By Benjamen Judd

AFW: Emma Mulholland Makes A Splash For Her Debut Show at Australian Fashion Week

Her job is beach

AFW, Australian Fashion Week, Emma Mulholland — SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – MAY 14: Models walk the runway during the Emma Mulholland on Holiday show during Australian Fashion Week Presented By Pandora 2024 at Carriageworks on May 14, 2024 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Stefan Gosatti/Getty Images for AFW)

Nineties Indie scene queen Ione Skye relaxing in pyjamas on a banana lounge while husband, musician Ben Lee, takes snaps of her acting as though they were on a secluded tropical island and not in the middle of a runway in Carriageworks is the kind of performance art we love to see. Kudos to Emma Mulholland for remembering to have a little fun during what has been an intense week.

EM on Holiday’s debut show, Pure Shores, at Australian Fashion Week presented by Pandora was a refreshing dip into the kitsch memories of small-town, beachside vacations many of us likely possess from our childhood. The sort that involved a six hour drive to arrive at a campsite slash caravan park where for the next two weeks, became best friends with four other kids you’ll never see again. Perhaps in the light of expecting her own child, Mulholland’s sense of nostalgia is piqued and planning similar rustic family getaways of her own? We can hope they’re equally as idyllic as the collection suggests.

“Pure Shore is inspired by my all-time favourite film, Splash,” Mulholland tells Grazia. “There’s elements of nostalgia, kitsch and vacation-inspired fantasy, which can be seen throughout the collection. Darryl Hannah’s character in the film has always been a muse for me, so being able to portray elements of her character throughout the collection has been really fun.”

For fellow fans of the film, the lobster motif will be instantly recognisable as one of the movie’s most iconic scenes. If not, here you go.

The collection masterfully juxtaposes city life and oceanic tranquillity, seamlessly merging the practicality of EM on Holiday’s daywear with the fantasy of their embellished occasion wear.

From the outset, Mulholland and her team aimed to immerse the audience in the vibrant world of EM on Holiday. “This is our first AAFW show, so we knew we wanted it to be an immersion into our vacation-inspired vision,” she says. The collaborative process involved friends and creatives who helped bring the vision to life across set design, music, hair, makeup, and accessories. The result? A runway show that felt like a mini tropical getaway.

“EM on Holiday has always felt like a truly authentic reflection of who I am as a designer,” Mulholland shares. “It’s exciting to see it come full circle with a runway show.”

The collection features fun, prom dress-inspired dresses and skirts, a nod to Mulholland’s fashion school days. Her favourite piece? The Turquoise midi dress. “It sort of sums up the collection,” she says.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – MAY 14: A model walks the runway during the Emma Mulholland on Holiday show during Australian Fashion Week Presented By Pandora 2024 at Carriageworks on May 14, 2024 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Stefan Gosatti/Getty Images for AFW)

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – MAY 14: Models walk the runway during the Emma Mulholland on Holiday show during Australian Fashion Week Presented By Pandora 2024 at Carriageworks on May 14, 2024 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Stefan Gosatti/Getty Images for AFW)

topics: Australian Fashion Week, AFW, Emma Mulholland, fashion week, AFW 2024, trending