Join us as we catch up with Amy Badikovich, designer for local labels Beyond Her and First Muse. Go behind the seams as we discover where Amy gets her inspiration and she juggles two different brands.
Where do you get your design inspiration from?
I approach the brands a little differently.
Beyond Her - I see as a cool lifestyle brand, so I build the ranges based on street style research. I’ve always loved street style more than runway as a form of inspiration. I love clothes to be wearable and functional, so what really excites me is to see how people build a look with their own personal touch. That is why I prefer to create pieces that can be mixed and matched by the wearer.
First Muse is a little different, each month's range has a strong range aesthetic and due to the elevated nature of the product I look more to colour and art inspiration for textures and tones to include in the range.
Both brands always start with a mood board, I love to compile all my thoughts and inspirational findings in a visual way to kick off the design process. Since we’re all on this forced stay-cay I have had more time to look back through my art and fashion history books. I feel this will be a great time for creatives to slow down and reconnect with research and be inspired by art and print again, instead of just online content.
How do you keep updated with the latest trends?
We are so spoiled with constant online content to be inspired by right now, Instagram by far is the easiest to do so. I really like searching through WGSN, which is a paid resource with all things fashion and design.
To stay connected with major developments in the fashion world, my daily routine consists of reading the afternoon EDM’s from Fashion Journal and Business of Fashion. I finish this daily fashion news binge with scrolling through the new stories on Man Repeller for a light hearted end, before moving on to the most important decision of the day - what to make for dinner?
Who’s your favourite artist? It’s incredible at the moment how many art galleries and institutions are opening up online exhibitions and showcasing archived collections, as a way to stay inspired during lockdown.
Right now, I am enjoying pieces with more colour and images incorporating natural Australian landscapes (maybe because I am currently reading The Ned Kelly Story?) Joan Ross is a stand out that showcases both bright colours and colonial Australia. Ross is a multimedia artist I came across in the MCA collection handbook recently.
This is a vibe I relate to, me gardening in unsuited clothing, tending to my plants. Ha!
A more constant source is visual artist Jess Cochrane. I tend to gravitate towards pieces that highlight the female form, her art shines a light on body positivity in a relevant way that feels very present. Her WFH OOTD’s on her personal account are a thing of inspiration themselves!
Here is one from the archives when we did a female artist collab with Beyond Her, shot by Yasmin from Culture Machine.
Another live artist I’m in awe of right now is Betty Grumble. I caught her recently (pre-ISO) at Frankie’s new FreakFlag event. Her positive energy and spirit are broadcast through her Grumble Boogie workouts on IGTV during isolation.
What hobbies are you enjoying during social iso?
Although it’s a difficult time for so many, I am trying to see this as a positive and make the most of this time at home.
My routine is set by writing a new to do list each week with different things I’ve been wanting to do, to keep entertained and challenged. Mixing up both home improvements with creative projects while trying to limit screen time.
I definitely have a new found enjoyment of gardening, our little urban dwelling is slowly transforming into a sublime little concrete jungle, mixing my industrial interior style with as many indoor plants as I can cultivate! Being financially conscious I am learning more about propagation and growing herbs and veggies from seeds.
Recently I’ve dusted off the sewing machine to fix/hem a pile of clothes that have been patiently waiting in the ‘I’ll get to it later’ pile. More excitingly I have just joined the amazing charity Rona Scrubs, looking forward to helping sew scrubs for healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
You can shop the latest from Beyond Her and First Muse exclusives online now.
