A Grassroots Collective Challenging the Fashion Industry to Lift its Game. 

What Else? is a digital platform launched in the wake of covid, with the intention of interrogating and improving the structure, transparency and integrity of the Australian fashion industry. As the passion project of stylist Charlotte Agnew, What Else? explores the inherent frustrations experienced by countless emerging creatives in the fashion space, while also asking the hard questions of those further up the chain, who rightly have a responsibility to help create an environment that supports new, as well as established talent. In the absence of defined career pathways or safety nets for many working in and around fashion, What Else? offers itself up as a safe space for the kind of genuine dialogue that can lead to change. As a result, What Else? is also a platform for pithy, insightful interviews and images focussed on creators and their unique perspectives, with a view to rising the tide to help float every boat.

Prior to the pandemic Charlotte was Fashion Editor for the online edition of i-D in Australia. With her unique perspective Charlotte created work that celebrated a fresh take on Australian fashion - work that also felt completely consistent in the context of an international publication. Subsequently she became Fashion Director at Russh Magazine, a role that also allows her the space to cover great local talent. Leveraging her position - as well as her own experience of the difficulties faced by young stylists and other creatives - Charlotte sees What Else? as a portal with the potential to remove the blind spots and make the journey less difficult for young, eager stylists coming up behind her. 

So far, What Else? is delivering on its promise. Some of its foundational interviews include Is It Time for Fashion Freelancers to Self-Organise?, a story which identifies the lack of an existing union to represent freelance stylists in cases of unfair treatment. And another titled, Creating a support system for Australian Creatives in which she spoke to the Australian Fashion Council about how they’re developing a Code of Conduct for the industry and advocating for better recognition from the government here. Ultimately, while interesting in their own right, the stories written for What Else? are also a call to arms to others in the industry to unite in asking for the same basic structures and rights that exist to protect those in other, more protected industries. 

Right now, Charlotte is also excited about the new content being rolled out featuring the work of some great writers and image makers. There’s a conversation between Genesis Owusu and Ourness founder Andrew Klippel with an introduction by Sabina McKenna and images by Ellen Virgona. There are stories with industry leaders including i-D’s Alastair McKimm, Bart Celestino of Love Want as well as top models Bambi and Fernanda Ly. There are conversations about practical issues like ‘how to create a business’ with USFIN Atelier, Rainy Baby, Extra Silky and Parfemme and round tables between photographer Justin Ridler and Hanan Ibrahim - the first Muslim model to walk a runway in Australia. It’s content made out of a true desire to promote local talent and share fresh ideas in a media landscape that took something of a beating over the last few years. 

I sat down with Charlotte to ask about her motivation for creating What Else? 

BW: What inspired you to launch What Else? 

CA: I, like so many others, had been questioning the structure of the local fashion industry for a long time. Then when Covid came along and we went into lockdown, everything that was distracting us, and that we just assumed would always be there, was gone. And basically I was just left with a lot of questions about why things are the way they are. So I was interested in looking back to the beginning to see if there’s a different or better way forward. Change should be constant in fashion and it feels like we need to become more comfortable raising possibilities of change more often.

BW: I love the idea of recontextualising and reframing fashion as a way of challenging the industry to be its best.

CA: At the heart of it, I want support and options for everyone. Fashion contributes over $27 billion to the Australian economy annually. There’s no reason it shouldn’t be considered as important as other disciplines. Sometimes fashion can feel like this exclusive maze, rather than an environment that encourages great ideas. I hope that What Else? can help untangle this maze for myself and others. 

BW: Do you see it as a way of giving it a bit of a shake up? 

CA: I think fashion should always be moving and evolving in an effort to reflect the minds contributing to culture across different industries. Fashion is a reflection of our culture, therefore the conversations and questions that challenge us and compel us to take risks are important in the work we create. What Else? is ultimately a way for me to share work I love and am excited about. It’s also to celebrate the people who continue to encourage and embrace new ideas and ways of doing and seeing things and sharing their authentic perspectives.

BW: Although you’re confronting the industry in a way, the tone of What Else? is super positive overall.

CA: My intention for What Else? is really to allow a conversation that can openly reflect on the industry, with transparency and without limitations, to hopefully show how authenticity can help in the creation of new decisions.

BW: Who else have you spoken to and what has been their response? 

CA: Initially I spoke to lecturers from UTS and RMIT and with members of the Australian Fashion Council. Mostly it’s the conversations you have with your friends, peers and surrounding voices that all return to a similar set of questions about why things keep happening that could probably be changed to set a better standard of working.

It’s not about reinventing the wheel but just acknowledging that freelance fashion is a job like any other. We are often told we’re supported by the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance, but we’re not. A set structure would help this group of freelance workers, stylists, hair and makeup assistants, those who aren’t represented by agencies. We’re often winning and losing in our self defined grey areas of this work and I just believe there is a way to have better accessibility to standardised knowledge so we’re not expected to navigate the politics of the job without wider support.

BW: What is your hope for What Else? moving forward?

CA: To continue to collaborate and create work that shares a perspective that asks new questions of the industry with a positive intention to confront and solve these issues directly.

The What Else? group exhibition - featuring work by Charles Dennington, Mia Rankin, Patamon, and Bowen Arico - presented by Charlotte Agnew, opens on the 10th March at China Heights Gallery