Boutique designer fashion for women by Australian designer Alexi Freeman

View recent Alexi Freeman Collections on Australian Fashion Review Blog.

Introduction to the Alexi Freeman Fashion Label

Australian-born fashion designer Alexi Freeman was formally trained in Fine Art at the University of Tasmania between 1996 and 2004, majoring in printmaking and sculpture. During his studies Freeman focused heavily on fashion concept and aesthetics, producing limited edition pieces, before receiving the Manufacturing Design Fund from Arts Tasmania. It was receiving this grant that allowed the progression from fine arts to fashion and the inception of his namesake womenswear label, Alexi Freeman, in 2006.

Based in Melbourne, the Alexi Freeman fashion label soon gained a reputation for producing beautiful womenswear collections that played with prints and tailoring. Freeman became known for using unorthodox approaches to design, utilising his experiences in fine art. The brand uses Drypoint etching techniques in the design and production of textile prints, and illustrations from Freeman’s time studying are reinvigorated and used to influence the concepts of the collections.

As the reputation of the Alexi Freeman label spread, so did the recognition of the fashion industry. In 2007, just a year after the brand’s inception, Freeman received the Arts Victoria Travelling Scholarship, following an invitation to attend the Bay of Fires workshop led by legendary Paris Haute Couture designer Mautizio Galante. Many further accolades followed with the Caulfield Classic Style People’s Choice Award in 2008; and a top ten place in the 2009 SOYA Fashion Awards.

As of early 2012, the Alexi Freeman label had produced over 10 ready-to-wear collections, which are stocked in some of the world’s finest boutiques throughout Australia, New Zealand and Europe. The brand’s collections are also available through the Alexi Freeman flagship boutique on Melbourne’s Johnston Street, which opened in 2009.

Aesthetic of the Alexi Freeman Fashion Label

Alexi Freeman clothing stands out form the crowd thanks to Freeman’s ability to marry art with fashion. The brand’s collections are a graphic tribute to the world in which we reside, while paying homage to the contemporary woman. Freeman is renowned for his directional womenswear that incorporate hand drawn and printed textiles, which are worked into delicate drapery to be juxtaposed with more structured tailoring. The Alexi Freeman collections are made for women who are enamoured by the past, but lust after the future – versatile clothing for the modern age, where comfort and sexy appeal meet.

The Alexi Freeman collections are dyed, printed, cut and sewn in Australia, produced with Australian textiles and yarns wherever possible. Additionally, ethical working conditions and sustainability lie at the heart of the Alexi Freeman design philosophy.

Recent Collaborations of the Alexi Freeman Fashion Label

The Alexi Freeman fashion label has collaborated with numerous artists and designers including Chantal Kirby, Aaron Roberts (room11 Architects), film maker Tom Blachford and jeweller Tessa Blazey. Recent collaborations include:

• Tessa Blazey: In 2011, Alexi Freeman collaborated with Melbourne jewellery designer Tessa Blazey to create the Neo Lace Gown for the Powerhouse Museum’s International Lace Award Exhibition. The gown took hundreds of painstaking hours to create by hand and was made entirely out of metal components, including hundreds of metres of chain in silver plated nickel and sterling silver, and thousands of jump rings.

Neo Lace Gown Created in Collaboration Between Alexi Freeman and Tessa Blazey

• Tom Blachford: In 2011, Alexi Freeman teamed up with film maker Tom Blachford to create a video for the brand’s Winter 2011 collection ‘Stardust’. The film was created for the launch of No Home, a mini fashion film festival that features works from around Australia and all over the world. The film was shot over 3 days and the finished 5 minute project features thousands of still photographs edited together in stop motion style and accompanied by a banging soundtrack. The movie follows the story of Kate – a model who is “cruising through Space, looking for the perfect outfit for the season.”

No Home STARDUST from Tom Blachford on Vimeo.

One Last Thing…

A little known fact about the Alexi Freeman fashion label is that the first capsule collection was designed for the menswear market, but such was the popularity of his style with females, the transition to women’s clothing was made.

Visit the official Alexi Freeman website, here.

If you like the look of Alexi Freeman, why not check out fellow Australian womenswear labels, Tai & Amaya and Brooke Daniels.

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