"Hey, Wanna Get
Outta Here?"
My Graduate Collection from RMIT, “Hey, Wanna Get Outta Here?” explores departures that lead us to life’s new chapters, whether it be the end of a university degree, end of COVID, end of a relationship, all set in the fast-paced exhilaration of queer nightlife.
This collection also marks a launchpad for my branding within the industry, with every accessory sporting my brand logo, replicating a fashion label’s diffusion line.
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The looks themselves are a melding of both daywear and eveningwear, playing with contrasting silhouettes in upper and lower wear. I have strived to make each look a head-to-toe ensemble, serving the narrative of moving within a nightlife space.
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It looks to high fashion eveningwear brands for inspirations, including Dion Lee, Diesel, Mugler, Rick Owens and Avavav. This collection highlights my skills in styling, project leadership, creative thinking and craftsmanship.​
Model: Melody McKenzie
Photographer: Jackson Miles
Model: Silas Williams
Photographer: Jackson Miles
Model: Amelia Rose Lee
Photographer: Jackson Miles
Click the links to view specific components of the Collection's Portfolio.
Otherwise, continue on to read about the context and journey of this work.
Film
The goal of this film was to capture the fast-paced energy of a night out in your twenties: racing from 'pres' to the Uber, to the club, to the dance floor, to the bar and so on. The music is typical for a rave doof: high BPM, deep hard techno. The models are effortlessly cool yet a little all-over-the-place, alluding to the nature of their night out on the town.
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Credits:
Producer: Vivian Tang
Cinematographer: James Dryden
Stylist: Shelantha Fernando
HMUA: Eve Louise, Rochael Perera
Editor: Julian Shnider
Composer: Matt Yousatoff
Models: Melody McKenzie, Silas Williams, Amelia Rose Lee
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Click the link below to learn more about the film process.
Mood Board
From researching current market trends, popular culture and my own personal interests, here is the mood board for "Hey, Wanna Get Outta Here?".
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Inspirations include Charli XCX, Julia Fox, editorial fashion photoshoots, Troye Sivan, Challengers (2024) soundtrack, Diesel Spring/Summer 2024 and Doja Cat.
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The mood board is best illustrated in the Instagram Reel, which can be viewed below.
Look 1 - SNIFF
Office clothing references day/night (work/nightclub)
narrative
Ring
accessory
Brown/green mixture references artist Dame Laura Knight, a famous gay artist of the 20th century
Front panel connects with back panel
Lanyward with logo; Reference to clocking off work before heading to nightclub
The Picnic, Laura Knight (1912)
Fashion Illustration
Elastic waistband for cinch at bottom
Materials
Jacket Main
2 x 1 Twill
Camo Green
51% Cotton
41% Nylon
3% Elastane
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Jacket Lining
2 x 1 Twill
51% Cotton
41% Nylon
3% Elastane
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Jacket Collar/Cuff
Rib Knit
Covert Green
81% Polyester
14% Viscose
5% Elastane
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Shirt
Poplin
Brown
80% Polyester
20% Cotton
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Skirt
Scuba Knit
Black
95% Polyester
5% Elastane
Technical Sketches
Hero Image
Look 2 - SWIG
Motorcycle visor head piece
Logo handbag
accessory
Tom of Finland Artwork (n.d.)
Reference to movement from workplace (wool) to nightlife (denim)
Reference to transport to/from work, and COVID (visual similarity to face mask)
Bulge attachment
Screen printed Grindr app stats on tank top
Reference to Grindr
dating in nightlife
Front panel connects with back panel
Denim and wool
cutout panelling
Reference to queer artist
Tom of Finland
Materials
Tank Top
Plain Ribbing
Dark Navy
65% Polyester
35% Cotton
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Jeans Main
Denim
Dark Denim
100% Cotton
Jeans Contrast
Thin Pinstripe
Grey
100% Wool
Fashion Illustration
Technical Sketches
Hero Image
Look 3 - PUFF
Motorcycle visor head piece
Leather suede
Logo earrings
Logo garter belt
with chains
Logo choker
Unusual colour
combinations reference
to 90s Club Kid culture
Reference to Gay Leather Kink Community
Materials
Waistcoat/Wrap
Skirt
Suede Leather
100% Cow Hide
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Overcoat Main
Wool Coating
100% Wool
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Overcoat Lining
Jacquard
Cotton/Silk Mix
Fashion Illustration
Technical Sketches
Hero Image
Look 1-3 - The Accessories
Logo Development
With this collection acting as the soft launch of my brand, I wanted to give more time to perfecting the logo. This would in turn benefit the accessories being made as they would present my logo as well.
The first run of our accessory was more so to get a general idea of the shape of the logo rather than anything else. However, what I found was that the shell the 3D print came on was a lot cooler than the actual model: the shell was bolder while the model was a bit too thin.
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We went ahead and did some configurations for a second trial. The next run was a success. It was the correct thickness and shape and size.
With this complete, it was time to start configuring this logo into the appropriate accessories we wanted for this collection.
I had rough schematics of what I was after and my accessories collaborator was able to whip them up in Blender quite quickly.
We got them to the printer as soon as we could and they came out perfect. Upon trying the earrings and ring on, I realised they were a little too oversized, so we made a small adjustment to shrink them down.
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The accessories were made from PLA, which is great for their light weight and ability to hold spray paint. I have good experience with spray painting so this did not take a lot of time.
Other Accessories
Although these weren’t designed by me - they were 3D models purchased online and then sent to the 3D printer - I still had them in the collection. The Rush bottle and sniffers topper were symbolic of the nightlife narrative of the collection.
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To link back to the narrative of clocking off work and heading to the club, I fashioned a lanyard with my logo as the swipe card to complete the look.
The head piece, a motorcycle helmet visor suspended from the wearer’s head, harkens back to the idea of the model moving from day to night, workplace to nightclub (as one might ride a motorcycle to work), and the end of COVID into the freedom of social activity, as the head piece does look similar to a COVID face mask.
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I traced the head piece’s skeleton on a mannequin head and metal rods were welded to form the helmet. Then, they assisted in forming the drill holes where the visor came out.
Other Styling
SWIG/Look 2 had a yellow handkerchief in the back right
pocket of the pants. This is a symbol of sexual activity preferences within gay nightlife culture, acting as a reference to the narrative of the collection.
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Lastly, to continue with the styling narrative of these looks existing within a nightlife space, each model was fitted with a wristband that corresponded with the look’s colour story.
Graduate Showcase Installation
As part of the university's assessment of our Graduate work, we had to present our work at DESTINATIONS: Bachelor of Fashion and Textiles Design Graduate Exhibition.
Along with my film, I was able to do an installation to showcase the film along with my collection. A big component of this collection is the launch of my brand, Alessandro Lorenzo Greco. With this in mind, I wanted my installation to work as a conventional brand expo, where I push my brand through informational pamphlets about the collection and merchandise that visitors can take home, such as promotional condoms, stickers and playlist to commemorate the Collection. On the pamphlet too are QR codes where attendees can visit my Instagram page, view the fashion film and listen to the promotional playlist.
For the evening of the exhibition, it was all about pushing my branding and having a lasting impact on the attendees. It was my Graduate Collection, and I was graduating to the fashion industry as a young designer, I wanted my branding to get into everyone's face.
On the table at my installation, there was a sample copy of my portfolio where viewers can read about the process, pamphlets which they could take home and promotional condoms which they could use as they wished.
Please see the images on the right and below for some snapshots of the experience.
Creative Process Context
My creative work always has a music inspiration behind it. There’s always an album or artist I’m obsessed with at the time of designing that somehow echoes its way into my process. If it’s an upbeat pop album, my designs may reflect that, with brighter colours, contemporary prints, larger silhouettes; and the opposite would be with a slower, softer album.​
In 2024, I had discovered a lot of old and newly released music from artists I love: Beyoncé, Deee-Lite, Charli XCX, Doja Cat, Billie Eilish, Adele, Sabrina Carpenter, Tyler, The Creator, to name a few. I was looking at all this new music in my life and originally had the idea to make a collection that celebrated the music that has shaped me in 2024.
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I started a mindmap of ideas around music and the main space in which music is consumed: at a party. I had an idea of centreing each look around a particular genre of music and an album that represented that genre in 2024. I thought of channelling Charli XCX’s Brat for pop, Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter for country and Donna Summer’s Bad Girls for dance. I begun sketching.
However, I realised my inspiration was mainly centred around art released in 2024, and I didn’t want this collection to be frozen in that time period - I wanted to make something timeless. It was with this thought that I decided to drop the music angle of the collection, but thought the idea of inspiring the collection around partying and nightlife was worth looking into.
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At the time of designing this collection, I had stumbled across The Beatrice Arthur Special from the 80s. In it, Bea Arthur and Rock Hudson (two gay icons) sing Sniff, Swig, Puff, a song about all the partying and drugs people were getting up to at that time. As my work always touches on LGBTQ+ history and is inspired by music, as well as this collection looking at nightlife, I thought it would be a nice touch to show this song in this collection. For this reason, Looks 1, 2 and 3 are named SNIFF, SWIG and PUFF, respectively.
Popular Culture Context
I wanted this work to respond and relate to both fashion culture and pop culture in 2024. I looked to celebrities in the media who have a sway in the cultural zeitgeist, and have a social media pull when it comes to the looks they debut. These individuals include Doja Cat, Julia Fox and Charli XCX. The first two have a cult following when it comes to their fashion sense, taking on a grunge, Y2K revival aesthetic but also channeling more avant-garde styles for more ‘high-brow’ events.
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The cultural impact of Charli XCX in both the fashion and popular culture landscape has been a slow brew, although 2024 saw it reach an all-time high with the release of her sixth studio album, Brat. Her aesthetic is grunge and messy, but ‘cool’ and ‘party girl’, aesthetics which this collection strived to channel.
With this collection rooted in queer nightlife, I wanted to have references to the scene within the three looks of this collection. Thus, the Gay Leather Kink Community, social messaging app Grindr, queer artist Laura Knight and Tom of Finland, handkerchief codes in gay nightlife, 90s Club Kid culture and nightlife party drugs such as Rush are subtly referenced throughout.
Charli XCX at the Met Gala (2024)
Fashion Industry Context
I looked to some of the most recent collections from high fashion brands that produce eveningwear collections and runway showings that emulate the nightlife scene through styling, choreography, music and other elements.
Brands such as Avavav and LaQuan Smith, with shows that provide a narrative and context, heavily influenced the drive to give this collection a narrative and time and place. Diesel, KWK By Kay Kwok and Balenciaga served as inspiration for how to design and style these looks with a nightlife space in mind. Rick Owens, Dion Lee and Bluemarine showed me how a collection can have a complete throughline in each look, with a common trait following from start to finish.
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I analysed their most recent collections in both a runway format as well as on social media: how were they maintaining a presence in an over-saturated industry? What kept them on trend and accumulating people’s time on platforms such as Instagram, Tik Tok and YouTube? I wanted to research this for the designs, as well as for the film component of this collection.
Diffusion
A big component of this collection will be the ‘diffusion line’ that exists with each look. The new logo created for “Hey, Wanna Get Outta Here?”, which I hope to take into the industry as my personal brand logo, will be present in every nook and cranny of each look.
Diffusion lines exist within many fashion labels, translating the brand’s aesthetics and qualities to create products of a lower price range, and I want this collection to mimic that in every accessory.
In this collection, my brand acted as the fashion label. I want Alessandro Lorenzo Greco’s brand values to be ‘effortlessly chic’, ‘grunge’, ‘practical’ and ‘of the moment’. I wanted each accessory to come under this diffusion line and carry these values along with it.
This is why you see lanyards, iPhone cases, sunglasses, handbags, belts, earrings, chokers, rings, all sporting my label. The commerciality and marketability in the accessories of these looks is a strong focus, while the garments themselves do not contain any branding, opting for a ‘quiet luxury’ aspect.
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I looked to Calvin Klein CK, COMME des GARÇON PLAY and Louis Vuitton’s small accessories line for inspiration on how logos and brand values can translate in a lower priced ‘budget’ line of products.
COMME des GARÇON PLAY
Core Consumer
My core consumer base consists of people in their mid to late twenties (specifically the Generation Z age group) who are interested in high fashion eveningwear. There is no specific gender to this consumer, however they are in the market for an investment, high price-point product that has the versatility to be worn during the day and evening, to work and to the club.
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They are not married and live in the metropolitan area. There have no children and can be of any education level. There is no specific type of employment, however they are the individual who wants to enjoy a night out on the town.
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This target consumer is motivated to present an elevated version of self on a night out, but this does not mean they
are beholden to market trends or fads. The consumer makes few fashion purchases throughout the year as they are conscious of the lack of sustainability rife in the fashion industry and do not wish to contribute to it. But when they do purchase, they want something that is seasonless and has a level of longevity to last many wears and have a long lifespan.
Market Relevance
As I begun researching this collection, I looked to trends in 2024’s Copenhagen Fashion Week to see if any key
takeaways could be translated into this collection.
The idea of Extra-Ordinary, making the banal brilliant through “reformulating rather than recreating” (Collins 2024) is emerging in the industry. This can be done through enriching classics, adding newness to everyday silhouettes.
This market trend celebrates workwear by making it ‘cool’, especially for Gen Z who are beginning to enter the workforce.
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A key word is ‘Normcore’ - upgrading the everyday with subtle details that give it that extra leg of variety - which this collection strives to emulate. I thought this was a brilliant concept and fit well in what my collection was aiming to narrate - celebrating conclusions that happen in everyday life, elevating oneself to meet the significance of those special occasions.
For this reason, this collection showcases ready-to-wear, commercial garments, but with an added element to make them a bit more special for a graduate collection.