Taking over as creative director of an iconic Australian fashion label such as sass & bide is no small feat. Fresh from debuting his first collection for the label at London Fashion Week, Anthony Cuthbertson makes it look oh-so easy…
On taking over the design direction of sass & bide..
It is such an incredible honour! sass & bide is such an important part in the history of Australian fashion and it is such a privilege to now be part of the story. I’m really excited about the future and what I can bring to the brand and looking forward to the journey.
Debuting his first collection…
It was wonderful; it felt like we were taking the brand full circle by returning to our roots from where we first started in Portobello Markets some 15 years ago. As a Brit, it was also a lovely feeling to see my family and friends in the audience and sharing that special moment with them.
Fave piece in the collection…
That’s like picking a favourite child! Far too hard to choose… But I do think the heavily embellished bullet leggings (below) as well as the return of the rats (below) are going to be the big hit!
sass & bide’s bullet leggings
The return of the rats leggings
My signature as a designer is…
My aesthetic is actually quite modern and streamlined so it’s been really interesting to play that into the often heavily embellished and eclectic mix of sass & bide.
My vision for the brand…
To catapult sass & bide into new international markets whilst still retaining our uniquely Australian spirit and heart.
The sass & bide woman is…
The sass & bide woman is more about an attitude and free-willed spirit than is categorised by her age or appearance. She walks to the beat of her own drum and has an inherent confidence, which is echoed, through her clothes.
Prepping for the show
Celeb I’d love to see in one of my designs…
I’m a big fan of Jennifer Lawrence. I think her outspoken confidence and carefree attitude makes her a true sass & bide girl.
On my inspiration board…
That would be telling my secrets… Something that has served as an inspiration of all my designs for sass & bide so far is definitely the empowered modern female, something both Heidi Middleton and Sarah-Jane Clarke were true ambassadors of.
One piece of fashion advice I’ve give to women…
Don’t overthink!
The best part of the design process…
The best part of the process is definitely at the end! Seeing someone walking in your pieces in the street. I never get tired of that.
My creative process…
I’m quite collaborative so I like the noise. I also don’t think silence would be possible at the sass & bide office. It’s such an incredible family unit at Head Office – I thrive on the chaos of it all!
Photography: sass & bide
