Lois McGruer-Fraser is humble, unassuming, and quiet, and in a room full of people at her own events, she walks amidst the crowd as if she were a guest. She hasn’t allowed the glitz and glam of the fashion industry cloud her head, despite the fact that her label, Lois Hazel, is known nationwide. Lois interned overseas with Marchesa, Iris Van Herpen, ByBorre and Marianne Kemp before returning to Melbourne to launch her own label in 2014, and since, she’s featured on VAMFF’s Discovery Runway and been named a 2017 Finalist for the National Designer Award.
The values underpinning her brand are what cut through the racks upon racks of others in the fashion industry; Lois is committed to sustainable and ethical practices, offering 100 per cent transparency on sourcing and production. All craftsmanship takes place in either her Brunswick studio or by a network of local seamstresses, and collections often incorporate dead stock textiles to ensure minimal waste.
The latest Lois Hazel collection is set to drop in September, and it’s one that lends itself to many. ‘Gathering’ is a collection bound by rawness, intent, purpose and the beauty of the unaltered. It illustrates the ‘bringing of things together’ in both the physical and emotional sense, inspired by the detailing that runs through the texture-rich collection.
‘Gathering’ is practical and wearable; it is a collection pieced together with monochrome layering pieces, separates and ensembles, signature denim details and one colour – mustard. It is the sixth collection from the Melbourne-made label, and it is distinctively Lois Hazel, adorned with frayed details, raw hemlines, ruffles and billowing silhouettes.
Sign up to Lois Hazel’s newsletter online to shop the collection as soon as it lands and learn more about transparency at loishazel.com.
The Fashion Advocate x
