Gateway Collective Izabela Barakovska
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n the fashion industry, heritage is not just a concept, but rather, it is an institution that underpins the credibility, legitimacy, stature, and status of a brand beyond just clothes, shoes, and accessories. Having heritage elevates a label to become an entity, a true force to be reckoned with. This is exemplified by the luxury fashion houses of the world - Balenciaga, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Chanel, Armani, Yves Saint Laurent, Hermès, Fendi, Dolce & Gabbana, Prada, and many more. These internationally renowned brands are household names even for those without the slightest interest in the world of fashion. Gateway Collective, founded by Isaac Baulch and Karl Sauerwein in 2021, is challenging the norms of the fashion industry’s landscape - bringing a fresh, minimalistic, and cleancut streetwear label to compete on the scene with luxury brands, who have in recent years themselves diverted attention to the growing mass of the streetwear scene.
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Honoured to spend the afternoon on the set of their shoot for their inaugural clothing drop, I was able to see first hand the artistic vision the pair of high school friends, turned business partners, have for their label.
founded and are project managing the launch of a startup to honour decades of their passions and pursuits.
They began with an early romance with sneakers and the streetwear industry on their international travels. They have immersed themselves in vintage and limited edition flipping circles in the Australian scene and have
This brand is underpinned by the unique understanding of a long-term friendship, a mutual adoration of football and fashion alike, and years of catch-ups blessed by suburban proximity.
