Alexandra Hackett

I am an experimental mens sportswear designer, living and studying in Melbourne, Australia, operating under the name A.L.C.H. (my initials). Fabrication is an integral component of my work as a designer and I specifically focus exploring methods in which found objects and planar surfaces, not traditionally associated with fashion, can be appropriated into new garment hybrids. Textiles have varied from caution tape to banana peels, NASA space foil to astroturf, security tags to polypropylene. In addition to a focus on experimental fabrication techniques, research into specific patterns in society, and the association between clothing and human behaviour, forms a crucial component of my practice. These notions are explored in conjunction with an ongoing analysis of the highly technical elements of sportswear.

Collection rational:

The Autumn/Winter 15 collection by A.L.C.H. explores the concept of the store and the social phenomena of consumerism, especially focusing on the role that sportswear plays for young men of a lower socio-economic standing (such as lads and scallies). The desirability of certain sportswear labels and specific garments, in tandem with high prices, often leads individuals of this sub-culture to shoplift, and it is this subversion of the sportswear genre into crime that formed the basis of this collection.