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Get ready for a new shopping experience, Canberrans. Three Canberra designers Karen Lee (Karen Lee, the label) and Gemma Jameson and Francesca (of 4 Minutes 33), have had something quietly in the works for the past few months under everyone’s sartorial noses. And on Tuesday next week (27 August 2013) Assemblage Project, a jointly run boutique on Lonsdale Street, Braddon (where else?) will officially open. The shop is actually already *hush hush* open, so I ran on over to take a sneaky sneak peek before the inevitable stampede next week. I was completely blow away by the minimalist, gritty interior (clean white walls, raw wood floors, exposed wiring and oversized light bulbs) which is not only extremely chic, but subtly unassuming. This is not one of those intimidating designer boutiques that makes you feel too underdressed to go inside. The simple and chic layout is inviting and user friendly, and makes you want to stick around and take it all in. The back of the retail space is the studio where the pieces are designed and made. Shoppers are welcomed to venture into the studio and check out how it all happens. I also couldn’t help but notice that dress by 4 Minutes 33 in the back corner, which wowed audiences at FashFest and was ‘as seen on’ local blogger Vanisha from Vanisha’s Life. Karen and Gemma explained that the space was designed to be completely changeable, except for the light fixtures, so that it can be used for various purposes, including events – perhaps foreshadowing what’s to come?
For me the two labels Karen Lee and 4 Minutes 33 is a marriage made in heaven. Both their design ethos’ are centred around wearability, functionality, and innovation. The colour pallets are also (currently) analogous, based around whites, blacks and the shades in between. While Karen Lee and 4 Minutes 33 are about transcend trends, I feel that their styles are very much current with the minimalist, monochrome aesthetic that is trending on the streets at the moment. Karen and Gemma explained that rather than launching collections in seasons as is the tradition in the industry, they will be adding new pieces to their lines organically. So Assemblage Project will definitely be a destination to visit and revisit as new pieces are released. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, the opening of Assemblage Project, along with CBR Collective, earlier this year, is yet another manifestation of Canberra’s burgeoning fashion scene. Gemma reflects that it’s extremely positive that graduate designers are no longer skipping town to pursue their careers.
As an insight for other budding designers hoping to follow in their footsteps, Karen and Gemma reflect that it is undeniably a long road to going into production and opening up a physical location. Karen, Gemma and Francesca graduated in the same year from the fashion school of Canberra Institute of Technology, and it’s taken them about 5 years from then to get to this point. Of course, they have achieved many successes on the way, having had a number of successful major fashion shows under their belts and their items stocked in local and international boutiques. Find out more about Assemblage Project on their Facebook Page here. Assemblage Project Location: Unit 3a 25 Lonsdale St Braddon, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2612 Contact: 0435 001 886 Opening times: Tue – Wed: 10:00 am – 5:30 pm Thu: 10:00 am – 7:00 pm Fri: 10:00 am – 5:30 pm Sat: 10:00 am – 4:00 pm Sun: 10:00 am – 3:00 pm |
