House of Cards: Graphic prints and nostalgia for the 90th
IN THE WEEKLY RUBRIC "NEW MARK" Wonderzine presents young designers and tells where and how you can buy their things. Our heroine this week is Ashiya Omundsen from Australia, sewing off intricate but wearable girlish things.
We know little and heard about Australian designers. Nevertheless, Sydney has its own fashion week, and the names of several local designers are already well-known, though many of them moved to the States: for example, Dion Lee shows off their collections at New York Fashion Week, Tome brand designers Ryan Lobo and Raymond Martin based in Manhattan.
Ashiya Omundsen was born in New Zealand, where, as a 12-year-old girl, she already sewed her first things. The girl studied photography and graphic design at Queensland College of Art - hence her collections of prints with motifs of Australian flora and fauna and clean, graphic cut lines. Ashia is now only 23 years old, but she has already founded her own brand of clothes with the ironic name House of Cards, lives on the east coast of Australia, in Brisbane, and is not going to leave there. It develops its brand primarily in the local market and collaborates with local stores. The first serious trial collections Omundsen began to sew manually at age 19 for herself, leaving for three months in Bali.
In addition to clothes, Ashiya creates platform sandals and accessories: clutches in the form of basketballs, waist bags and visors in sequins, and at the same time painstakingly running her tumblr-blog. All things House of Cards are as simple as possible: T-shirt dresses, crop tops, skate dresses, A-line skirts, translucent clothes, shirts and long sleeves. Such beautiful and wearable things are most difficult to find in stores. The girls loved the brand of Ashiya not only for the pastel colors, but also for some naivety, nostalgia for the school and the aesthetics of the 90s. Another important fact: House of Cards are worth reasonable money - in the range of 100-200 dollars.
I am inspired by the past: movies of the 70s, television shows and pop artists of the 90s, as well as what Kate and Laura Malliwi do, designers of the brand Rodarte, who began to sew clothes in childhood, because they were sure that it was them and must deal with. I start my work with prints and colors - first there is always an illustration, and then I think about the shape and silhouette. I work a lot: I create things during the day, I answer letters at night. Next year I will dedicate my brand outside Australia. I hope to make a collaboration with Opening Ceremony soon.
Where to buy House of Cards
House of Cards items are sold on the east coast of Australia, in Brisbane, in the Winn Lane store and in several stores in Bali. They can also be ordered in the online store on the website of the designer.