The often media shy Brisbane designer Emma Rea is slowly coming into her own as a young designer to watch. Since launching in 2008, the label has been developing nicely into a strong brand recognisable for its subtle complexities and colourless, shadowy styles. Following numerous seasons that explored the blurry lines of gender dressing and moody shapeless silhouettes, next summer’s collection aptly named ‘Transition’ shows the label take a different direction towards the light.

If a summer of bright florals doesn’t exactly fit well within your wardrobe then Rea’s colourless collection may just be your answer, and where the range lacks in colour, it makes up for in shape, movement and delicate draping.

Describing her label as ironically ‘hard to describe’ Rea this season softly wrapped intricate smoky sheer layers around the body, exposing a more feminine side to her normally boyish aesthetic. Much like the hazy, almost ghostly look book images, this season also sees Rea work with a blurry print for the very first time. Rea’s love for the nineties is still evident in the range, but where previous collections referenced grunge, this season the look is more minimalist, circa Kate Moss’s Calvin Klein days.

Despite the shift in style, when asked about her daily routine, Rea is formulaic in her response “[I]wake up at 6:30, breakfast, workout, go to studio, brainstorm or sketch for next season I'm presenting. Sing and dance around the studio for half an hour to then get the energy to work on production for next season in-stores, stop at dark, dinner, bed. Repeat.”

Rea’s daily activities may be on repeat, but her design direction seems progressing towards a fresher aesthetic that is quickly gaining positive attention. “Who knows what’s next? But there is definitely a change in the air”