Designers Dylan Martin and Talia Allerby from 404AM. Images supplied.
Dylan Martin and Talia Allerby are the co-founders of new label 404AM which launched online this month. Together they created a conceptual brand that reflects their values of authenticity and integrity while offering pieces that are sustainably and ethically made. As part of their ethos, 404AM’s first collection offers just eight pieces that are designed to last and are made in limited numbers. This allows them to minimise waste and manufacture locally as much as possible.
We caught up with Dylan and Talia to find out more about their brand, what inspires them and what you would never catch them wearing!
Tell us about your latest collection?
Dylan: Titled “BOUND BY CHAOS” it was conceptualised around the idea of our current world state. A time of revolt and revolution, a cultural shift in social thought. Our generation has begun questioning the things we’ve been living with for so long, hierarchies, relic beliefs and corrupt systems. Through this time, the world and particularly the younger generation has bound forces and banded together in seemingly ‘chaos and destruction’. An ode to the modern metaphoric war of change.
What made you become a designer?
Dylan: I personally wouldn’t call myself a designer. I like to think of myself as an ‘ideas man’ haha. Someone who likes to conceptualise and create stories, I enjoy trying to connect with other people through different ideas. However, I have always been a lover of fashion, and I do believe it is an ultimate medium for storytelling – it’s a material object that can be visualised in many ways, through photo, video, writing etc. There’s endless opportunity to portray an idea.
Talia: I have always loved that you can reflect your personality through your clothes, and that it is an extension of your own visual identity and individual self, you give all the people you walk by everyday a first impression of who you are, and perhaps, how you’re feeling – you get to play your own character. Really, I have always wanted to become a designer to make clothes that are truly unique to me, and as Dylan said, to tell stories through fashion.
Look from 404AM’s debut collection.
What inspires you?
Dylan: Inspiration for me comes from what I experience and what I connect with; characters, films, music, architecture etc. If I’m being honest, a shadow hitting a wall in a specific way could spark a million ideas in my head. I get inspired as time goes by, anything from how I feel, what I see or hear.
Talia: I am always inspired by the intrigue of people, the changing world that evolves and shifts with every second, the beauty of nature, the poetry of daily life and the nostalgia of the past. Books, philosophy, art, films, music, and always trying something new, these are things that inspire me most.
Describe your personal style and how it influences your designs?
Dylan: Shapes and silhouettes for sure. I’m very particular with how things fit on me.
Talia: I guess my personal style can be quite eclectic, I don’t like to follow trends too heavily, and would definitely rather pick out things I like, even if sometimes unusual. I guess that plays quite a big part in the way I design, because I would hate to design something for the sheer fact that it would sell easily, that drains creativity out of the fashion market.
What is your all-time favourite purchase?
Dylan: I won’t lie, I tend to move on from things I buy reasonably fast so an all-time seems difficult to think of. At the moment it’s for sure my motorbike. No better feeling… However, if I was going to get a little deeper, I would say my first camera. That is what sparked all my creativity to date.
Talia: My vintage leather jacket, it’s such a classic and I don’t think I’ll ever get rid of it
What wardrobe item should everyone invest in?
Dylan: A good hoodie – I wear a hoodie practically everyday, and if I’m not, I’ve probably got one close by.
Talia: Some good fitting denim and a white tee for sure.
Do you have a style rule you always obey?
Dylan: Pick your pants first, and style the outfit up.
Talia: I like to pick a statement piece and work around that, as well as accessorising.
Look from 404AM’s debut collection.
What has been the highlight of your career so far?
Dylan: This interview… 😉 I wouldn’t put it down to any one thing, learning new things every day, and working harder than the day before has been the most rewarding. I think the highlight is the simple fact of how focused we are – another day, same mission.
Talia: The process of designing our first collection, I’m already so excited about the next!
What can’t you live without?
Dylan: A good hoodie.
Talia: My journal, I take it everywhere.
Finish this sentence – You would never catch me wearing…
Dylan: Crocs… I see these trends and I’m really not about it.
Talia: Anything heavily branded.
Images supplied.