Wynn Hamlyn revs up

Motorsport takes centrestage at the New Zealand designer’s latest souped up runway collection.

Wynn Hamlyn Resort '24.

Motorsport takes centrestage at the New Zealand designer’s latest souped up runway collection.

When it comes to fashion shows, it’s rare that the location pre-dates the collection. But for Wynn Crawshaw—the designer behind New Zealand juggernaut Wynn Hamlyn—inspiration isn’t always linear.

When scouting for locations to host his second runway appearance at Afterpay Australian Fashion Week, Sydney’s Entertainment Quarter offered a unique option. Its Hyper Karting venue, a closed-loop track zipping around the top floor of the car park, lined with tires and abutting neon arcade-game consoles, hit the mark.

“To be honest, the venue came first for this show,” Crawshaw told Vogue after the show. “We were looking at cool places to have a show and this came up. We just went, ‘You know, let's just really pivot the collection and do a whole thing on it.’ And then when we started doing research on it, it was kind of more interesting to look at the people that go to races.”

Wynn Hamlyn Resort '24.

In an instant, racing jumped from a mere location to the crux of the show. Motosport racers, trackside attendees, mud-sprayed local karters, the world’s latest obsession with the glamour and fervour of Formula One, became muses for the Kiwi designer.

“We were just trying to really have fun with it, and it just kind of came out that way. We were looking at racetracks and the people that go there... The venue and everything else just kind of lended itself just to leaning into a kind of a rock and roll vibe in the motor racing sense.”

Wynn Hamlyn Resort '24.

‘Rock and roll’ is an apt description of the direction of the collection: an edgier, darker take on Wynn Hamlyn’s signature wearable, craft-forward aesthetic. The hallmarks of the brand remained—structured suiting, macrame woven throughout pieces, warped prints worn insouciantly on skirts and button-ups—but the new season saw new elements introduced, sure to serve as catnip for the faithful buyer.

Slinky dresses, utilising ruching and twisting to glide along the body; tied and twisted crop tops (a worthy entrant into the “jeans and a nice top” revival blooming at AAFW) made of lustrous silk dupion; structured dresses sliced with roped macrame; and utilitarian outerwear in wearable khaki and beiges, were all stars of the show. It was clear texture was front of mind for Crawshaw, too—crochet in dresses and polos, in espresso brown, made appearances, while knit sleeves were decorated with loose trailing threads. 

Wynn Hamlyn Resort '24.

But, of course, you can’t stage a moto-themed show without a moto jacket—and the collection had them in spades. Worn open over shirting on menswear, a full moto-suit in faded red, black and white, even skirt-suits, incorporating mini skirts in uncompromising leather, dangerously short, and panelled leather trousers worn with tanks. 

Wynn Hamlyn Resort '24.

The resulting effect captures the heart of a speed demon. Not just the glossy attendee sitting trackside at Albert Park for the Australian Grand Prix, but a tomboy after a weekend at the track, or a motorhead fresh from the drag strip. As models wound around the freeway, music thrumming, lights turned down low, Crawshaw’s question seemed to echo: how fast do you want to go?

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See more coverage from AAFW 2023 below:

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Originally published as Wynn Hamlyn revs up