Evil Twin

Form:  http://www.webwombat.com.au

By Karli Smith

Jodie Mckenzie made her mark on the Australian fashion scene three years ago with the launch of her clothing label Evil Twin. A mixture of vintage and musically inspired pieces meets 70's and 80's punk and glam rock. The clothes are a little off centre with a tough rocker edge.

The Evil Twin shopper wants to look fashion savvy and edgy, but at the same time they want to appear as though they don't care about the way they look. They ooze attitude and confidence without taking fashion too seriously.

Jodie began her training at the prestigious Whitehouse Institute of Design and worked in the fashion industry for four years collaborating with Australian fashion label MINKPINK. In late 2008 she was given the opportunity to branch out and start her own line. Her goal was to create a label that offered edgy, fashion forward everyday clothing. The sort of stuff Jodie and her sister looked for when growing up but couldn't find without a ridiculous price tag attached. As a result, Evil Twin was born.

As a youngster, Jodie rebelled against being dressed in the same outfits as her twin sister, whom she has cited as inspiration for the brand as she likes to wear a lot of bold punk and 80s vintage. Jodie has also infused her own unique sense of style and creativity into the brand. Pieces inspired by punk/gothic influences and hard edges are contrasted with oversized tops and maxi dresses with lace and delicate tailoring. She prides herself on designing clothes for women of every shape and size and ensures that there's something for everyone in each collection.

Jodie finds the most inspiring looks are created by regular people who mix high fashion with casual or vintage clothing and put their own personal spin on it. "It's all about confidence and attitude in an outfit", she says, and finds every day girls and women on the street to be her biggest influence.

The launch of Jodie's first collection for Evil Twin was in February 2009, with the label popping up in selected boutique stores around the country and since then has became highly recognised for selling her line in General Pants. Amid her overwhelming success both in Australia and internationally, Jodie counts showcasing her work at London Fashion Week 2010 to be her greatest achievement to date. Not only has Jodie dominated the international market through stores such as Urban Outfitters (UK), Lane Crawford (China) and Fred Segal (USA), but she has also taken on the online shopping world with her label available at ASOS, ShopBop and Market HQ.

Jodie predicted one of the biggest trends this season to be Mid-West Americana, which can be seen in Evil Twin's second Summer 2010-2011 collection, "Everything's Bigger In Texas". This range was all about, slashed overalls and suede fringed shorts, splashes of bright blues and reds, snake prints, Western American inspired tees and vintage denim. It's mid-west, hippy chic with a rock edge.

Evil Twin's first collection for Winter 2011, "The Night Is For Hunting", is a combination of animalistic prints and furs teamed with gothic mesh, black leather and velvet. Oversized and mini shirts are styled together with maxi skirts. Printed long t-shirts, anoraks and heavy ponchos, are balanced out with tight leather pants and dark grey leggings embellished with leather crosses and studs.

The Night Is For Hunting is the prelude for the second Winter collection Broken Are The Beautiful. It's Twilight meets The Craft, and is, what I would imagine, would happen if a witch met a modern day vampire and their fashion was fused together.

Think more black leather and mesh, midnight blue lace, blood red velvet and witchy inspired patterns. These ensembles are finished off with silver chained armour hand jewellery, crosses and skulls and witchcraft themed pendants and rings.

With the success of Evil Twin's previous collections and growing population at home and overseas, it's safe to expect even bigger things from Jodie Mckenzie for many years to come!

Keep an eye out for Evil Twin's winter collection in stores and follow the label on Facebook for all the latest news and updates. Also be sure to check out Jodie and her sister Sarah's joint blog Platinum Evil for a sneak peak at upcoming collections, unique fashion finds and see from where Jodie gets a lot of her design inspiration.