Mitchell Johnson — now a fashion designer!

Following his recent retirement, Mitchell Johnson is considering a career in fashion designing, according to a report in The West Australian. He has teamed up with Australian menswear brand Kinn Apparel to design an exclusive capsule collection, scheduled to be launched at the Prive Fashion Platform at Ascot Racecourse on October 13. Johnson was introduced to Laura Cull, owner of Kinn Apparel, by his wife Jessica, an accessories-designer. Mitchell has since interned with Cull.

It is never easy to migrate from one profession to another, but Johnson sounds confident: “I am out of my comfort zone. Now I have fully retired from cricket, I know the work I put into that and I am going to put just as much work into the next thing I do.

“I have come in with the right attitude. I am going to make mistakes, I am sure, but with Laura’s background I couldn’t have a better teacher.

“It’s a sense of nervous excitement. That’s how I felt before most of my matches. We still haven’t decided if I am walking in the show. We will see, maybe it will be a surprise.”

What about Cull? “Usually it’s me on my own, so having him here to give feedback is great. The process starts with inspiration to sketching to colour palettes to fabrics and trims to labels and packaging, and I have got Mitch involved with as much of it as possible. He has been a great intern.”

“It’s definitely something we can do again. If this collection goes well I don’t see why we can’t do a winter range, where we can use leather, knits, corduroy and denim.”

Johnson has earned renowned for his tattoos, and more famously, his menacing horseshoe moustache during the 2013-14 Ashes. Fashion designing, however, will be a different challenge.