Everything
As the weather cools and isolation stretches on, this is the vibrant and eclectic answer to our style needs. Supporting local has never been so important and helmed by Sydney-based style icon, Jono Friend, DearFriend is the streetwear label you need to cop this season. Described as an open letter from, and to, the people driving Sydney’s creative heart.
Warming up those isolation blues, the colour-infused brand has returned with its hotly-anticipated fourth collection, ‘Temporary Forever’. A trans-seasonal affair, the forthcoming drop offers up 10 items which favour bold colours and strong aesthetics, served with a ’90s vintage flair. Limited to 50 pieces a pop, all items will be made available exclusively from DearFriend on May 13. Just as the collection name suggests, this drop will be temporary and fleeting.
Teeming with unique, oriental inspired patterns, colour-block essentials and easy-to-wear looks, these are the looks that will carry you from self-isolation to Saturday nights out (we’re already dreaming). In the lead up to the release, we caught up with the namesake designer for insight into the collection.
ICON: In three words, how would you describe ‘Temporary Forever’?
Jono Friend: “I’m going to cheat here and answer this twice. The concept behind the collection is: “beauty isn’t permanent” but the clothes themselves can be described as “bold, vibrant and unique”.
What is your favourite thing about ‘90s style?
JF: “There’s a certain loudness and confidence in 90s style, which makes sense if you think about what was going on culturally at the time, particularly in the USA. The skate scene really came into its own, hip hop and rap began to have massive cultural relevance, grunge rock came to the fore – basically a lot of edgy subcultures finally got their moment on the main stage and I think that’s really reflected in the style that came with it. I get a lot of inspiration to push boundaries from that.”
What was the thinking behind keeping pieces limited?
JF: “There’s a few reasons actually. This is our fourth collection with DearFriend and really marks a new era for the brand, we’re trying to push the clothes and patterns into a more experimental area, and with that, we want our customers to really feel like they’re part of the club and getting their hands on something unique – hence the limited items. Beyond that, we’re also very conscious of wastage becoming an increasing issue in the broader industry, so this is just the start of an initiative to become more conscious with how we’re manufacturing and selling our products. What better way to introduce this concept than with a collection that celebrates the beauty in life’s fleeting moments?
How are you staying inspired and creative during self-isolation?
JF: “I have to admit it hasn’t been easy! I’m lucky that we have a great team working on DearFriend now, that’s really kept me excited and inspired me to keep my head down and work on new designs to really push this brand forward into the new era. We’re already well underway with the fifth collection and I can’t wait to keep things rolling. Other than that I’ve been working on some fun DIY clothing projects for my Instagram and looking at experimenting with new ways to shoot content around the house.
If there was one piece from the collection that you would have to wear forever, what would it be?
JF: “It would have to be Stretch Of Tokyo shirt, it’s a nod to Sakura season and the nation’s celebration of temporary beauty… Everyone at DearFriend is a little Japan-obsessed. It’s a staple that will always be on high rotation.”
Shop the collection from May 13.
