No longer is athleisure the only way that sportiness finds its expression in fashion. On the Australian runways this season in Sydney, local designers made the case for an alternate angle to the sporty trend: one that veers away from stretchy spandex and that ubiquitous ‘exercise dress’ to something a little edgier. 

Maggie Marilyn, the New Zealand based label which made its debut at Afterpay Australian Fashion Week this year was the first off the not-so-proverbial mark. Showing on Monday May 15th, the label, helmed by designer Maggie Hewitt, presented a collection of new pieces styled back with its longrunning signature staples. Among the newbies? A spray jacket with retro inflections in the form of red and blue stripes, worn open over a cricket sweater and a striped cotton shirt. Call it the Antipodean take on all-American prep. And styling them with pieces that have been a part of the Maggie Marilyn core collection for seasons? That’s how Hewitt’s sustainability-minded values come to the fore. “We’re not trying to tell our customer that they need to buy a whole new wardrobe every season, but rather it’s actually showing them on the runway how we style new pieces back with existing ones,” she told The Guardian.