In a fabric chapel, we donned our uniforms to practise the lore of Alix Higgins; as the pews filled with distinguished laity, waiting for the ‘i forgive you god’ resort 2025 ceremonial affair to commence. Returning to Alix Fashion Week (formally known as Australian Fashion Week) for the third time; designer Alix Higgins graced us with a collection jubilant with anger, energy and electricity. Promising a breath of renewal and vitality amongst the post-apocalyptic thread that was sewn into the fabric of this years’ Fashion Week. In a time where emotional absenteeism provides an escape route from the reality of daily life, ‘i forgive you god’ is a statement of acceptance and harnesses vulnerability as strength. The collection is a re-imagining of daily fantasy, offering forms of genderless flair and functionality. Maintaining sophistication whilst usurping perfection ‘i forgive you god’ is an ode to his fashion upbringing. Upcycled polo shirts paired with softly draped silks and ornamental collars, extending the ‘effortless, undone and kind of raw’ feeling that Alix introduced with his pre-collection ‘Archery Practice’. ‘i forgive you god’ offers a sense of purity that is in no way minimalistic.

“It's meant to be slightly humorous, like shaking your fist at the sky, but also this acceptance okay, I forgive you. This is what I have and what I have to deal with.”

Poetry is integral to the Alix Higgins universe. Through his signature printmaking, veiled textiles and raw hems; the clothing becomes a distorted diary of warped secrets and digital tactilities. Laced with inside jokes of varied interpretations and queer language, emblazoned.

“I’m trying to find things that have multiple meanings, so that it is kind of unclear… Covering my tracks”

‘Delectable Earth Shudder’, the title, a snippet from past poetry, debuted at AFW2023. Confession is the crucible of Alix Higgins, he’s completely unafraid to be introspective and vulnerable. One half of the band Patamon, his musical collaborator Joan Banoit inspired him to realise the lyricism in his writing and experiment with musical production. This became an extremely important development in his creative practice, the immediacy of performance providing an exciting and different way of engaging with his audience. Joan returned alongside Alix to AFW, to develop an enticing and ethereal sonic soundscape that perfectly complemented the dreamy textile designs. Raised on Tumblr, he pays homage to the influential platform that provided an invitation to different worlds and communities outside of the small town Otford, in regional New South Wales.

“The way that a feed used to work… All of those things melt into one, fashion and art and costume. [The idea that] anything can be anything was extremely formative to me”

‘i forgive you god’ is a continuation into his upcycling practice and experimentation with unreplicable found materials - “Pieces [that] have a lived identity… history and character, tactility and uniqueness”. Alix continues to apply the couture skills he learnt whilst studying in Paris and working at Marine Serre; the craft of drapery and masterful construction to reinterpret existing textiles. With fingerprint polka dots, an oversized tee that says ‘GOOD boy’, polo shirts and mini skirts, the personality and charm of alix higgins is tangible and ever present. Queerness, double entendres and ambiguous allusions are at the core of his creativity and methodology.

The final roll call brought a resounding applause and a demonstration of support as shouts of ‘we love you Alix!’ filled the hallowed halls of the Carriageworks cathedral. A testament to the community that stands as the backbone of this self-referential brand and positively bashful designer. As he skipped down the runway, coyly fixing his fringe, the face of his close confidant and casting director, Chloe Corkran was printed upon his shirt. A display of affection to those he holds dear in his creative orbit, and of the support systems that bolster the Alix Higgins’ universe.

Notorious for being drawn to uniqueness and finding pleasure in provocation, Alix seeks to cast people as idiosyncratic as his designs, driving to find those who “look a little weird”. When backstage, he treasures being surrounded by familiar faces, collaborators and fellow creatives.

“I am drawn to performers, actors and musicians over models… I'm not interested in perfection… I'm interested in character.”

“My muses were people like Florence Welsh, this huge frenetic energy of a performer who's running around dancing and singing and needs to be able to just throw things on and off.”

With words like ‘electricity’ and ‘pure pop’ becoming emblems on the models bodies; this manifestation of exuberance and performance is something that has a tangible, long-lasting effect on the designer. Since attaining rapid success, Alix Higgins has developed reciprocal connections with his muses; a special accolade that many artists can only dream of. His clothing has been seen on stars such as Grimes, Hunter Schafer and Troye Sivan, with some of his early-internet muses becoming mutual admirers.

In response to the overconsumption exacerbated by the fast fashion epidemic, sustainability is a poignant theme at the forefront of todays’ production discussions. Alix is aware that environmental concerns in the fashion world are a futile plea and acknowledges that “the only sustainable fashion brand is… None”. Shifting his focus to amplify the beauty of upcycling, he sources vintage garments and harnesses seduction through reclaiming their imperfections and flaws.

“I'm very in love with the challenges of reality”

‘i forgive you god’ reimagines the polo shirt as a textile that brings energy to the everyday fabric, abstracting its standard form to one with high cut seams, open backs and rebirthed into new garments. Drawn to the poetry of their physicality, Alix pledges to maintain the tactile, manual labour of his work whilst proclaiming his undying love for the internet. Ultimately, unable to deter himself from the sultry nature of the way fabric lies on a body, its quality and the person beneath it all.

‘I love being online, maybe it's a testament to how sick i am’

Alix’s Instagram bio states ‘fashion forever’, yet the shifting nature and future of his practice is as indiscernible as his lines of prose. Sitting with uncertainty, Alix never predicts what's to come, as clarity presents itself in the embodiment of the current moment. Impressed by those who harness their energy into evolving their creative practice, he acknowledges the foundations he has laid for himself.

“I've been doing this for so long, but actually, I'm at the beginning”.

“(Michael Lo Sordo) said to me at a dinner last year, ‘you just have to do a tough 10 years’. I think about that all the time, like oh my god, I can't have seven to go!”

The young designer is proving to be an undisputable force in contemporary fashion, confession and creative textile practices. His gentle demeanour and sarcastic sense of humour is imprinted onto his designs with brazen authenticity. The resort 2025 collection ‘i forgive you god’ is a sincere yet tongue-in-cheek reaction to life's troubles, a response of resilience. Armoured in Alix Higgins, blanketed in divine protection, his deconstructed poetry provides a sentimental refuge from a world brimming with abbreviations and acronyms. ‘i forgive you god’ is a playful amalgamation of daily fantasies and wishful promises. With metallic brushed lips smudged from an imagined kiss, the intimacies sealed within Alix Higgins are ever present.