NextGen
Established in 1996 with the goal of identifying Australias emerging designers, Next Gen presented by DHL is dedicated to supporting the new guard of Australian talent who are shaping the future of Australian fashion by pushing bounmdaries with their designs and sparking important conversition arounnd sustainability, inclusivity and more.
The four winners are Cameron Hill, Liandra Swim, Ruby Pedder and Xi Wu Studio.
The 2023 winners will debut their connection on the runway at AAFW on Friday 19 May at 2pm.
Ruby Pedder
Ruby Pedder debuted in 2021 with a proposition for casual couture that eschews the usual criteria of womenswear in favour of artistic, sculptural and wearable art. Casual but couture, Ruby Pedder is a made to order brand that blurs the lines between art and fashion. Delicate art forms and silhouettes are warped and altered into explosive and aberrant forms, inspired by the rebellious attitudes of surrealism and feminist movements.
Cameron Hill
Founded in 2021, Cameron Hill’s eponymous brand draws on a love for handmade textures and machine knitting, seeking to re-conceptualise grandma-esque knitted lacework and intricate geometric patterning. The designer’s knitwear-focused collections are minimal yet luxurious, marrying innovation with rich textiles.
Liandra Swim
Launched in the summer of 2018 by Liandra Gaykamangu, a Yolngu woman from North-East Arnhem land, Liandra Swim fuses contemporary Aboriginal Australian culture with premium designer swimwear. The brand’s signature prints are inspired by the designer’s lived experiences and how Gaykamangu connects with community, culture, and country.
Xi Wu Studio
Designer Xizhu Wu founded Xi Wu Studio in 2021 to design clothes that are artistically engaging with subtle juxtapositions and contemporary detailing. The studios practice intertwines traditional and new design techniques, each collection telling the story of Wu’s bicultural upbringing via both Eastern and Western garment techniques.