It’s hard to believe that just three years ago, Johnny Schembri debuted his label, by Johnny, at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Australia as part of the New Generation group. Fast forward to 2013, and the Australian fashion industry has itself a designer who literally draws whoops from the crowd at the conclusion of one of his runway shows. Such was the case today, when Schembri unveiled his Summer 2013/14 ‘Issu(E)ight’ collection to an adoring crowd.
In the relatively short time that by Johnny has been on the fashion circuit, we’ve come to appreciate the brand for its eclectic blend of simplicity and adventure, with Schembri’s designs alternating between the muted and the colourful. His latest offering was no exception, with the collection’s palette beginning with white, navy and pastel pink, before shifting to monochrome black and white, with splashes of teal and canary yellow.
This was a playful presentation that showed no aversion to mixing looks, with clashing prints featuring heavily throughout what was an extremely wearable collection. There were elements of 60s mod evident, and one of our favourite looks was a black and white mini dress, which consisted of a single black sash across the front. The look was completed with cheeky flounced hemline that gave the otherwise straight-fitting dress a playful lift. Vibrant, geometric figure hugging dresses and pencil skirts were also among some of our favourite looks from the show.
Schembri emerged, beaming, at the end of the show and with an obvious bounce in his step, only to be greeted by cheers of approval from the audience. Given how quickly he has developed as a designer, transitioning from ‘one to watch’ to one of the favourites in what seems like a microsecond, we think he deserved the adoration.
And the best part? Select pieces from the collection are already available for purchase from The Iconic, so be sure to check them out.
Photos: by Johnny S/S 2014 Runway at MBFWA
Photos by Raynard Tan
