Designer
Spotlight

Melbourne based designer Alexi Freeman infuses his formally trained fine arts background into every piece of his garments. His un-inhibited approach to design renders a refreshing collection of glamorous ready to wear garments. Freeman is the perfect example art and fashion harmoniously existing very much in the same realm. His label is a testament that women’s fashion is an interactive form of artistic expression.

The Alexi Freeman line, launched in 2006, came after an epiphany that the designer’s love for the fine arts could translate very well into clothing. “I was working as an artist doing a lot of figurative work and I decided that I wanted people to physically engage with my ideas, not just observe them from a distance, so I made the switch from fine art to fashion.” Many are glad that he has done so. Dry point etching techniques, original printed textiles, dye work, uninhibited construction, and other forms of craftsmanship are put into practice to facilitate his unique aesthetic. The end result is a sophisticated sportswear line with edge. The beauty in his clothing is that although each piece can stand it’s own, it can easily be mixed and matched to create quite the luxe ensemble.

Freeman’s unorthodox approach to clothing is a well thought out process that requires him to ask the tough questions artists often times ask themselves such as how to create clothing that maintains relevance. “I dream, I draw, I agonize over my ongoing nemesis ‘does the world really need another fashion collection/fashion brand?’ And then I come up with something that I feel is relevant enough to bring into the world.” And relevant it is indeed.  Freeman has shown his line on the runways of Australian fashion shows and is building his brand to mass international appeal. Freeman cites the late Alexander McQueen as a designer with whom he regards to one of the greatest. McQueen a man known for his showmanship in avant garde runway productions and garments is a designer that many hold to high regard. Freeman has chosen a wise favorite; this young designer clearly has exquisite taste that is more than expressed in the Alexi Freeman line.