“Suddenly, we are both a representation of our brands, no more hiding behind industrial machinery in our shared warehouse space.”
Working in fashion design comes with a surprisingly fierce set of demands. There’s the external pressure to look good (justified, as you are putting yourself forward as an arbiter of style) plus the pressing need to work comfortably, given fashion design can involve quite physical work.
All this pressure is multiplied at Australian Fashion Week (AFW), where there’s an unspoken rule to look directional, wildly creative and your best. The entire country’s fashion media is looking at you, after all.
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While influencers and content creators can spend weeks (if not months) curating their looks with stylists, press agents and designers before spending hours in hair and makeup, designers are a little more time-poor. There are late nights and eye-wateringly early starts in the lead-up, leaving little time for those behind the scenes to even plan outfits, let alone wash their hair.
But designers don’t miss a beat, regularly stepping up to showcase their brands off-runway in inspiring and creative ways. This was certainly the case for designer and creative director, Charlotte England. The founder of Club Venus played runway assistant to her friend Emily Watson as she appeared in the 2024 Next Gen showcase at Australian Fashion Week. Below, Charlotte steps us through her AFW wardrobe and all the chaos her week entailed.
Thursday, four days before Australian Fashion Week
It’s my first Fashion Week! I’m still able to muse on just a few hours of sleep, getting changed in the Eora (aka Sydney) airport bathroom after waking up at 3.30am.
Emily Watson’s collection is sitting in front of me on a rack backstage at Carriageworks, all perfectly organised in 12 garment bags. Twelve looks to fit 11 models. Of course, I’m familiar with the collection. Em and I have split a studio in Brunswick, Naarm (aka Melbourne) for almost two years now, running our own separate fashion labels. I’m here, pure energy, to do runway assistance for her debut showcase on the Next Gen runway, as well as to work on activating my own brand, Club Venus, throughout the week.
Model after model approaches the demountable backstage to try on two to three looks each. I stand on a provided chair to take film photos of the models, as well as help fit the garments. We write notes on Em’s laptop to remember the adjustments for hand-sewing later, including their correct shoe sizes. “We make a good team,” Em says, as the day flows on seamlessly. The show is in just four days.
Suddenly, we are both a representation of our brands, no more hiding behind industrial machinery in our shared warehouse space. I wear the Emily Watson tankini paired with a kilt I fashioned out of deadstock wool the week before. A kilt is the perfect, professional work skirt. The entire outfit was made on sewing machines not 15 metres from each other – if that’s not magic!
Saturday, two days before Australian Fashion Week
Already I’m astounded as we arrive to Carriageworks on Saturday morning for a run-through of the show, now just two days away. The entire venue is completely fitted out! The scale of this event is beyond anything I had originally imagined. I am so excited for Em. After confirming the lighting and music on-site, we make our way back to the hotel to work.
Yesterday, we mapped out the styling templates that would be used to help the dressers for the runway. I need to organise some of these visual references for the talent today and we tape the peep-toe pumps throughout the rest of the afternoon.
An international buyer is currently en route from New York for a collection viewing and is visiting at some point tomorrow afternoon so the champagne bottle is finished as we secure our deliverables. We converse about all the silly content and product displays we could make in this hotel room tomorrow before and after her visit (i.e. the messy girl gets ready for the party).
I wear a lot of my own pieces, testing samples that I might produce. I feel like I always gravitate to black. It’s just so gothic, cool. The hi-cut bodysuit I wear to the club later is from Diesel, purchased last year in Belgrade. I made some asymmetric, drop-crotch shorts earlier in the week that I want to try pairing with it.
Drafting the pattern for the shorts was difficult, it’s a direction I haven’t really attempted before, but I feel like it’s where I want to go with my brand, at least for the next couple of seasons. Whenever I sample a new design, I just keep going until it makes sense. That drive taught me to sew, it’s taught me a lot of things.
Monday, day one of Australian Fashion Week
We start ‘Runway Day’ crisp at 5am. Everything feels so organised when we arrive at Carriageworks. Boy, am I excited for my coffee – until I have to make a quick Uber trip back to the hotel. A very integral top was forgotten in the wardrobe for a model, Lucy. Her look is one of my favourites from the show, the floor-length mermaid skirt was constructed entirely from bikini tops! A signature construction for Emily Watson.
The buzz back-of-house is contagious when I return to Gallery Three. Hair and makeup has started, the looks are fully set out in order on the racks and the dressers are studying their individual specification sheets. I check the call sheets I made the day prior to see when the videographer and photographer are arriving, and then welcome them to the space with their passes to set up.
The show itself only lasts for about 20 minutes (and opens the official calendar for Australian Fashion Week), but there are months of work backing it up. It’s incredible to see Em’s vision fully represented. Her collection for 2024 is an ode to the sweet but sometimes bitter experience of an emerging designer in the industry. Intimate.
After the show, I meet up with photographer Emily Smith around the front of the building, who is helping shoot this story. We giggle at the craziness. Backstage, Carriageworks felt serene in comparison.
For the runway, I style an all-Emily Watson, all-black set with a mini merino wool cardigan buttoned casually over the top. My outfit needed to be practical and sleek. This uniform approach to wearing the Emily Watson tankini skirt we all know and love felt so right for the setting. I wear my Club Venus bikini underneath for a good luck kiss and then as we’re shooting, I find a two-dollar coin on the ground. Was that a sign for something?
Tuesday, day two of Australian Fashion Week
Tuesday is kick-started by that post-show glow. I’m excited to make the most of being here and experience Eora through this raunchy, ‘I’m on a work trip!’ lens. Meow! I think we had one too many cocktails celebrating last night.
There’s no time to decompress from the runway or be hungover though. My day starts early at a cafe as I bring together a brief (but current) market analysis for a meeting scheduled later in the afternoon with Imogen Wilson, the head of Mimi Casting and Studio Mimi. My goal for the next year is to start outsourcing manufacturing, which will allow me time to increase production value for the brand.
On my way to Surry Hills to chat, I stop past the illustrious RTTS.land archival sale and home of Ramp Tramp Tramp Stamp, one of my dream brands. Niamh, the designer and owner, is truly an inspiration to me and so sweet. I meet Mimi-mum-Immy afterwards to talk about my plans to scale (scary) over tacos and beer.
Usually, my style is quite muted. I love to wear oversized, comfortable clothing for work that allows me to move throughout my day practically. But it is Australian Fashion Week, so I amp up the styling of this boxy T-shirt by wearing another one upside down – hello skirt! It says “work hard play hard trance” and is one of my new graphic design concepts for the year.
Friday, the final day of Australian Fashion Week
I wake up bright and early on my second-last day, my first interstate work trip is fading fast. I soak in the weirdly hot weather and all of the memories (is this what living an Eora winter is like?) by meeting up with the photographer one last time to shoot content for this story. One of my favourite aspects of the week has been meeting such passionate artisans, so driven by their craft and making genuine friendships – there is hope!
Afterwards, I bus straight to the beach and find a cafe. The sun glints over the waves of Bondi, reminding me I am just a work tourist. But there’s something really yum about Excel formulas with that view.
I prepare an edit of my fitting and back-of-house photography that Em can use for her social media, and write the shell for this very article. I’m drawing out themes already. Showcasing the behind-the-scenes of running a brand is so sexy to me. What you normally see on social media is the glamour of Australian Fashion Week, it’s fashion’s best side.
I remember why I’m here and continue with range-planning the July release. I work on specification drawings, graphics and finishing a long bill of materials before signing off for the week.
Interpreting and layering your clothing in new ways is seriously so chic. I wear a new Club Venus hoody in development, a sample tank and a vintage skirt/pant combo that I will keep on rocking forever. The wads of lightweight fabrics for Casual Friday feel like a warm hug and a wholesome goodbye to my first ever Australian Fashion Week.
Follow Club Venus here and Charlotte here.