What is a Bloodline? According to designers Anysia Blenckhorn and Madeleine McInnes, Bloodline is both the name of their new fashion brand, and “a means of connecting with like-minded people … with the importance of family bloodlines now replaced by the love of chosen family”.
BORN OF FRIENDSHIP
“The brand was born of our friendship and shared interest in fashion construction and designing, as well as the limiting nature of industry opportunities for young and aspiring designers,” explain Anysia and Madeleine who are both co-founders and co-designers.
“Indeed, it is so rare for young people to become designers without launching their own brands, not to mention how limited actual designing is within industry, most high street brands lack true design processes,” they say about launching the brand in February, 2024.
“My interest in fashion grew from my visual art practice and developed from sculpture into wearable art. My artistic practice was the major motivator bridging my Fine Art degree (QUT) to my bachelors of Fashion Design (RMIT),” says Madeleine.
“I very much see the body as a form and fashion as a way to adorn and subvert that form. Bloodline is the amalgamation of these themes into a ready to wear fashion collection.”
Anysia says: “Fashion ignited my passion by offering a canvas for creativity and self-expression. The catalyst for my journey was my HSC art project, which granted me the freedom to delve into various forms of textile art and sculptural fashion. Drawing inspiration from the bold lines of brutalist architecture, my designs emerged, each echoing the architectural style’s knack for hinting at deeper significance which appears throughout the brand.”
Anysia and Madeleine say that Bloodline started from their friendship, and turned into a “collaboration to create fashion that combined classical tailoring with the complexity of femininity, [something] that is not currently on the market at an accessible price point and everyday wearability.”
SUSTAINABLE DARK FEMININITY
Inspired by iconic fashion designers and brands including The Row, Alexander McQueen, Thom Browne, Vivian Westwood and Issey Miyake, the two designers are fans of fine tailoring.
“The idea behind Bloodline is the merging of classical tailoring with complex construction for the everyday wardrobe that aesthetically investigates the vastness of femininity,” they say.
“Bloodline is a spectrum of dark femininity, highlighted through custom tailoring and complex construction.
“Bloodline has been constructed as a custom runway brand accessible to high street clientele – it aims to re-popularise tailored wardrobes and custom shopping.
“Utilising a made to order business model, we avoid excess stock, fabric wastage and mass consumption – additionally clients are able to opt-in for a custom fitting of designs to ensure their purchase becomes a staple within their wardrobe.”
Anysia and Madeleine also want to support the Melbourne fashion industry: “Bloodline aims to foster a localised fashion industry where mass production is no longer required and individualism and tailored clothing is celebrated.”
“We hope to continue producing collections, ready to wear and avant garde, to grow our clientele from ready-to-wear up to couture custom designs.
Bloodline is very recently launched but you can follow the brand at @bloodline_design_____________
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