Feb 21, 2021

Firstly, welcome to the beginning of my ‘Discover the Designer’ series. This series of blogs will be focusing on some of my favourite local designers, many of whom I’ve known and admired for years. It seemed fitting for my first one to be the designer that first opened my eyes to the world of locally designed fashion.

I first met Nicola Unwin, founder of Adelaide fashion label Astor + Tyne, through our school community. After attending one of her collection launches, I was immediately drawn to her flowing designs and the personality they conveyed. I recall thinking of her as a confident, hardworking, independent business woman, someone that I knew I would connect seamlessly with. Fast forward 9 years, and I still feel the same. Here’s what I discovered about Astor + Tyne while chatting to Nic.

The idea of Astor + Tyne, had been bouncing around with Nicola since she was 12 years old. Growing up, she had always been aware of fashion, of colour and prints, no matter her environment. After 23 years of hairdressing, it was time for Nic to unleash the creative in her and start translating her thoughts into actual pieces. Nic started out collaborating with others and, whilst at the time seemed the right thing to do, she now thinks her partnerships may have been due to her not believing she had the knowhow to run a business on her own. Fast forward to now however, she knows she is more than capable of running Astor + Tyne alone. You just need to attend one of her launches to see how in control she is, she’s one smooth operator.

"Inspiration is everywhere for Nicola; she’s constantly looking around and finds inspiration in the most unexpected places."

She doesn’t spend hours searching for inspiration but rather draws it from chosen fabrics and what she sees out in the world. It was really interesting discussing fabric choice with Nicola, her face lit up when talking about finding a fabric that she falls in love with. Drawn to these fabrics by palette and feel she explained how a collection can grow organically once a fabric has been chosen. An example she gave is for one of the fabrics you’ve seen at Astor + Tyne, the ‘Rust Palm’ that was featured in the ‘Ochre Summer Collection’. Once Nicola had this fabric, it dictated the collection not the other way around according to Nicola. This is interesting for me, as I had always believed the design came first then the fabric but this is not always the case for Nicola. For her, vision often comes from the fabric.

Nicola is clearly enjoying the designer life, living out a promise she made to herself as a teenager – to do a job that she really WANTS to do, not a job she HAS to do. This is her constant motivation, she is doing what she wants to do and loving it, surrounding herself with prints, creating gorgeous collections, and connecting with likeminded people.

"I asked Nicola who her ideal client was and interestingly, it was exactly what I thought her target market should be."

Clearly we are on the same page! The Astor + Tyne client is in her forties, she’s a busy, hardworking woman, maybe with tween children or maybe not, she likes and appreciates the nice things in life. She’s unique and knows who she is, she’s independent, confident, and has a strong sense of self. I have to say when I heard Nicola explaining this my immediate thought was, “This is Nicola through and through!”

When I see the latest designs by Astor + Tyne - via Instagram, Facebook or on the website - it’s evident in each piece. This is not to say however, that if the above description doesn’t align, Astor + Tyne isn’t your label. It most certainly is. The thing I love about most Astor + Tyne pieces is that they can be adapted to any style, you can dress them up or down. One of my favourite pieces - of which I have a few - is my cape jacket (circa 2019). It makes a black pant and a white shirt look like a powerhouse or alternatively, when styled with a ripped denim jean and a white tee, looks effortlessly stylish.

So, with the AW21collection around the corner what can we expect to see? I’m elated there will be more ‘Adapt’ pants! For those of you that don’t own or haven’t experienced the ‘Adapt’ pant, it’s an absolute staple, you must have pair (or four, in my case). They’re the most flattering, comfortable, adaptable pant you could own - hence the name! You’ll also see gorgeous vegan leather + suede stretch pants, teamed with a gorgeous winter white blouse and finished with a fitted military style blazer these will be some of my must purchases. Not to mention the bold monochrome prints that I’ve been lucky enough to have a sneak peek at while chatting with Nic.

Astor + Tyne will be parading AW21 at the end of March, keep an eye on socials for dates, I’ll certainly be there to support them! You can follow them here.

Tracey Bryans - Stylist