SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – MAY 15: A mannequin walks the runway in the course of the Youkhana present throughout Afterpay Australian Vogue Week 2023 at Carriageworks on Might 15, 2023 in Sydney, Australia. (Picture by Stefan Gosatti/Getty Photos for AAFW)
On Might 15, on the primary night of Afterpay Australian Fashion Week 2023, Nathanial Youkhana‘s eponymous label made its runway debut. However what got here down the catwalk, you’d be forgiven for considering he was a veteran.
In a sea of resort put on and relaxed capsule items, Youkhana’s ‘One Of’ assortment pushes boundaries, experimenting with hanging shapes and handcrafted methods. Spending hours and hours on painstaking braiding, the designer pays respect to the lengthy historical past and significance of the artwork as a signifier of id and technique of expression and communication for generations of black and African cultures.
From the very first look, the work that has been poured into every garment is abundantly clear. However Youkhana, who has been honing his work for the final seven years, tells us that this assortment is about a lot greater than what’s on the floor. “It’s the story of my progress, each personally and publicly, with a concentrate on the small print that lie deep inside every garment,” he tells GRAZIA. “It is a story of resilience and willpower. Being unafraid to push boundaries by staying deeply true to authenticity.”
Seems transcend wearability, appearing as head-to-toe environments that the wearer can stroll into and absolutely embrace. The very function of clothes is upended, as are questions of who will get to embrace trend. As he explains, the driving pressure behind his work lies in empowering wearers of all types, inviting those that embrace the daring and distinctive to hitch in. “I’ve created this assortment for individuals who assume exterior of the field. Those who admire handmade, one-of-a-kind items that may make them really feel (and look) really particular person and distinctive,” says Youkhana.
Although his journey hasn’t been utterly orthodox—Youkhana by no means undertook any formal education in design—his success isn’t any fluke. With a pure intuition for kind and affintiy for processes, that is one designer whose potential is aware of no limits. Couple that with an ambition to be consistently innovating and the tip result’s a feast for our eyes. “My inventive course of has at all times been rooted in a want to surpass my earlier accomplishments and to create designs which are really distinctive,” he says. “Every little thing that I make now could be primarily by hand, and really thought out.”
Beneath, a few of our favorite appears from the Youkhana ‘One in every of’ assortment that debuted at Afterpay Australian Vogue Week 2023.
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – MAY 15: A mannequin walks the runway in the course of the Youkhana present throughout Afterpay Australian Vogue Week 2023 at Carriageworks on Might 15, 2023 in Sydney, Australia. (Picture by Brendon Thorne/Getty Photos for AAFW)SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – MAY 15: A mannequin walks the runway in the course of the Youkhana present throughout Afterpay Australian Vogue Week 2023 at Carriageworks on Might 15, 2023 in Sydney, Australia. (Picture by Stefan Gosatti/Getty Photos for AAFW)SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – MAY 15: A mannequin walks the runway in the course of the Youkhana present throughout Afterpay Australian Vogue Week 2023 at Carriageworks on Might 15, 2023 in Sydney, Australia. (Picture by Stefan Gosatti/Getty Photos for AAFW)SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – MAY 15: A mannequin walks the runway in the course of the Youkhana present throughout Afterpay Australian Vogue Week 2023 at Carriageworks on Might 15, 2023 in Sydney, Australia. (Picture by Stefan Gosatti/Getty Photos for AAFW)SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – MAY 15: A mannequin walks the runway in the course of the Youkhana present throughout Afterpay Australian Vogue Week 2023 at Carriageworks on Might 15, 2023 in Sydney, Australia. (Picture by Stefan Gosatti/Getty Photos for AAFW)SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – MAY 15: A mannequin walks the runway in the course of the Youkhana present throughout Afterpay Australian Vogue Week 2023 at Carriageworks on Might 15, 2023 in Sydney, Australia. (Picture by Stefan Gosatti/Getty Photos for AAFW)SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – MAY 15: A mannequin walks the runway in the course of the Youkhana present throughout Afterpay Australian Vogue Week 2023 at Carriageworks on Might 15, 2023 in Sydney, Australia. (Picture by Stefan Gosatti/Getty Photos for AAFW)SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – MAY 15: A mannequin walks the runway in the course of the Youkhana present throughout Afterpay Australian Vogue Week 2023 at Carriageworks on Might 15, 2023 in Sydney, Australia. (Picture by Stefan Gosatti/Getty Photos for AAFW)SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – MAY 15: A mannequin walks the runway in the course of the Youkhana present throughout Afterpay Australian Vogue Week 2023 at Carriageworks on Might 15, 2023 in Sydney, Australia. (Picture by Stefan Gosatti/Getty Photos for AAFW)SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – MAY 15: A mannequin walks the runway in the course of the Youkhana present throughout Afterpay Australian Vogue Week 2023 at Carriageworks on Might 15, 2023 in Sydney, Australia. (Picture by Stefan Gosatti/Getty Photos for AAFW)SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – MAY 15: A mannequin walks the runway in the course of the Youkhana present throughout Afterpay Australian Vogue Week 2023 at Carriageworks on Might 15, 2023 in Sydney, Australia. (Picture by Stefan Gosatti/Getty Photos for AAFW)SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – MAY 15: A mannequin walks the runway in the course of the Youkhana present throughout Afterpay Australian Vogue Week 2023 at Carriageworks on Might 15, 2023 in Sydney, Australia. (Picture by Stefan Gosatti/Getty Photos for AAFW)
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