Designer Lee Mathews is all about the details, and her Australian Fashion Week show on Tuesday morning proved just that. With an emphasis on showcasing the creative process behind her designs, Mathews revealed the raw aspects of garment construction, such as visible seams, crinolines, and the inner workings of her craft. “I wanted to have a bit of everything that we do in the show, to represent it all,” she shared after the event. “The idea was to have the clothes tell the story of how we make them, so I wanted the process to be visible, like raw seams, crinoline, all the parts of construction. I still wanted it to be beautiful, but I wanted to show what we can do, and represent what we do.”
Celebrating her 25th year in the fashion business, Mathews drew an impressive crowd of loyal fans, including culinary figures Nigella Lawson and Maggie Beer, Mud Ceramics founder Shelley Simpson, actor Miranda Otto, and chef Danielle Alvarez. The show was a confident presentation from a designer at the peak of her career, featuring her signature elements like gingham patterns, appliqué work, and voluminous petticoat silhouettes. The details, such as paperbag waists with cotton belts and dresses tied at the nape, showcased the intricate craftsmanship of her label.
Mathews is one of Australia’s more understated designers, choosing to create each sample in her Sydney headquarters at Leichhardt, while manufacturing around 30% of her collections locally. Her style has garnered a loyal following by consistently resisting the rapid pace of fashion trends, instead opting for a refined and timeless femininity in her designs.
“We’re doing everything for the customers,” Mathews explained. “It doesn’t feel like fashion, it’s just dressing people. It’s what we’ve done for a very long time.”
While many designers use runway shows as opportunities to experiment with avant-garde ideas, Mathews remains focused on retail viability. “Most of the collection is very commercial. Wearability is very important. I don’t want to make things people can’t wear. If they’re beautiful, that is a bonus.”
Despite having previously stated in 2023 that she would never show at Fashion Week again, Mathews returned this year, citing her support for the Australian Fashion Council (AFC) after IMG’s sudden exit from the event. “The AFC supports the industry, and so I feel like I have to show my support for them in turn,” she explained. “It’s been difficult for them to pull off, so hats off to them.”
Meanwhile, Tuesday’s other shows highlighted the diversity of the Australian fashion scene. The Frontier show showcased emerging designers, including Esse Studios, Courtney Zheng, Common Hours, and New Zealand’s Wynn Hamlyn and Paris Georgia. Menswear label Joseph and James also made its solo runway debut, focusing on highly wearable casual separates, a shift from their usual elevated style.
The event, which faced challenges after IMG’s sudden exit last November, saw the AFC step in swiftly and appoint former magazine editor Kellie Hush as CEO. International buyers returned in full force this year, with representatives from renowned stores like Liberty, Harvey Nichols, Browns, Nordstrom, and Ssense, alongside media presence from the US’s Vogue and the UK’s The Telegraph.
Hush reflected on the significance of the opening show, saying, “It was beautiful to open with Carla with that iconic backdrop. It was a big show, and it felt inclusive in many ways, and a real celebration of Australian fashion. It feels alive again.”
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