Maurice Terzini and Gareth Moody launch Nonplus luxury label
Fashion week pioneer Maurice Terzini and industry stalwart Gareth Moody reveal their vision for their luxury menswear and lifestyle brand.
Maurice Terzini and Gareth Moody are no strangers to the mayhem of Australian Fashion Week.
Between Terzini’s avant-garde brand Ten Pieces, which has previously shown its collections at his Bondi Icebergs venue, and the many projects Moody has founded over the years (Tsubi, Chronicles of Never, and his current label Non-Type), when it comes to staging a runway, the pair are seasoned professionals.
But with experience comes perspective, and the ability to sense when the status quo is ready for a change. Which is why, at Afterpay Australian Fashion Week on Thursday, Terzini and Moody will be unveiling yet another new brand.
Named Nonplus, the brand will reimagine some of each designer’s greatest hits, by elevating them in luxurious, sustainable fabrics that will appeal to sticklers for quality — Nonplus’ debut collection will range from $80 to $5000 in price.
With Ten Pieces, which Terzini designs alongside Lucy Hinckfuss, taking a year off from Fashion Week, Nonplus will be unveiled at Icebergs. But the format of the show — if we can call it that — will be unlike anything we’ve seen from either Moody or Terzini before.
“This is a lifestyle project. And for the show, we’ve been working on the canapes; there will be drinks and food,” explains Terzini, who opened Icebergs in 2002. “And the show is just an element of the Nonplus story. But we didn’t want it to be just garments down a runway.”
The idea for Nonplus was hatched before Covid, when Terzini and Moody — who have known each other for a long time but hadn’t partnered on a fashion brand before this — decided that developing a high-end menswear brand that’s manufactured onshore using quality fabrics was something they both felt passionate about.
“We felt that supporting Australian fashion and Australian business post-Covid was very important. Especially Australian menswear,” says Moody.
The pandemic gave them time to tweak and perfect their designs, which the duo describe as having a ‘surf-punk’ aesthetic. But also, it was during this moment of pause the duo decided Nonplus wouldn’t just be a fashion brand. It would be a lifestyle brand. And an ambitious one at that.
“Maybe Nonplus will grow into the events space. We’ve got various musicians we want to tap into, various F & B opportunities,” says Terzini. “We’ve spoken about working with various vineyards, maybe producing a range of wines. There will be lots of little stories. And whether they all tie in together … we’ll work that out over time.”
“We’re also talking about doing some bespoke dinners,” says Moody. “We want to champion the product. We know it best, so if we can present the product to friends and family and anyone interested … There’s obviously so many ways to access customers, but we want to do it in a personal sort of somewhat different manner.”
“Who knows, maybe we’ll release the capsule collection and the whole world will hate it, and that will be the end of that,” adds Terzini with a chuckle. “But it’s been very organic, which is quite beautiful I think.”
Despite their individual successes, Moody and Terzini are treating Nonplus as if it’s their first label. And by that they mean: “We’re not just going to throw hundreds of thousands of dollars at it, just for the ego,” elaborates Terzini.
“We’ve seen a lot of labels fail, so we’re really treating it like an emerging label. We’re trying to make sure it’s able to stand on its own two feet, and I think that’s really important in any first business.
“It also creates a bit more of an even playing field. We want Nonplus to be recognised for what it is,” adds Moody.
For now, the friends are focused on getting through the brand’s Fashion Week debut.
“We had a really strong idea for a show, but a bit of a curveball was thrown in yesterday,” says Terzini with a sigh. “If we were a bit more conservative, perhaps we would’ve stuck to a more straightforward catwalk. So it’s trying to find the balance, but I think it’s all coming together now.”
“We’re pretty excited about it. And if the feedback is good, that will give us the drive to go forward and reinvest a bit more money into it. We think it will be a nice stepping stone for menswear. We’re excited to join those other menswear brands and make Australian menswear a little bit stronger than it is.”
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