Although the Harbour City is renowned for turning some of its best natural assets into runways for the annual industry preview of resort wear,Bartel and her army of followers,including several celebrities and influencers chose of all things a church to show a range that highlighted the natural beauty of the 24 genetically blessed models.
The sparse room,designed by Melbourne architects Francis-Jones Morehen Thorp and a finalist in several global design awards,was the ideal setting for the collection titled “Chroma”,which featured low-slung denim,suiting,and netting dresses that led show goers to observe that it was probably the first time the walls of St Barnabas had seen a hip bone or exposed nipple.
Backstage before the show,Bartel,who recently said inan interview she had moved on from an alleged COVID-19 lockdown drug-related scandal,said Henne had developed significantly from its debut show at fashion week 2022,let alone its beginnings in 2019 as a purveyor of slinky tops,leggings and oversized blazers,aka the uniform for the young social media set.
“We found a lot of inspiration from the ’80s’ power dressing,really big shoulders,‘set’ dressing … and also Y2K,so a bit of sparkle and a bit of sci-fi,” she said.
While Henne may not be the most refined brand on the fashion week schedule,its popularity is unquestionable. It’s what led to young women queuing for kilometres in the cold and pitch dark in Melbourne a couple of months ago for the brand’s warehouse sale,or what makes its styles sell out when they regularly drop on a Monday night,thought to be the busiest time of the week for online shopping.
Bartel,whose co-founders are her sister,Michelle Ring,and Laura Broque,also knows how to pull a crowd for a runway,with many travelling from her native Melbourne.