After a decade in business, some designers might be tempted to fall back on their bestsellers and “greatest hits” rather than rock the boat. Not so for Josh Goot, who’s using the milestone as an opportunity to completely revamp his label. Goot has established a strong Australia-based business of scuba dresses, graphic digital prints, and sporty surf-inspired silhouettes—in other words, a very Aussie vibe. But as the tides shifted away from those trends, he adjusted his priorities to the U.S. market and is introducing a new look for Fall ’16 that should suit the women who live there.
Considering the seasons in Australia and the U.S. are opposite—when it’s summer in Australia, it’s winter in New York—it makes sense that Goot inverted many of his past signatures. He’s replaced neoprene with natural fabrics like cotton, silk, and wool, for instance, and in lieu of structured body-con dresses, the silhouettes were soft and draped to “collapse around the body.” Dresses were still a strong suit, but these hung straight down from the hips and were often layered over sheer jersey knits or ribbed pullovers. In place of the surf influence was a new emphasis on streetwear—see the hoodies, cargo pants, and bomber jackets. Cut in oversize, swagger-y shapes, those androgynous staples reflected Goot’s own move to New York. “Seeing how people dress here and feeling the energy of the city brought in a lot of those masculine elements,” he explained.
Goot launched his label 10 years ago with a collection of unisex “essentials,” so the masculine vs. feminine thing isn’t really new for him. But after years of curve-hugging dresses, it was refreshing to see him go in such a different direction—and confidently. He didn’t seem to have any doubts, even when it came to the riskiest pieces, like a pair of khaki trousers with a skirt tacked onto the hips. “This journey for me has been about experimentation and discovery, and just thinking about different ways to put a collection together,” he said. After a somewhat lackluster New York Fashion Week, a little experimentation is certainly a good thing.
