Birdwatching has become the unofficial hobby of lockdowns everywhere, including Sydney, Australia. Thanks to reduced air traffic, the trees outside of Lee Mathews’s studio have become wildly populated with birds. There are no literal avians in her resort 2021 collection though—instead, the creative director followed their path to a sense of freedom, joy, and movement. Mathews’s structured dresses have even fuller skirts and poufier sleeves as a result. Pants have added legroom, too, from a jodhpur-like cargo pant to silky, wide-leg options.
The danceability of these clothes was put to the test in a performance choreographed by Eliza Cooper and filmed by Martyn Thompson. Thompson, a photographer based in New York, is a longtime friend of Mathews’s who ended up stranded in Oz during the lockdown. “The experience reconnected me with people I’ve known for a long time,” said Mathews of isolating in Sydney, “and something new is coming from it.”
That willingness to collaborate and try something new is the best possible outcome of a world isolated and apart. “Having to collaborate outside your usual sphere to make things that resonate more is what will propel fashion forward,” Mathews said over a Zoom call. Brands much larger than hers should take note.
