Wynn Hamlyn showed on the runway at Afterpay Australian Fashion Week 2022 this week. Image by Getty Images.
Wynn Hamlyn debuted at Afterpay Australian Fashion Week (AAFW) 2022 this week, with designer Wynn Crawshaw presenting his vivid Resort ’23 Collection on the runway. The show was staged offsite in an underground tunnel beneath Sydney’s Central Station which made for a unique location and served as a perfect setting for the brand’s dynamic collection.
“Wynn Hamlyn has established a very much loyal and valued presence in Australia during the past two years, it really has become our second home, and a place we hold close to our hearts,” says Wynn Crawshaw. “The support from our community including consumers and media has been unwavering. Our decision to participate at AAFW felt 100% organic, and it will provide the label with an opportunity to solidify and celebrate its valued presence within the Australian market. We are also thrilled to reintroduce menswear into the collection.”
The brand’s Resort ‘23 collection was inspired by our newfound freedom to travel and explore, and ‘represents the unmistakable elation of escapades’. The range demonstrated the youthful spirit and experimental style that have been part of the Wynn Hamlyn brand since the beginning. The designer cleverly melds the ideas of the past with concepts of the future which are brought to life with his technical signature styles and results in a unique and sophisticated aesthetic.
“The new collection is all about the looks you encounter in a departure lounge,” adds Wynn Crawshaw. “I love the idea of people wearing the holiday shirts they purchased from the hotel gift shop, alongside their business pants or paired with the puffer they couldn’t quite manage to squeeze into their suitcase. People wearing their treasured holiday looks as a badge to signify where they’ve been, or where they’re going. I like the idea of this rebellious juxtaposition it’s so wrong, that it’s right!”
Hand crafted elements across the collection add to the holiday inspired vibe with Wynn Hamlyn’s Macramé styles making a welcome return, this time reimagined with hand-turned glass beads. A charming floral print created with New Zealand artist Marcus Watson featured across knitwear styles while lightweight seersucker pieces add to the holiday feel of the range.
Wynn Hamlyn have collaborated with local Kiwi company Wisewool over the past year who are dedicated to restoring value to the craft of wool. Together they engineered ‘wool buds’ which are small, ‘bouncy clouds’ of intertwined, durable wool fibres that have high natural resilience and strength. A conscious alternative to synthetic fibres, the 100% traceable wool is breathable, hypoallergenic, and provides compressional resilience with absolute comfort. The wool buds were used to made Wynn Hamlyn’s stand out puffer jackets in hues of ivory, blue and chocolate. Speaking of the colour palette, there were vivid hues of azure, green, yellow and tangerine that popped against the grey walls of the show’s location. This is a collection that was made to be noticed.
100% recycled cotton denim in cargo styles lent a 90s vibe to the range which was amplified by mesh inserts, keyhole details and the aforementioned hibiscus print. Knitwear has long been a key feature of Wynn Hamlyn’s collections and this range’s knits included new versions of the brand’s accordian knit styles which will no doubt be popular when this collection is released later in the year. Wynn Hamlyn’s AAFW debut was confident, cohesive and showcased a talented designer who continues to go from strength to strength each season.