Melbourne label It’s My Room Mate’s is creating made-to-order, comfort-focused pieces
Image via @itsmyroommates/Instagram
Words by Izzy Wight
“Soft, stretchy and tender.”
Melbourne-based designer Amelia Carlisle initially started her label, It’s My Room Mate’s, as a way to build her portfolio throughout university. Growing up in country NSW, Amelia discovered her love for fashion early through her mum, an avid op shopper and lover of bright patterns and vivid colours.
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Amelia’s move to Melbourne to study fashion felt like a “sink or swim” situation, in which she naturally found herself immersed in a community of like-minded creatives. It’s My Room Mate’s is an ongoing project centred around clothing that feels like a hug – “soft, stretchy and tender”. Below, Amelia speaks on her journey so far.
Tell us about you. What’s your fashion background?
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My fashion background I guess began really early on – my mum has always been an avid op shopper, which definitely rubbed off on me. My mum had cool style, constantly whipping out bright colours and patterns. She loved playing with things that were probably outside of a lot of people’s comfort zones where I grew up in country NSW, so I have definitely grown up with good wardrobe inspiration (thankfully we are the same shoe size).
After realising I loved designing and creating in high school, I moved to Melbourne to do my Bachelor’s in Fashion Design at RMIT. Not really knowing anyone when I got here, it felt like a bit of sink or swim [situation], but Melbourne being Melbourne [it] was incredibly friendly and welcoming, so here I am! And I’m very much calling it home these days.
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Now at 24, I am still studying, grinding my way through my final Honours year, working part-time and running It’s My Room Mate’s, all at once. Yes, full plate! Other than this, I like poetry, wine, movies, books, anchovies on pizza and have a deep, deep love for tiramisu.
Moving through my work in fashion, I have become super interested in how it can find a place in mental health and sensory support – that’s where I am now, exploring and working on this idea!
How did the label get started? Talk us through the process and the challenges.
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The label really just started out as a space to post work from my portfolio throughout university, but when I released images of my graduate collection, I started getting asked if any pieces could be purchased. And I’ve kind of just gone with it from there – playing with styling, photography and new designs to see what works, and how I would like to position myself in the fashion industry.
After finishing my Bachelor’s I decided to take a year off, as I felt I needed to gain some industry skills and knowledge. Whilst doing two internships that year I also decided to really give selling my own stuff a proper shot. My first pop-up at Pop-Up Studio 813 was so fun and such a great introduction to it all. Earlier this year, I started working with some friends… [on] The Gentle Runway Pop-Up at Alt-House in Fitzroy, which was super successful and created such a supportive community of designers!
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I love so many aspects of fashion, including other roles like photography, styling and film. It’s My Room Mate’s has also allowed me to produce and explore other work that I am doing in the industry. I think it’s really important to explore all your skills and interests wherever you can! As a young designer, you can’t really be a one-trick pony anymore.
I think the most challenging thing for me has been production. I am not the most patient sewer out there, so learning to sew units of garments in the most efficient way and asking for help when I need it was the biggest learning curve… realising that you can’t do everything all the time.
What were you trying to achieve from the project at the time? How has this evolved and what are you trying to communicate through the brand now?
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At the time of starting my brand, I was trying to find material ways to express myself – my graduate collection became a really personal exploration of my own anxieties and what I called ‘bittersweet self-soothing’. Doing two to three years of my bachelor’s in lockdown in Melbourne really made me consider how I use fashion myself as a form of support. And I was trying to be authentic in the best way I knew how and people seemed to like that vulnerability in my work.
I think this has evolved into a creative community of the openly sensitive, who want to wear hugs on their body! This year I am working on a full collection of works that take a deep exploration into sensory support and what that would look like in a contemporary fashion context; how measures to soothe and assist can be incorporated into ready-to-wear clothing.
How would you describe your label to someone who’s never seen it before?
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I would describe It’s My Room Mate’s as soft, stretchy and tender. It’s a pretty brutally honest project too and can be inescapably open for me personally at times. Each design aims to encourage a deeper connection to the garment itself as well as the wearer’s community. Hopefully, it prompts movement, as well as calming and soothing feelings while making everyday anxieties a little bit easier.
What are you most proud of in your work on your label?
I think design-wise, I am most proud of my printed garments. I took the image of my friends hugging and then had a wine while playing around with it on Photoshop and bam, there it was. It’s a really strong visual in my eyes, something that feels super genuine to my character and I am not sick of sewing yet (which is some kind of a record for me).
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But I am also really proud of how much I have done so far, it’s super tough to be creative and keep putting things out. I work really hard and I think people really underestimate how difficult it is to produce work that you feel like you can share with people and do this frequently. I’m sure many people in any creative industry will agree. I love being able to share my designs, poems, thoughts and pictures and love that people like to see it!
Who do you think is most exciting in AU/NZ fashion right now?
There are so many amazing designers to watch! My Gentle Runway Pop-Up family (Anoid, Pour Homme, Tilda Jewels, Briar Will, Moss Tunstall, The System, Moj Portal) are all amazing creatives and the warmest people you will meet! And of course my forever faves Maroske Peech, but surely you all know them by now?! That is probably way too many to list but the industry is really exciting right now, I could name so many more!
Dream Australian/NZ collaborators?
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I think everyone I listed in the previous question, plus maybe All Is a Gentle Spring and Ramp Tramp Tramp Stamp. I wish I could purchase so many of their pieces. I also love collaborating with friends and local creatives, it’s so fun to just grab a camera and some cool pieces and see what happens, see what you can all create together.
How can we buy one of your pieces?
You can DM me on Instagram to make an order. I am doing most pieces on a made-to-order basis whilst I am working on the new collection. There will be a website in the near future so keep an eye out for that as well.
To keep up with It’s My Room Mates, head here.
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