarian feel. Crinkled performance fabrics mixed with cinching, toggles and junk-ish hardware creates an abundance of texture that give the garments depth and movement. These elements of design mixed with asymmetric oversized shapes and exaggerated proportions provides an overall futuristic look.
Where did the name come from?
View this post on Instagram
The name came to me in the early stages of building my brand. I knew I wanted a focus on dystopian and post-apocalyptic themes, so using the term ‘phase one’ seemed to fit the idea. I played around to stylize it a bit more and came up with Faze One.
What are you most proud of in your work on your label?
View this post on Instagram
I am most proud that I was able to keep my aesthetic and designs away from fast fashion trends. This has allowed my pieces to remain more timeless and continue to be relevant almost four years after they debuted in 2019. In saying that, it is hard to not be influenced by current trends when designing, but I always make sure to stay true to my handwriting when creating something new.
What do you wish you knew when you started?
I have really appreciated my journey of building my own brand. I have learnt a lot through trial and error and any mistakes I have made have been helpful to the process. I found it extremely valuable to have mentors around me that have worked in the industry for decades to give me the right advice along the way.
Who do you think is most exciting in Australian fashion right now?
View this post on Instagram
Emily Watson. I met her through MFW when we were finalists for the Emerging Designer Award together. Her work is amazing and completely original. Her use of colours and texture is incredible and the way she has marketed her work is insane.
What about the Australian fashion industry needs to change?
I would love to see more events/runways that focus on smaller designers. The Australian fashion weeks are great, but only include high-end, established, commercial brands, due to cost and quantity of work required. It would be great to see more runways that include multiple local small designers who can showcase their unique designs together and help each other build a platform.
Dream Australian collaborators?
Ooh, that’s hard to say, there are so many amazing creators. Any opportunity to work with anyone in the industry, including photographers to makeup artists is a dream!
Go-to dinner party playlist?
View this post on Instagram
A big mix of all of my best friends’ favourite songs!
How can we buy one of your pieces?
Currently, I am only creating custom pieces whilst I work on my commercial line that will be available to purchase mid-year!
See more from Faze One here.
Liked this? You’ll love these...
