ONES TO WATCH

DION LEE

Dion Lee is an enigma. He’s so talented and so creative, and he marches to the beat of his own drum. He is from Sydney Australia where the brand is based. He opened the company in 2009.  I’d rather not refer to his style as experimental as some do, as that sounds too clinical to me, whereas the clothing itself is organic and modern. He has an incredible hand. The tailoring and the draping together make for a complete package of the sensual and the technical.

This season, his outerwear was astounding. Shearling and leather combinations added dimension to already voluminous silhouettes. The intricacies and details of the knitwear was wonderful to see, particularly in motion on the runway. He showed absolutely fantastic sweaters in novel shapes with the knitted arms as dangling accessories. There is a cool factor to everything Dion does that cannot be denied. From the styling to the pairings of separates, he surprises and delights the eye. He deconstructs the basics and turns them into fluid pieces that move with the body and capture all the light in the room. Utilizing vivid primary colors along with blacks and whites, and only one print painted onto a leather jacket, his designs enhance the body and tell a consistent and coherent story.

It’s daring clothing suited to a person with lots of confidence and personal strength. It’s definitely not for the weak of heart or the timid. I admire his bravado and his style. Dion Lee has a very very bright future here in the States, as one to watch. He has already conquered the global retail space and I expect his brand will only get more and more attention here. It speaks in a singular voice and resonates beautifully.