When Common Hours designer Amber Keating and actor Abbey Lee first met in London, the idea of collaborating developed from that moment. They shared a sense of nostalgia for silhouettes from both the 1930s and 1990s, as well as a particular predilection towards an undercurrent in cinema, art and literature: characters who are provocative, complex and disruptive. And from that came an uncompromisingly beautiful beginning. First up Abbey, then Amber…

Abbey Lee

10: Why did you want to work together?

Abbey Lee: I wanted to collaborate with Amber because she’s carved out her own path in the fashion industry. She’s not afraid to take risks and do things differently. Amber has a real badass quality to the way she approaches fashion, which I love. Since I’m not someone who is obsessed with fashion or clothing, I wanted to feel inspired by her approach to the work. Amber starts with poetry, visual art, film and design from that place first, which was attractive to me. It made me see the possibility of making clothing in a way that I felt drawn to.

What resonated with you about how Amber designs?

It’s from an instinctual place. She is very free and wants women to feel sexy and good ahead of anything else. She is very feminine and sensual in the way she designs and I love that. There is a celebration of sex as it pertains to the woman’s expression of herself, not just her physical form. She also has such an incredible love for fine details and that’s something I appreciate in any artist. The attention to detail and honouring the craft of whatever the artist’s outlet is.

How would you describe the collaboration in a nutshell?

It’s exotic, erotic, mystical, poetic, sexual and mysterious.

Is the ’90s your favourite era?

I am a ’90s girl through and through. I don’t know why I love it so much. Maybe because I was in my teens then, so it has a special place in my heart. As soon as I became aware of the way I wanted to express myself in the world, I got obsessed with Gwen Stefani in her No Doubt years. There was just something so ‘fuck you’ about that time. I have always had a very strong masculine aspect to myself, which I love, and the ’90s was when I felt that could be expressed. It’s when women started wearing boys’ jeans and boys’ skater shoes. I loved it. I felt more myself when I could invite the boyish parts of myself into the feminine.

Best sound track from that time, any throwbacks?

Alanis Morrissette’s Jagged Little Pill was a big one for me. I had a Discman and I remember being a very angsty teen listening to that over and over again crying and getting angry at the world.

What do you think you have brought to the Common Hours conversation?

I guess I brought my passion for literature and film. I shared my favourite author, Clarice Lispector, with Amber. I started out meditating on her writings and how she saw women. I suggested we use Clarice in combination with [Wong Kar-wai’s] In the Mood for Love, which visually is one of the most stunning pieces of cinema ever made. The way the women move in that film is hypnotic. So yeah, I brought those ideas. I pulled a lot of reference images and we went from there. It was enjoyable for Amber to have someone to bounce off. We did that so well with each other.

How do you hope a woman might feel wearing them?

Like a goddess and a badass.

Best part about the process of this collaboration?

The back and forward. I got such a thrill out of sending Amber and her team ideas and them sending it all back with their ideas combined. It was amazing. The collaboration has been so effortless, inspiring and generous. When I saw the first pass at the collection I was so moved. Art in all its forms is magical and I’d never experienced how it could be with clothing. It felt like we created something out of nothing and that’s so fulfilling to me.

Have you ever done anything like this before?

No, never. Honestly, I’d never been interested in doing anything like this until I met Amber and saw her approach. I don’t love fashion enough, to be completely honest. I mean, I love self-expression and I get such a kick out of the way people dress and how I dress my characters as an actor, but the idea of designing never interested me. But I am always trying to expand the ways in which I express myself and my need to create, so I listened to the impulse and it drew me to Amber.

What do you most admire about Amber?

Her ferocity and self-possession. She feels like a woman who has got to a place in herself where she is unapologetic, and I find that really attractive in people.

Which people would you love to dress in your Common Hours collab?

Adèle Exarchopoulos, Hunter Schafer, Taylor Russell and Béatrice Dalle.

Amber Keating

10: What do you love about Abbey?

Amber Keating: I was immediately struck by her authenticity. She is no-bullshit, upfront and has this unvarnished, raw personality that I love. It’s as if she checked her ego someplace else a long time ago. She was interested in what I was doing and learning about the methods and what inspired me to create Common Hours. She is bold, determined and knows what she wants. When I met her in our studio in London in late 2024, she arrived with no make-up on in an oversized T-shirt and baggy jeans. No embellishment, no need for any props or status symbols. Unburdened by expectation, just all curiosity. My kind of woman.

How’s it been working together?

Abbey is intuitive and sensitive in her approach and curious about the outcome, but decisive about her preferences. It’s been a joy to get to know her as we discover what we share in common, and introduce new concepts and viewpoints in dressing, from texture to form. At that first meeting in our studio in London, Abbey tried on pieces across past collections and I talked about why I do what I do, the method, the references and the artists I’ve worked with. The first fitting was in Sydney, trying the toiles of the collection and refining our meeting points: the perfect length of a sleeve, the way a hemline should pool or lift off the floor. We all have our exacting preferences. The whole process has been organic, enriching, exciting and definitely personal. I think we both like taking risks and putting ourselves on the line for something we love, which reminds me of one of my favourite Charles Bukowski quotes: “Find something you love and let it kill you.”

What has Abbey brought to Common Hours?

She brought her own themes and reference points, the silhouettes she loved and wanted: a simple bra top or the straightness of a ’90s-style skirt. We landed where her vision and references intersected with mine, which were particularly influenced around film and literature. The sense of ’90s sensuality and vintage undergarment-inspired finishes is something that Abbey wanted to explore from the beginning. Underwear has formed part of the Common Hours conversation, an opportunity to hide detail or expression, just for yourself, but it’s been a while since I drew from it so directly. We created a bra-inspired wrap top and skirt, again referencing the hyper-feminine form and undergarments, including vintage stockings. Stockings and gloves, like underwear, are a passion of mine and the source of my personal collection. The corsetry-inspired dress, which has ruching throughout and a multitude of straps to frame the chest, is another piece that perfectly embodies our collaboration.

What’s the best part of designing?

The intersection of creative imagination to challenge, stretch, exchange thought or elevate an idea is the most exciting, most hopeful thing I can imagine.

Can you share the Common Hours ethos?

Making only what is of interest and for no other reason: for personal pleasure. Common Hours is now in its fifth year. My most significant learning curve has been not conforming to the expected commercial mould of collections, seasons and the churn of wholesale fashion. It’s best when I do the things I love for the sake of doing them, despite the fear of the unknown.

This is the super creators’ issue. It’s about people who don’t settle for less but give more. How does this project add to that?

Common Hours is for collectors of the rare and the considered, with a sense of fun. It’s also made in strictly limited-edition runs, only when we are ready, as some of our pieces take a long time to make. Our pieces are cut by hand, made in Australia and crafted by a global community of artisans. We take our time. This collaboration was no different. In a way, this is a keyhole into our personalities and what we love. If you wanted to buy something from our personal wardrobes that was made just for us, this is it. As is the Common Hours way, there are no compromises, no concessions and no settling into expectations.

What’s your favourite piece? And who would you love to dress in this collaborative collection?

My two favourite looks from the first drop are the lingerie-inspired bra top and skirt set in semi-sheer stretch jersey. As I mentioned before, underwear has featured in past Common Hours collections and I am fascinated by the clasps, clips, ribbons and ruching, particularly in vintage underwear. The cheongsam-inspired dress in stretch silk satin was inspired by one of our favourite films, which Abbey and I discussed at length, In the Mood for Love. I love seeing the different ways people style and wear Common Hours; that said, along with Hunter Schafer, Tilda Swinton has always been one of the muses on our wishlist.

If you could pick a playlist for this collection, who would be on it?

Disorder by Joy Division, Femme Fatale by Velvet Underground, Slave to Love by Bryan Ferry, Just Like Honey by The Jesus and Mary Chain: [they’re] part of a broad soundtrack of my life, filled with memories and personal meanings. I think these tracks perfectly embody this collection. They all possess some melancholia and nostalgia, with a few violent jolts to break your heart.

10 Magazine Issue 27 – CREATIVITY, FREEDOM, CHANGE – is out on newsstands tomorrow, March 20.

commonhoursofficial.com

Photographer ELLIOTT MORGAN
Fashion Editor ARYEH LAPPIN
Text ALISON VENESS
Hair TAKAYUKI UMEDA at 87 ARTISTS
Make-up NICHAKAMOL EVERETT at FORWARD ARTISTS
Fashion assistant GABRIEL MANCILLA
Location and with thanks to THE HOTEL CHELSEA, NYC
With thanks to KIRRILLY SAMS
All clothes throughout COMMON HOURS X ABBEY LEE