miss unkon says...

Kluster was first exposed to the inspired works of Brisbane’s Courtney Meyer, Creative Director, Miss Unkon, at last year’s Rosemount Australian Fashion Week. Needless to say we were suitably impressed. We’d missed her debut RAFW show, as part of the New Gen crop the previous year, but had heard the (loud) noise made about it in the days that followed, and we were glad the young designer lived up to our rather high expectations.

There is something incredibly raw about Meyer’s stylings. An innocence, complete with a sophisticated style, made unique by the apparent attention to detail featured in each collection’s strong lines: a meshing of structure and freeform, if you will.

Things appear to have been coming along nicely for the fledgling label and it’ director during the months since we last laid eyes on them so we figured it was about time we touched base. The email conversation that resulted is below.

Now, if only we’d been privy to a little more of the abandonment poured into her collections in the answers featured below... Regardless, the future looks bright.

Covered: international expansion, concept pop-up stores, collections like canvas and the beauty of imagination.

Kluster: We first laid eyes on your free-flowing designs at the 2010 Rosemount Australian Fashion Week (RAFW) show for your impressive SS10 collection, Love Is Like A Dreamland – A Journey of Young Love. Tell us a little about what’s been happening for Miss Unkon in the months since.
 
Courtney Meyer: So much has happened over the last year, which has been very exciting for Miss Unkon. We have expanded nationally and internationally with amazing new stores throughout the country.

We opened a Miss Unkon pop up concept space in Sydney’s Westfield City as well as launching the first Miss Unkon book which was published by Blurb and featured creative concepts, bloggers and illustrators.
 
K: And for the Kluster readers not currently aware of your designs, tell us a little bit about the birth and subsequent life of Miss Unkon.
 
CM: Miss Unkon was born from the passion to create an environment reflective of a wonderland of imaginings where people could express their passions and dreams making their world a more beautiful place. We were invited to show at the new generation show at RAFW with our second collection and from there have grown and have been welcomed into the hearts of girls and pretty stores around Australia and beyond.
 
K: Your AW11 collection, When We Grow Up, is, as the name suggests, more mature than previous collections, while still retaining the distinctive youthfulness of ranges past. Was this development an active decision on your part or simply a product of your own progression as a designer?
 
CM: A little of both. Every collection I see like painting a canvas. With every painting you learn then put it aside and get a fresh new canvas to paint another painting. This is like a collection for Miss Unkon. With each collection we want to express new ideas and explore new techniques and details. We always start with the end picture, what do we want it to look like and then work back from there.
 
There are a lot of memories from childhood in each of the Miss Unkon collections. In this case it was inspired by a number of things; a childhood poem I wrote about a young girl exploring, nature and how captivating it is to sit and watch something grow into such a peaceful and beautiful plant and how a young girl grows into the girl that she is inspired by in her youth. I have also been inspired by my reading of books about creating charming organic gardens as enchanting places to just be at one with your environment without distractions. I wanted to bring these ideas of growth and nature together and these concepts were drawn upon in the development of the collection.
 
K: Our sneak peek of your SS11/12 collection revealed a strong sense of natural, raw beauty and, dare I say it, beastliness. Can you tell us what inspired the collection?
 
CM: The story of this collection is Girls With Kaleidoscope Minds - it is about the story of a girl who has a magical imagination that expresses her dreams, observations and secret loves. She draws these imaginations and sends these drawings to a secret room where they hang on the walls waiting for a secret love to come along.

The story is based around the magic of imagination.

The inspiration always starts from the end vision. How do we want to visually tell the story through the lookbook and photoshoot.

I love art and wanted to combine the use of collage to express imagination and the kind of excitement and dreamlike feel of a girl imagining the future of her life and expressing her passion.
 
K: The aforementioned 2010 RAFW show, complete with Olympic rhythmic gymnast Naazmi Johnston, was a dramatic, theatrical and whimsical affair. How will your RAFW 2011 offering compare?

CM: The intention of each of the Miss Unkon Shows at RAFW is to create an environment in which the audience is able to emotionally connect and feel something that inspires them, enhancing what Miss Unkon is about as a brand. It will be whimsical, imaginative and a simplistic in its beauty.
 
This year is an extension upon the theme of girls with kaleidoscope minds, an expression of passions, dreams and the creativity of imagination expressed through illustration.
 
Last year’s show was all about being a youthful girl and expressing that innocent individual character of many young girls. Naazmi is an amazing and passionate individual and it was wonderful to be able to to share the dreams of others within the fashion world.
 
K: Allow us the liberty of a spot of crystal ball gazing: what does the future hold for Courtney Meyer and Miss Unkon?
 
CM: There are so many exciting experiences and new opportunities arising for Miss Unkon every day.

The heart of Miss Unkon is about being a space where dreams & passions are made possible. 2011 is all about growing Miss Unkon and continuing to strengthen the brand, the ideas and relationships with the Miss Unkon girls and the boutiques.
 
We will be launching another mini book and focusing on further growth nationally and internationally as well as launching more exciting projects with inspiring talents.  We will also be launching an online store, developing a secondary injection collection and eventually we want to open Miss Unkon experience stores.

miss unkon, rafw, fashion, brisbane, designer