The normal way to release collections in the fashion world is to do so once per season. But Opus 9 is anything but normal.
Opus 9 (named because it is the ninth body of work by designer, Justine Taylor) has one big difference in retail style. Available exclusively online, a new piece is launched each month, “to showcase styles in line with customer shopping patterns… keep up to date with unpredictable weather patterns, plus involve our clients with the evolution of our endless OPUS 9 collection,” Taylor says.
The pieces in the collection challenge commercial clothing; each one is hand made, with the focus on tailoring and cut, with a twist. “They really make one stand out from the crowd because they not only flatter form, but they also cross the art/fashion divide,” Taylor says.
They also blur the lines between traditional garment types, such as the Military Coatigan, Arm Socks, and the latest invention – a leather body sling bag to be launched in August/September this year.
The brand, launched in 2008, is the brainchild of East Sydney Tech graduate, Justine Taylor. Her first eponymous label sold to Barney’s in Japan (where it was hung next to Yohji Yamamoto and Ann Demeulemeester), her second diffusion label retailed in over 40 boutiques throughout Australasia, and she has shown numerous times at Australian Fashion Week.
Inspiration for Taylor includes “urban environment; encompassing art galleries, architecture, restaurants, film and European fashion in evolution. The collection might be black, but it works best back with the colour and movement of inner city graffiti-scapes and Missoni interiors.”