Australia’s Tome aims for ‘every race on runway in 6 minutes’

Ryan Lobo and Ramon Martin celebrated five years of their label with a catwalk show at New York Fashion Week on Sunday

Models of varying age and size graced the catwalk for Australia’s Tome in New York. Picture: Frazer Harrison

Diversity on the catwalk still has a long way to go, but Tome is doing its bit.

Australians in New York Ryan Lobo and Ramon Martin cele­brated five years of their label with a catwalk show at New York Fashion Week on Sunday. And as a label that has long celebrated everywoman, there were models of varying age and size, a transgender model and “we always try to have every race on one runway within six minutes”, Lobo told The Australian after the show.

“This idea rang true with the brand from day one and we keep working really hard to stay true to this notion. No woman is more important or influential than another.”

This notion ran through the collection, gathering influences from all the women who have inspired previous collections and whose pictures have been pinned to the designers’ mood boards throughout their careers. They include Pina Bausch, Grace Jones, Louise Bourgeois, Madonna, Georgia O’Keeffe and, for the first time, artist Bridget Riley, with the introduction of more prints than the pair usually work with.

“She’s a longtime favourite of ours. I feel like she was the frontrunner of the Op Art movement, and … she’s really in the air again. We’ve seen a lot of her (work and references to it) in shows in the last six months while travelling.”

Known for its brand of relaxed sophistication — think oversized cotton shirting, ruffled cotton midi dresses and loose silk jumpsuits — this Spring 2017 collection included metallic trench coats, bustiers over peasant blouses and liquid silk midi-dresses.

Riley’s influence could be seen in graphic black-and-white prints, while a harlequin print seen in everything from maxidresses to cropped trousers had less auspicious beginnings.

“We found the weirdest harlequin Pierrot blouse — basically an ugly clown shirt — on a trip to Charlotte, North Carolina, and it was one of the early impetuses of the collection.

“We love buying ugly vintage, and the ugly thing ends up in a new, refined permutation of what it was. Everything percolates.”

Also showing on Sunday was Sies Marjan, by New York-based Dutch designer Sander Lak. In just his second season, he has already become something of a sensation for his luxurious fabrications, sartorial sensuality and bold use of colour.

All were evident in his Spring catwalk collection, which was held in the library of the New York City Bar Association.