“I think James (Jimmy D) and I have a similar process. He will weave different elements into the whole collection—beautifully tailored and really experimental garments in terms of form and how they hang on the body and drape—to create something rooted in a specific narrative yet visually abstract. This season he worked with [artist] Aliyah Winter. The images she created are born out of ideas surrounding the limiting fetishisation of femininity, but also how expansive femininity can be. Aliyah’s designs are progressive and futurist, referencing gaming and online identities, and queer identities, and abstracting these in a really beautiful way. The work comes from an underlying subtext. Yet there’s still a formal play that you can see and visually unpack, and this way of presenting aligns a lot with my interests."
— Antje Barke
Iann An is an artist based in Tāmaki Makaurau whose practice explores the vulnerability and frailty of being human. Her works subvert the idea of a polished, flawless body, seeking to dismantle socially constructed notions of being 'healthy', 'able' or 'perfect'.