How Nikita Sernack’s rural childhood inspired her jaw-dropping collection at this year’s RUMER Afterpay Australian Fashion Week show

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An ode to the Australian outback.

May 16, 2022 9:00am

Despite running fashion labels RUMER and NOOKIE, Nikita Sernack was all smiles when The Weekly caught up with her backstage after the RUMER show at Afterpay Australian Fashion Week.

“We have multiple things going on, but it’s been an amazing week,” she smiles. “As always we try to be super organised, super busy, non-stop – I haven’t slept in a little while!”

It’s only been a year since RUMER debuted on the runway, but this year the label’s latest collection “Journey” was a personal homage to Nikita’s childhood in rural NSW.

With the runway transformed to evoke a journey down the red dirt road of the iconic Australian landscape, Nikita tells The Weekly that the collection’s earthy tones paid tribute to the beautiful, rich, vast, earthy nature of the outback.

“My grandparents own a farm outside of Yass and we spent a lot of our childhood there,” she says.

“It’s a complete working farm with cattle, abattoirs, the whole thing and it was nice to draw into the colour palette and I think ultimately as well, the effortless of Australian-ness,” adding that she always tries to hone in on the effortless yet elevated feel.

Nikita tells The Weekly that the collection’s earthy tones paid tribute to the beautiful, rich, vast, earthy nature of the outback. (Image: Instagram @metmedia)

However, back during her days on the farm, Nikita, admits fashion wasn’t her main focus.

“I mean I think I was more happy to collect the hens’ eggs and get on the motorbike than things like that!” she laughs.

“Funnily enough my other grandparents were also in fashion so it’s kind of gone full circle on my dad’s side but my mum’s side was the farm so it’s all tied together.”

“Funnily enough my other grandparents were also in fashion so it’s kind of gone full circle on my dad’s side but my mum’s side was the farm so it’s all tied together.” (Image: Supplied)

It’s only been a year since its launch but RUMER is already making waves overseas. After picking up international stockists including Nordstrom and Revolve the next year is all about growing.

“We’re about to hit Europe which is really exciting, so I think we’re growing that brand really organically and in a wholesale sense as well,” Nikita says.

“The next year, straight on to the next collection as always! I’m already looking forward to the next collection, I get excited by the future.”

And what can we expect next year?

“We explored some different fabrications in this one from our first showing at Fashion Week with some more silky fabrics. We’ve used silk with the banksia print, I think texturally we’re going to play with a variety of fabrications.”

This article was originally published on ELLE Australia and can be read here.