Christina Suntovski, Elisabeth Cassar and Stephanie Rozek

With Melbourne being in lockdown for over seven months due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, feelings of isolation and a longing to travel projected our vision of creating a Resort Collection for Arnsdorf Spring/Summer 2021. With our Europe trip canceled, our longing to visit our home countries were shattered, along with our means to see each other, let alone our families. Dreaming of the day in which we are free once more to explore, travel and be together, our collection aims to break free from the dire cold nature of isolation, and into a new world, filled with colours, dreams and hope. Colliding our worlds of dreams and reality, our project brings a piece of Europe to us, an escape into the resort realm, however from our own homes in Melbourne.

While establishing the resort collection, our aim was to bring together our European heritage, culture, and lifestyle to our consumers. Inspired by the cobblestone streets of Greece and crystal blue freshwater lakes of Italy, we fell in love with the culture and European lifestyle. Our Santorini Resort Collection touches upon Mediterranean Traditional Architecture, Traditional Italian Terrazzo Marble surfaces and Europe’s finest waters. Classic neutral tones alongside subtle pops of colour have been implemented and historical sculptures inspired our drape, pleats, and classic shapes. Looking into the textured rock formations of Malta and ceramic artists such as Jean Hans Arp, the structure is heavily embedded throughout our love for the minimalistic and romantic aesthetics of Europe. This is represented through our light and warm chosen colour ways in selected fabrications of silk, linen, and cotton. Material choices fit the aesthetic of the collection due to the natural resort feel each brings to the outfits, patterns and prints also are subtle and minimalistic which compliments each design shape. Our designs feature minimalistic, structured shapes which feature in low to high price points.

Our consumers are typically Australian, with a portion located overseas in countries such as France, New Zealand, and Germany. They love to travel around the world to resort destinations such as Italy, France, Malta, and Greece in their work breaks and spare time. Most have established or young families, are typically married and in full-time work. Our consumers admire high quality, minimalistic, and comfortable clothing. They are style-conscious and up to date with the latest trends, focusing on spending their money on garments that will last a lifetime within their wardrobes. Their colour palette consists of neutral and warm earthy tones, a careful inclusion, and focus throughout the resort collection. As they make their way around the world, traveling from country to country, they admire clothing that will sit loose, comfortable and easily adaptable upon the body.

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