‘My Australia’ is a special SBS News series exploring cultural heritage and identity, and asking what it means to be Australian in 2018.
His outfits have graced the catwalks of New York, London and Milan, earning praise for their bold designs and gaining a celebrity following. But Alvin Fernandez, the creator of the Perth fashion label Ae’lkemi, could have had a very different career.
“Ultimately, I was supposed to do marine biology in uni,” Fernandez told SBS News. “That didn’t happen because I missed out by a couple of points.”
Alvin Fernandez at China Fashion Week 2017. Source: WA Fashion Council
Fernandez has been crafting women's couture clothing in Perth for the past 20 years. His designs have been described as “feminine with a modern twist” and worn by the likes of Danni Minogue, Delta Goodrem, Jennifer Hawkins and former Spice Girl Mel B.
His family moved to Australia from Singapore when he was 12 years old, introducing him to a different style of education.
“It’s a bit intensive over there (in Singapore). After school, it was homework straight away and external tutoring,” Fernandez said. “(In Australia) it’s a bit more relaxed.”
But when the results of his final exams started to look unfavourable, Fernandez took some advice from his art teacher Vanessa Cullen and applied to study fashion and textile design at the WA School of Art and Design.
“I suppose I really wanted to influence him to see beyond art as just a high school thing,” Ms Cullen said.
“With the school he was in and his cultural background, he could bring something very unique to the fashion industry, I believed."
But telling his family about his budding fashion career was no easy task.
Alvin Fernandez working in his Claremont Studio Source: Aelkemi
“I sort of did that (studied at the art school) without my parents' knowledge for the first six months. Being from an Asian background, they sort of go 'If you don't get into uni, you go into business school',” Fernandez said.
“They see art, music, whatever as a hobby, something you don't make money or a living out of."
Fernandez set out to prove otherwise, finishing top of his course and going on to work with the late Ruth Tarvydas, one of Perth’s most respected and iconic fashion designers. He began creating his own brand and after visiting boutique after boutique with his work, he was referred to a fashion agent in the city.
“I took my range, walking up and down in 35-degree heat with two big garment bags. She looked at the range and she goes ‘Yeah, cool ... we’ll get back to you’.” Fernandez said.
His agent called him back with an offer to take the range on a sales trip around Australia. By the time she had arrived back, 30 stockists around the country wanted his pieces.
“I was working out the back of my parents' place, so basically Dad’s pool room was my studio. He put a new table over his pool table and that was my cutting table.”
I was working out the back of my parents' place ... Dad’s pool room was my studio.
Since then, Fernandez has established himself as one of the country’s top fashion designers, winning a number of awards and paving the way for his entry into the Asian Couture Federation, the first Australian designer to be inducted into the group.
Ae'lkemi is a play on the word 'alchemy'. The label's tagline is 'Turning a raw material into something precious'.
Local fashion influencers in Perth often ask Fernandez to design their event wardrobe for the whole year, something that requires a lot of trust in the designer according to real estate executive and fashion influencer Emma Milner.
Alvin with friends and customers Samantha Wyllie and Emma Milner Source: Kyle Brown - SBS
“No-one else does it like him. He knows exactly what I want and he knows what looks good on me,” Ms Milner said. “His talent and creativity, he (finds ways to) reinvent the wheel all the time. He’s just a creative genius.”
Longtime friend and marketing agent Samantha Wyllie says one of the best parts of Fernandez's work is his desire to include everyone.
“Whether you’ve got money or whether you don’t, he makes everyone feel comfortable. He’s just the go-to person in Perth.” Ms Wyllie said. “He’s so humble, so for him it’s amazing because he’s achieved so much.”
Alvin receiving his Asian Couture Federation award Source: Aelkemi
But while some may think he’s living the high life of fashion, Fernandez sees his work in another light.
“It's kinda cool to get those accolades. I mean friends and family tend to get a little bit more excited than I do. I pretty much go, 'That's amazing, that's great, thank you, let's just get on with the work’,” Fernandez said.
“It’s not a 9 to 5 job and it’s not as glamorous as people think it is.”
Celebrating Ae’lkemi’s 20th anniversary this year, Fernandez believes his family’s decision to relocate to Australia gave him the chance to do something different.
“Being Australian to me means having the creative freedom to do what you want and to chase your dreams.”
