Thanks so much for taking the time. For anyone tuning in who doesn't know the work yet-who are Melvin and Lyna, and how did Song for the Mute come to be?
I’m Lyna Ty, Creative Director and one half of Song for the Mute. And I’m Melvin Tanaya, Brand Director and the other half of Song for the Mute.
We started the brand over 16 years ago because we wanted a platform to share and express our experiences. The name came from wanting to extend that voice to people who might not otherwise be heard. Storytelling has always been at the core of what we do. Each season is a way for us to tell a different part of our story, drawing from our lives, experiences and the things we’re going through at that time.
You met at school and became lifelong friends. What was it that finally sparked the decision to start Song for the Mute together in 2010?
Yes, we met in primary school. Our names were right next to each other on the roll, so we always sat next to each other. We were always in the same Visual Art and Design classes, so we grew very close. We’re like siblings. We’ve known each other for so long so working together feels very natural. There’s a lot of trust between us, and I think that really strengthens our creative partnership.
MT: My initial idea for the brand was to design graphic t-shirts. But when Lyna looked at it she saw this opportunity to tell our story through more than just prints that we could actually express it through fabrics and through silhouettes. So we started by designing the blank for the t-shirt.
LT: Then I wanted to design pants and then a jacket, so it quickly became a full collection. And it grew from there.
MT: Funnily enough we actually decided against doing prints altogether. So we didn’t create a graphic tee for the first six years.
This industry is relentless-it's always pushing for something new every six months. Is that where the chapters concept came from, anchoring each one in a personal memory instead?
LT: It felt like a natural expression of the way we think as designers. Our creative process always starts with a core experience. And so, it made sense to present our collections in this way. It less about a literal reference but more about an emotional reconstruction of the experience.
Talk us through how fabric drives the work. We've read that you source from artisanal mills in Japan and Italy, and that the fabric itself shapes the whole concept for a season. What does that process look like?
We always start with a blank page. We never really know exactly what a fabric is going to look or feel like until we see it. We have to touch it, feel it and visualise how it might exist as part of the whole garment. It’s a really tactile process. The story and feelings behind the collection guide this process.
At first we cast a wide net, sourcing and developing fabrics with a number of different mills. Then we put all the swatches on the table and move them around, seeing how they speak to each other and where can we find the right balance. We’re always interested in that space in between; that tension between both perfect and imperfect, structured and fluid, organic and inorganic. That conversation exists in the fabric itself, but also in the way we design the final garment. It’s about finding that friction between two opposing qualities and seeing what happens when they come together.
From there, we work with the mills and our makers to push the fabrics further, experimenting with different colour blends, dye treatments, distressing and organic finishes. It’s those little intentional irregularities that ultimately make it feel like “Song.”
It feels like Song for the Mute operates as a family-your team, your own stories and backgrounds. Where does that come from, and how does it shape what you create?
I think that sense of family has always come naturally to us. Song for the Mute is deeply personal, and so much of what we create comes from our own memories, cultural backgrounds and lived experiences. Although our team has grown since the beginning, especially with the opening of our flagship stores, we’re still a relatively small team. There are less than 15 or so of us in the office, so we’re all really close. Everyone brings their own perspectives and experiences into what we do. There's a real sense of trust and familiarity between us, which allows ideas to develop quite organically. Being a small team also means we can still be involved in almost every part of the process.
We also have a really great retail team. Having people who genuinely care about the brand and understand what we’re trying to do is so important. They carry the brand and have those everyday interactions with our customers and the wider community.
And then there are our local makers, some of whom have been with us since the very beginning. Over the years, those relationships have grown to the point where we call them our aunties and uncles. They’ve really become part of our family. We’ve had barbecues and even attended some weddings together.
Those relationships are a really important part of what Song is.
You've had impressive collaborations with Birkenstock and adidas. Most recently, your eighth collection with adidas Originals is coming to UP THERE. What's kept these partnerships alive and evolving over all these seasons?
Again, it always comes back to storytelling. For us, if there’s no story, the collections just feel like products. It’s what gives them depth and connects pieces into a collection. Our adidas Originals collaboration often expands upon the creative world of our mainline. SFTM x ADIDAS 008 extends the story of 26.2 Playground, exploring a sense of childhood imagination, of observation and routine. The colour palette of the collection is drawn from the surroundings of the schoolyard; the chalk of a hopscotch court, the washed blues and greens of play equipment, and the earthy browns of the ground and surrounding environment. Each design decision within our collaborations has an intention that deepens the story we are telling.
Birkenstock and adidas allow us push creative boundaries, experimenting with the silhouette and the fabrication of the footwear. They really support us by providing the freedom to fully execute our vision.
Another core part of building that collaborative story is the history. With both Birkenstock and adidas, we really connect with the legacy of the brands. We love to research, digging deep into their history and archives.
With Birkenstock, for example, their seal has remained unchanged for 250 years, and we were given the opportunity to incorporate our own logo into it. We wanted to create a mark that felt true to both brands while still honouring their heritage. We were also drawn to the idea of Birkenstock as a brand for everyone. One of their earliest campaigns showed people from across different walks of life; chefs, postmen, academics and even kids. That became the starting point for our concept, with Lyna creating four characters: The Rebel, The Artist, The Collector and The Gardener.
We felt there was something in each character that people could relate to, so we developed the designs around their individual worlds. We wanted each piece to feel as though it already had a life of its own; something lived-in, with a story behind it. For us, that’s what makes a collaboration interesting: finding that connection with the brand, then bringing our own perspective to it.
You've stepped into adidas Running with The First Breath and Run In Love, challenging how running brands market themselves. Across both the Running and Originals collections-shoes, apparel— they're all equally artistic. How do you maintain that design integrity across both lines?
It all comes back to creating collections that are authentic to us. Our collaborations with adidas Running have followed our own journey with running. When we pitched to Running Global, I think they were expecting that we would choose to create an advanced performance line. But that's not true to us.
When we started the collaboration, we weren’t that experienced with running. Lyna wrote down this mantra “Go for a run to slow down”. We liked the idea of creating your own pace. Creating a collection for those who might not consider themselves athletes; that have just started running or can only squeeze in running amongst their busy lives. This became the mantra of the collection “First Breath”. Then as our relationship with running evolved so did the collection, the second collection shifts to focus on community, running not to beat a clock but to spend time with friends.That feeling you get when you complete a run.
MT: I began posting my runs on Instagram, when I was just starting off. I would run laps with my daughter. So many people responded with support. When I ran my first 5km, I was euphoric. I understood why people loved it. When you start, it’s hard to stop.
When we did a run club with A.P Bakery, the turnout was crazy. We had 1300 people turn up to run with us. So many of the people who showed up weren’t athletes, but mothers, sisters, friends and family. There were mostly beginners.
The second collection ‘Run in Love’ was about that collective energy. The ritual, the routines and rhythms you build. For us running isn’t about being the fastest but rather that sense of community.
We've just received the 26.2 Playground collection. What does the playground represent in your narrative right now?
Our Fall / Winter 2026 collection was inspired by the playground of Lyna’s own primary school École élémentaire Avenue D'Ivry in Paris. It draws on the people she remembers and the routines that shaped her childhood. The students, the teachers, the parents all form these characters that are present throughout the collection. It’s an evolution from our Spring / Summer collection, 26.1 Yearbook which explores the classroom, 26.2 Playground moves into the world beyond. Those lessons you learn through play, through making up new rules. Meeting new people beyond school. Growing up as you experience more of the world around you.
The backdrop of the campaign is a photograph of Lyna’s school. Intending to be a reconstruction of her memories rather than an imitation. The fabrics we picked for the collection all draw from the colours of the playground; the muted greens of trees, the greys of the concrete and the faded colours of sports equipment.
You debuted at Paris Fashion Week with 27.1 Summer Blues-the first Australian menswear label on that schedule, After 16 years of building Song for the Mute, what does that moment mean to you and the business?
We were only able to achieve this through the support of our community, friends and family. It’s always been something that’s been so important to us, to foster those relationships, for our story to resonate with people. For us, presenting at Paris Fashion Week was an opportunity to grow our audience and share our story on a new platform.
Presenting the collection physically, it all comes alive. We can build this world, this vision that we have in our heads and invite people into it. To experience it with us. From the location, to the set design, the casting, the music, it all deepens the story we’re trying to tell. Presenting the collection, as it’s truly intended, on body. People get to see how it lives within the world, how it moves, how the pieces speak to one another.
For the runway, we were a bit hesitant to walk out at the end. Only walking half of the way during rehearsals. But in the moment when we actually walked out getting to see the faces of family, friends and supporters that have been with us since the start. It was really special. I kept stopping to say hello and shake hands.
For Lyna, it feels like a bit of a full-circle moment. You know, she grew up in Paris and so it’s a city that holds so much meaning for her. Even presenting at the school grounds of Lycée Victor Duruy, it's a testament to how our relationship started; meeting each other at school. It’s both the beginning of our journey and now a milestone of our growth.
For Karim, Lyna’s partner and Song for the Mute’s Design Director, this collection was a big part of him. Karim’s family hadn't gotten the chance to fully understand our work just through Zoom calls. They drove over three hours to reach Paris to see us. We were all really emotional. The soundscape created by Josh Dowdle actually mixed in audio recordings Lyna had taken during these trips, so at some point our family recognised and heard their own voices. Having them be part of the presentation was so special.
Tell us about Summer Blues-what's the story behind the collection?
Karim, Lyna’s spouse and our Design Director, is Tunisian and his family lives in Lille, France. The collection explores Lyna and Karim’s shared memories of family holidays spent by the sea. A transition from summer’s end shifting back to everyday life. That feeling of coming back home, but not completely. That in between, belonging to one place whilst part of yourself will always remain somewhere else. Both a longing and belonging.
Before we go—is there something you want the world to know about Song for the Mute?
We never set out with the goal of ‘success’. When we started Song, we didn’t have the intention of making it a business. It was just a way to tell our story. We’re just normal people that wanted a platform for our voice and in turn hopefully, inspire others to do the same. So we hope that when others see our journey, they realise that they can they can do it to.
Even though we’ve been around for 16 years, this next chapter for the business really truly feels like its a new beginning for us. There’s a lot more we’re working on and excited to share with everyone. So make sure to keep an eye out for what we do next.
