Jas the Label is the emerging Sydney brand exploring sexual liberation through artisinal techniques
PHOTOGRAPHY BY Shen Osaki FOR JAS THE LABEL
WORDS BY IZZY WIGHT
“Design that takes time always has more to offer.”
While Jasmine Ypermachou’s careful hand-beading and corsetry skills might look like the work of a fashion veteran, her latest collection, Feminature, is her very first. Her brand, Jas the Label, started as an Instagram page created to document her design process during her final years in fashion school. Originally produced as her graduate project, Feminature evolved into a refined six-piece capsule, inspired by “femininity and power”.
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Just one of Jasmine’s dresses takes over 80 hours of hand-beading and knitting to produce – which made her recent Milan Fashion Week debut a very impressive feat. Below, she speaks on what’s next in the Jas the Label journey.
Tell us about you. What’s your fashion background?
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I am a 21-year-old designer from Sydney, Australia. I’ve always been really intrigued by fashion and dabbled in textile technology in high school. But my passion really developed when I undertook a Bachelor of Fashion and Textiles at the University of Technology Sydney. I was taught a lot about innovative design at uni and since studying during the pandemic, have expanded my skills through online tutorials and self-taught techniques.
Most of the methods I use in my current collection are self-taught. Though I learnt a bit about pattern making at uni, I had to teach myself pattern grading to be able to create the brand. I was also very interested in sustainability and fashion ethics, which have been a forefront focus of Jas the Label.
How did the label get started? Talk us through the process and the challenges.
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Jas the Label started as an Instagram page to share my university assignment collections and projects. I began sharing my work in my second year of study and wasn’t planning on making it an interface for a brand. After completing my graduate women’s collection Feminature, I wanted to expand the knitting and beading work I created into a larger collection.
I spent around nine months creating another four outfits as part of my Feminature collection, separate from my studies. This collection is really what formed Jas the Label. But I guess it’s still not really a label, as I’m not sure how I’ll be selling the pieces! A challenge for me is that the concepts and designs came first… I struggle to see how I’ll begin to reproduce a dress that took me 80 hours to make. But I’m getting there!
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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The Feminature collection was initially my graduate project. It was inspired by femininity and power. [It] explored the importance of female self-expression and sexual liberation through the adornment of hand beading and knitting techniques. When I started it, I was solely focused on nailing the brief and deliverables.
It’s funny how I had no intention of developing a brand… I am still trying to communicate the above concepts on femininity and expression, but with a strong focus on my own personal experiences and social views. It’s much more personal now. I try to keep a strong focus on slow fashion techniques and sustainability, ensuring the ideas I put out are all true to my beliefs as a designer. I want Jas the Label to be a brand that is respected and desired for the key values and concepts propelling it.
How would you describe Jas the Label to someone who’s never seen it before?
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Unapologetically feminine, elevated sexy. It mixes delicacy and eccentricity with the female gaze in mind. It’s where sustainability and authenticity are at the forefront.
The Jas the Label persona is a confident and assured woman. She wears what she wants to wear and dresses to please only herself. She is not afraid to draw attention, she is proud of her form and wants to break down barriers of gender roles and ideals.
What are you most proud of in your work on your store?
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The Allure Knit Pearl Dress is a piece I spent 80 hours hand-knitting and beading, so it’s something very close to my heart. I think it looks so different, but equally beautifully on everybody. I had the model who wore it in my shoot tell me she’s never felt so confident in a dress. I’ve never been so proud!
I am also so proud of the Exotica Knitted Pants and Glove Top set with the pearl lingerie beading. It was the first outfit I ever made for the brand, and I like to think it’s where this collection all began.
What do you wish you knew when you started?
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I’ve come to realise as a young creative, it’s very hard to start being a fashion designer without any marketing or an external source of income. I was given the opportunity to show my work at Milan Fashion Week this recent September. I wouldn’t have been able to go without working a full-time job alongside making all my pieces (which provided no source of income).
When I left university, I just thought people would believe in my hard work and it would speak for itself… the harsh truth is that it’s about marketing yourself and taking huge risks in your career. I’ve learnt to never compromise my beliefs and authenticity. Instead of expecting my work to speak for itself, I speak for my work honestly and proudly. That’s the best marketing and backing you can give yourself!
Who do you think is most exciting in Australian/NZ fashion right now?
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One of the designers I’ve followed since my studies is Alix Higgins. I think he has such a distinct brand identity, I’ve been dying to get my hands on one of his printed tees for ages!
I’m also really excited about Toile Studios, which I’ve seen popping up all over my social media. The brand’s shape and print execution are so innovative, I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on it!
What about the Australian needs to change?
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Number one is we need to appreciate slow fashion! We don’t need to churn our pieces each season. Design that takes time always has more to offer. I also think it’s quite hard for young independent designers to have a platform in Australia. There aren’t a lot of low-cost avenues for Australian designers to share their work, at least not that I’ve been able to find.
At university, we were told there are plenty more opportunities in starting your own fashion brand or working high up in fashion overseas. As someone who loves living in Australia and wants to see the fashion industry here become bigger, I’d like to see more platforms for young independent designers to grow here.
Dream Australian collaborations?
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One I would kill for is Dyspnea. I’ve always loved their work and I love what their stand for as a brand. I think the sheer and delicate designs would work so well with my skills in beading and knitwear.
Also, a smaller made-to-order label called Poiset. I love her mesh and satin fabrics and the corsetry and shape development she does. I really look up to sustainable Australian designers like her, I think we’d make some beautiful pieces together! And for an honourable mention outside Australia, I would give everything to collaborate with Fanci Club. The most influential brand to me, it made me fall in love with fashion!
How can we buy one of your pieces?
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I’m currently still figuring this out myself! I’m working on an interface at the moment. I anticipate I’ll either be selling one-off pieces I make seasonally or will be offering the Feminature collection on a made-to-order basis in small runs. At the moment, if you have any questions about pricing, time frames or materials, you can DM me on Instagram or reach out via email (linked in my IG bio).
Anything else to add?
I’m so grateful to have been able to share my work in Milan recently and thankful for the tremendous support in building this most recent collection. I had so many sleepless nights and I wouldn’t have made it through without the ones closest to me! You know who you are.
For more of Jas the Label, head here.
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