Subtlety is Lee Mathews’s strong suit. Her clothing rarely veers from considered, workwear-inspired separates and the occasional pouf-sleeve dress. This season, however, she pivoted slightly, collaborating with the young Aussie artist Clare Wigney. A recent grad of Sydney’s National Art School, Wigney pulls digital inspirations into the physical world. Her abstract flowers are pixelated, and her palette mixes cyber blue and pure rose pink.
Seeing so much color and pattern in Mathews’s collection might come as a surprise to her followers, but there’s a reason for the change: She hopes to use the garments to spotlight Wigney’s emerging talent. Over a Zoom call, Mathews set the scene: Australia feels more isolated than ever, plunging back into intermittent lockdowns and stranded with firmly closed borders. On the day of her look-book shoot, yet another lockdown was announced. The least she could do, she feels, is find a way to emphasize the new generation of Aussie creatives. Even if Mathews is stuck at home for now, her message—and her sunny smock dresses and warm knits—will resonate abroad.
