INTERVIEW with Berniece Andrews || Brisbane Fashion Festival 2025 Designer (Hancock Prospecting Next Gen Group Show)
Designer Biography:
Berniece Andrews is a Sydney-based emerging fashion designer, currently completing her final year of fashion studies. Since beginning her design journey in 2022, she has quickly developed a signature aesthetic defined by structured silhouettes, dramatic proportions, and a cinematic, emotionally driven approach to womenswear. Her work fuses elements of ready to wear with couture construction, creating garments that feel both wearable and artful.
Already making an impact within Australia’s fashion community, Berniece has received the Fashion Innovation Award at Cairns Fashion Week in 2024, with her designs featured in Vogue Australia, Harper’s Bazaar, Fashion Journal, Refinery29, Broadsheet & more. She also had the opportunity of assisting renowned designer Caroline Reznik with the finishing touches of her debut Australian Fashion Week collection in 2023.
SD: What kind of music do you like and how do you incorporate it into your fashion design?
BA: I listen to a lot of R&B, rap and hip-hop. Music is a huge influence in my personal style and my creative process- it really affects how I feel, and that emotion carries into my designs. Whenever I’m creating, I always have to have music playing. It sets the tone in the room and helps me determine the overall vibe of what I’m creating. Whether it's a powerful beat or a moody lyric, music often becomes the starting point. I often find myself wanting to dress in a way that mirrors that same energy & vibe. It becomes more than just music; it's a mood board, a muse, and sometimes even the entire foundation of a concept.
SD: What’s your creative routine like? Where do you start, and how do you know when something’s finished?
BA: I try not to overthink it. I stop when I feel like I genuinely love it. I’ve learned not to create with the intention of pleasing everyone - because that’s where the art can get lost. If others connect with my work, then that’s a bonus- but it always has to start with me.
SD: What would be your dream fashion gig right now?
BA: Right now, I am taking each day as it comes. Ifeel incredibly grateful to already be showcasing my collection at Brisbane Fashion Festival this early on in my career. It's such a huge milestone for me & I’m focused on staying present, creating from a place of passion and growing with each opportunity that comes my way.
SD: Describe your personal style of clothing?
BA: There's definitely a heavy influence from music in how I dress. I take cues from R&B and hip-hop culture - that effortless mix of streetwear and glam, but I also love incorporating softer & more elevated elements that bring balance. I’m inspired by the way certain artists express themselves through fashion- with A$AP Rocky being one of my current influences in fashion. I often think of dressing like curating a mood, I let my clothes speak that before I do.
SD: Without giving too much details away, what should we expect from your collection for Brisbane Fashion Festival 2025?
BA: At Brisbane Fashion Festival 2025, Berniece presents her Spring/Summer collection, defined by a rich, monochromatic palette of deep and varied browns ranging from warm earthy tones to cool, moody neutrals. Brown often underestimated in high fashion, is intentionally reimagined here a colour of depth, stability and quiet strength. With over-exaggerated proportions, strong lines and a sculptural presence, each garment holds space like a piece of wearable architecture with silhouettes that feel both protective & powerful.
See Berniece Andrews on the runway. Buy your tickets here
Brisbane Fashion Festival Website: https://brisbanefashionfestival.com/
Brisbane Fashion Festival Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrisbaneFashionFestival
Brisbane Fashion Festival Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brisbane.fashionfestival/
Berniece Andrews’ Social Media Presence:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/berniecelina/
Photo Credits:
First + Second Photo: Model - Megan Elizabeth Victoria || Photography - Grace Lane