ISSUE 10 - SPRING 2014

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ISSUE x TONY WA∏D, DA∏K HO∏SE A showcase and celeb∏ation of the c∏eative confluence between a∏t, fashion and design AUS/NZ $6.00

Daniel Boyd, Tyza Stewart, Michael Cook, Maison Martin Margiela, Jean Paul Gaultier, Raf Simons & Sterling Ruby

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Issue X 2014 12 Editor’s Letter 14 Contributors 16 News 28 Grooming Forget the cleansers and creams – the best way to get clean is to get wet.

Photography Samuel Hodge 33 Introducing: The Artists Daniel Boyd, Michael Cook, Tyza Stewart

Photography Liz Ham, Jordan Graham, Sam Scoufos Edited by Alison Kubler 40 Before the Fall A studied look at some of the fall menswear highlights.

Illustrations Clym Evernden 52 Don’t Stop the Presses As mainstream print publishing declines, a raft of independent, boutique and niche operations are carving out a dedicated audience.

Story Benjamin Law | Photography Jo Duck 56 The Sum of Us He’s one of the greatest menswear designers, the other is a world-renowned artist; together, the work of Raf Simons and Sterling Ruby is layered with meaning.

Story Mitchell Oakley Smith Photography Bruce Anderson 58 Sounds Like Fashion The fashion industry is always looking for inspiration to mine, and with contemporary pop music it is able to imbue itself with newfound relevance.

Story Alison Kubler 62 One of a Kind Proving the old adage of quality over quantity, the unique and wholly authentic business approach of Hermès is proving successful.

Story Mitchell Oakley Smith

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NEW YORK

SYDNEY

MELBOURNE

R A L P H L A U R E N .C O M

BRISBANE

TOKYO

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Issue X 2014 64 The Shape of Things to Come Despite Australia’s inherent garment manufacturing challenges, Chris Ran Lin is crafting an entirely new form of menswear.

Photography Georges Antoni Styling Jolyon Mason 66 The Showdown Ready your Instagram, for no less than five major fashion exhibitions are set to open in the coming months.

Story Alison Kubler 72 Paramount Call it cultural appropriation, but traditional prints and weaves appeared in numerous designer collections this season.

Photography Paul Scala Styling Jonathan Ailwood 86 Art Class An in-depth examination of the beaded and bonded brilliance that is Maison Martin Margiela’s spring haute couture collection.

Photography Paul Scala Styling Jonathan Ailwood 96 Aussie Rules A band of Australian womenswear designers are making a mark on the international fashion landscape.

Photography Georges Antoni Styling Jolyon Mason 106 Dark Horse Who could have expected that some three decades after showing up in a Calvin Klein campaign, Tony Ward would still be at the top of his game.

Photography Paul Scala Styling Jolyon Mason 116 Grey Matter We’re all for all-grey everything.

Photography Troyt Coburn Styling Jolyon Mason

126 Stockists

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MANUSCRIPT

We’ve come a long way, baby…

I

am writing this letter just as the magazine is being

Manuscript has always been interested in and written

sent to print, and by the time you read it, I’ll likely

about art, but in partnering with the Melbourne Art Fair

be nursing a bit of a hangover. See, this issue of

[which runs 13 to 17 August, by the way], we’re making a

Manuscript marks our tenth issue in print, some

concerted effort to make it a core part of our magazine,

three years after we began. It’s hardly a milestone

reflective of the way in which different art forms inspire

in the grand scheme of things – Vanity Fair recently

and inform one another to the point that, today, there lies

celebrated its one-hundredth birthday – but in today’s

no true distinction between them in their artistic intent.

dwindling publishing landscape, we feel lucky to still be

See, for example, the collaboration between fashion

here. Interestingly, though, highly individual, independent

designer Raf Simons and artist Sterling Ruby [“The Sum

publications that are disseminated via traditional means

of Us,” page 56], or the painterly haute couture collection

(a printed press) seem to be on the rise, despite much said

of Maison Martin Margiela [“Art Class”, page 86].

to the contrary.

As the stories and shoots within these pages attest,

I’m delighted then to include in this issue a piece

Australia is a hotbed of creative talent in its own right, and

that pays tribute to the natty editors and publishers here

as I have said before, it is continually inspiring to work

in Australia that are finding new ways to navigate the tricky

with the people that contribute to this magazine, from

terrain of media while not giving in to the shiny allure of

the photographers and make-up artists to the writers and

a Kindle or iPad [“Don’t Stop the Presses”page 52]. This

agents. Here’s to the next ten…

clever group of people includes Nick Shelton (Broadsheet), Erik Jensen (The Saturday Paper) and Samuel Cooney (The Lifted Brow), all of whom, as you’ll note in the engaging story, have adopted “mongrel models [as a] key to survival in the print industry.” It’s a pleasure, too, to welcome acclaimed journalist Benjamin Law to the family as the author of this story.

But despite our love of print (a somewhat overzealous one, you might say), we know that there’s an important place for online reading, too, and at our entirely revitalised, slick new website, manuscriptdaily.com, you’ll find a host of areas of interest, like fashion, art and music. As it happens, associate editor Alison Kubler explores that very subject in an extensive story [“Sounds like Fashion”, page 58] in this issue. As Ms Kubler, an expert on the subject, notes:

Mitchell Oakley Smith

“Rappers don’t rap about Cristal anymore, they rap about the art they own… [we are seeing] the collapsing of these three

Editor-in-Chief & Publisher twitter.com/MrOakleySmith

forms into one intensely mediated popular culture moment.”

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Photography Georges Antoni

interesting stories, news, profiles and shoots across our

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Issue X 2014 Editor-in-Chief & Publisher Mitchell Oakley Smith Creative Director Jolyon Mason

Art Director Elliott Bryce Foulkes Associate Editor Alison Kubler

European Fashion Editor Jonathan Ailwood

Contributing Features Editor Jonathan Seidler Contributing Artists & Writers Jess Alcamo, Bruce Anderson, Georges Antoni, Daren Borthwick,

Celia Burton, Elisa Clark, Troyt Coburn, Vincent de Moro, Diane Gorgievski, Jo Duck, Clym Evernden, Jordan Graham, Liz Ham, Samuel Hodge, Jenny Kim, Lok Lau, Benjamin Law, Sasha Nilsson, Paul Scala, Samuel Scoufos Special Thanks The Artist Group, Andrew Blyzsak, Centennial Parklands Equestrian Centre,

The Front Studios, IMG Models, London Management Group, Next Models, Postmen, Priscillas Models, Shooting Birds Studio, Success Models, Sun Studios, Viviens Creative Manuscript is owned and published by Mitchell Oakley Smith (ABN 67 212 902 027), Ground Floor, 5 Comber Street, Paddington NSW 2025, editorial@manuscriptdaily.com.

Printed by MPD, Unit E1 46-62 Maddox Street, Alexandria NSW 2015. © 2014 All Rights Reserved. ISSN 2201-0815.

Contributors

Exhibiting his work as a solo artist whilst shooting for the likes of Russh, I Love You and Oyster magazines, Sydney- and Berlin-based photographer Samuel Hodge manages to elevate the artistic ambitions of fashion images. His most recent exhibition, THE IMPONDERABLE ARCHIVE, was shown at Alaska Projects in Kings Cross, Sydney, in 2014, and his work appears in the new book Fashion Photography Next (2014, Thames & Hudson), testament to his burgeoning international profile. In this issue of Manuscript, his first time shooting for the magazine, Mr Hodge gets wet with model Felix Riess (“Splish Splash”, page 28), which, he says, “was the perfect shooting experience. We got to relax and do what we pleased.”

Benjamin Law

Sydney-based writer Benjamin Law contributes frequently to Good Weekend, The Monthly and frankie. He’s also the author of The Family Law (2010) and Gaysia: Adventures in the Queer East (2012) – both of which were nominated for Australian Book Industry awards – and co-author of the comedy book Shit Asian Mothers Say (2014, all Black Inc.), with his sister Michelle. In his first story for Manuscript (“Don’t Stop the Presses”, page 52), Mr Law examines the decline of mainstream print publishing contemporaneous with the rise of bespoke print projects. Although he has personally flirted with an iPad and a Sony Reader to read books and magazines, he keeps going back to print. “It just smells too good,” he says.

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Clym Evernden

Twice a year, the Manuscript team makes the pilgrimage north to view the seasonal collections in London, Milan and Paris, but between the parties and the jet-lag, there’s so much that we see but don’t really absorb. London-based illustrator Clym Evernden has a unique ability to reveal the intimate details that really make a designer’s work so wonderful: the languid curve of a trouser leg or the unique flower motif printed on a shirt, for instance. “I’m looking for something graphic, whether an exaggerated silhouette or a bold colour or pattern,” says Mr Evernden of his process. In this issue, the artist recreates some of the best looks from the fall/winter collections (“Before the Fall”, page 40).

Photography David Fischer; Paul Harris; Kasia Bobula

Samuel Hodge

Metamorphosis, an Hermès story

Straight pea coat in wool with « phantom » leather detail One-pleat trousers in cotton serge Boots in Tuscan calfskin Sydney Surfers Paradise Melbourne Marina Mirage Brisbane Tel. 1300 728 807 Hermes.com

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News Why New York? What about the city inspires you?

The energy, the people on the street… I love being out and seeing things that are a little off. I work with perfectionist pursuit when it comes to the collections. I was living in Munich for a while, which is a beautiful city, very close to the mountains, but what I like about New York is that it’s not perfect at all. It creates this balance for me that brings out something new in my work and is a complement to the process I have in the studio.

Congratulations on the CFDA Swarovski award!

How will you use the support?

We just started spring/summer 2015 sales and having won the award is huge and helps getting the name out there and getting buyers to look at the collection. But it’s a lot more than that. I received the award because people voted for me. These were people that have supported me from the start but also ones that discovered the collection more recently.

For my team and myself, this is such great recognition and helps us to continue building the brand and the company.

Can you tell me about the fall collection that will be dropping into Harrolds?

The collection is inspired by the world of mountaineering. The choice of fabrics is always important to me and this season we used traditional Austrian virgin wool loden mixed with technical materials. An important distinction is that I didn’t want to create a technical outerwear collection. We use technical references, as in each collection, but the concept and general vibe is based on things I see and listen to.

And in this particular case [musician] King Krule was a big influence; I love the rawness of his voice but I also thought of him being the one

↑ Designer Tim Coppens. ↘ A look from the designer's fall collection.

H

smoking a cigarette on the top of that mountain.

Why do you think your

arrolds knows a good thing when it sees it, and in the

work translates around

case of Tim Coppens, the department store couldn’t have

the globe?

chosen a better time to begin stocking the Belgian-born,

I am Belgian, living in New York,

New York-based designer, having been awarded the

so maybe that has to do with it a

CFDA/Swarovski Award for Menswear in June for

little: it’s not specifically made for

his tailored brand of streetwear. With his fall collection available at

a customer in a particular part of

Harrolds now, we spoke with Mr Coppens about the development of

the world. I think the use of colour

his namesake label and the inherent restrictions of designing for men.

and graphics are maybe universal

What have been the challenges in building

and very easily translated. The

your own namesake label?

athletically inspired themes and

The DNA of the brand was pretty much clear from the beginning.

streetwear influences are global

Communicating that DNA to an audience takes time. Keeping the

themes. The collection itself is a

communication strong and consistent across a wide spread of countries

mix of more casual constructed

is important for us as we start to grow, respond to interest and increase

pieces: bomber jackets and sweats,

awareness. A strong visual dialogue is the focus for the brand, so for this

and the more tailored pieces.

fall 2014 season we’re working on a campaign that will be very cool

and help to express the story.

What are the challenges in

menswear that don’t exist

How do you balance creativity and commerce?

in womenswear?

They are both equally important for the line; creativity triggers

There are some limitations in terms

commerce. I want to tell a story and that can go both ways in one

of silhouette and the use of material

collection. Very conceptual doesn’t mean unwearable. I think that

but I think the challenge is that even

menswear in general has changed so much and I think that creativity

though menswear is growing it still is

and commerce can be complementary.

a relatively small business compared to womenswear. Having a well-balanced

How would you describe the style of your clothes?

collection that speaks commercially

Athletic luxury with streetwear influences. Bomber jacket silhouettes

as well conceptually is important to

combined with tailored details.

get noticed and stay relevant.

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calibre.com.au

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News

F

or the first time since the early-2000s moment of Sass and Bide, Ksubi and Willow (all of which have been invested in, sold or shuttered since), Australian designers are building serious, well-respected businesses, ably assisted by online shopping and programs such as the Woolmark Prize.

Menswear, however, is a considerably smaller and younger operation

locally, and beyond the bigger tailoring houses such as M.J. Bale and Herringbone, it’s challenging for menswear designers to get a leg-up. Brent Wilson, of course,

is a rare exception to that rule, having quietly and determinedly built a recognised name and successful business over the past decade.

“I went in very unaware of the work involved,” explains the designer of his evolution. Having begun his namesake label as more of a hobby, with merely one or two stockists, after leaving his post as menswear designer at Wayne Cooper, his game-changer, so to speak, was the opening of his concept store in Sydney’s Galeries Victoria, just down from Incu, which helped to build his customer base. “That’s when it really started getting serious, and from there more stores began looking to stock me,” he explains. “I had to begin treating it like a real business because of the expenses of running a store and the importance of delivering on time.”

Mr Wilson’s point of difference is his approach to the market. Rather than pitching his label at the luxury end, he offers well-made, modern pieces (the average cotton suit sells for approximately $300) that, because of their accessibility, customers can afford to play with. “There is a massive gap in tailoring that crosses over so that the individual wearer can interpret it,” says the designer. In store, his staff encourages customers to mix up their combinations of jackets and trousers. “We offer a full wardrobe, and while suits are a big component of the business, it’s important we have everything available.”

Having recently joined department store Myer, for which he supplies to five of its stores nationally, Mr Wilson is looking to further expand his business with the opening of a branded Melbourne concept later this year.

T

om Ford does sneakers? Luxury

is a brave new world in the 21st century, and even the wealthy and the stylish aren’t immune to the fashion world’s gravitational

pull towards sportswear. These, of course, are no ordinary sneakers. Available in both low- and high-top styles, the sneakers have been handcrafted in Italy in seven different colours of leather and, for the sartorially ambitious, five colours of velvet, both sitting atop a white rubber outer sole. The sneakers are available in Australia exclusively from Harrolds, within which are Tom Ford concession stores in both Melbourne and Sydney.

↑ Tom Ford sneakers, from Harrolds. → A look from Brent Wilson's spring collection.

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News

W

ith so many designers and fashion houses collaborating with contemporary artists in the past decade,

it’s easy to forget that fashion in its own right can, too, be regarded as a piece of art.

Eschewing the commercial practice of producing a seasonal collection, Pauly

Bonomelli hand crafts highly individual

pieces in his studio – indeed, he’s responsible for everything from design and screenprinting to cutting and sewing – under the guise of Hi Mum,I’m Dead, which has gained a cult following since he officially began the project earlier this year.

“I just treat it as a selfish creative outlet rather than a fashion label as such,” explains Mr Bonomelli of the practice.

And although he has been approached by stores wanting to stock his wares, he’s intent on maintaining its handmade quotient and controlling supply to ensure it remains unique rather than machineproduced, throwaway fashion that “becomes boring for both the viewer and for me.” And working outside of seasonal and commercial parameters, the designer keeps his artistic ambitions fresh, peppering his workload with custom orders that allow for collaboration with the client. “I was happy just making stuff for fun but after a couple of bigger projects with high profile clients I decided to create a niche business and move what I had done into a more

I

professional sphere.” n further growing his menswear label Orlebar Brown, British designer Adam Brown has introduced a series of four sunglasses as part of his spring collection. Each available

in 12 different colours, the range comprises vastly different shapes (circular and aviator styles are two) and represents the significant growth of the menswear lifestyle category following the proliferation of athletic styles on the runway in recent seasons. As well as the new category, Mr Brown has also collaborated with London-based artist Tommy Penton on a limited-edition capsule collection.

Reproduced on Orlebar Brown ‘Bulldog’ boardshorts are Mr Penton’s illustrations of the skylines of London, Paris and New York, creating a graphic interplay between the dynamism of the bustling cities and the notion of relaxing on vacation.

↖ A look created by Hi Mum, I'm Dead. ↑ The new Orlebar Brown eyewear collection.

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brando.com.au - ph +61 2 9319 3199

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News

O

utside of the art world, few have ever heard of Artbank, an organisation that acquires and leases contemporary art. Originally government funded, Artbank is today a completely self-supporting institution with the second largest holding of Australian

↘

↓

Lynda Draper, Annette 2013 Ceramic and glaze 45x54cm.

Artbank showroom, Waterloo.

art after the National Gallery of Australia with a collection conservatively valued at $35 million and including artists Tracey Moffatt, Ben Quilty, Judith Wright and Michael Zavros. According to director Tony Stephens, Artbank helps to introduce the public to artists and their work, fostering a healthy market. “Contemporary art generally suffers from being impenetrable but we begin conversations that develop over time,” he says. Essentially, Artbank is like a glitzy video store: customers can walk in, look around for something that piques their interest, and rent it for a fixed period, after which they can return or extend, depending on how they feel about it. And because Artbank isn’t a commercial business, so to speak, its leasing profits are pooled to acquire more artwork, with an annual budget of $1 million for the purchase of new work.

But since taking up Artbank’s directorship last year following roles at Artworkers Alliance and as director of Grantpirrie Gallery, Mr Stephens has set out to expand the organisation’s ability to connect with audiences and support contemporary Australian artists. In doing so, Artbank recently moved into a considerably larger space in Waterloo, providing an additional 200-square metres of floor space and purpose-built facilities, designed by Aileen Sage Architects. This, says Mr Stephens, “is about meeting our needs: of being able to house a growing collection and all of the things that go on around that.”

Along with the recent launch of a magazine, Sturgeon, the expanded functionality of Artbank includes the curation and mounting of four gallery shows per year, showcasing the rich holdings of the permanent collection.

“This is an exciting and logical evolution for Artbank,” says Mr Stephens.

“These exhibitions will provide essential opportunities for the collection to be open to our clients and the public alike.” But he hopes that, given its non-traditional business framework, Artbank shows will offer something different from regular group shows at commercial galleries, with two curated in-house, one by an independent curator, and the fourth in partnership with another organisation or industry altogether. “In terms ↑ Peter Maloney Above and Below Trimouille Island, 2012 Synthetic polymer paint on polyester 163x123cm.

of how we curate them, they will be evolving projects that respond to our business – there’ll be understudies, if you can call them that, so that if someone leases a work, another work replaces it in the show. We really want to look at playing with that method.”

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nmi.com.au - ph +61 2 9319 3199

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News

O

ne decade after launching its first fragrance, Marrakech, back in 2005, Australian skincare brand Aesop has released a follow-up, Marrakech Intense. Satiating its continually growing fan base, the newly released edition of the fragrance builds

on its existing foundations – a woody, oriental blend balanced by fresh floral top notes – to offer a stronger realisation of the signature scent. Marrakech Intense was created in collaboration with perfumer Barnabe Fillion and, like its original predecessor, is an olfactory evocation of the aromas of the Moroccan city after which it is named, and comprises Egyptian jasmine, bergamot and neroli.

The release marks continued expansion of Aesop as the brand nears 100 stores globally, with more set to be unveiled in London, Osaka and Taipei shortly. As always, Aesop engages architects and interior designers local to its sites, offering customers an alternative to the cookie-cutter approach of global branding. For its most recent store opening, in Sydney’s inner-west suburb of Balmain, the brand charged industrial designer Henry Wilson with the fitout, the designer approaching the project with respect for the historic nature of the site. Here, Mr Wilson maintained the building’s raw sandstone walls, fireplaces and hidden doorways, complementing the existing elements with pale timber flooring and industrial shelving solutions.

I

n mid-August, Australia’s longest running and largest art event, the Melbourne Art Fair, presented by the Melbourne Art Foundation, will present the wares of some 70 galleries from around the world, representing the best of emerging, mid-career and established contemporary

artists. The five-day event, held at the Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton Gardens, comprises stalls for prominent, well-known galleries, such as Sullivan+Strumpf and Anna Schwartz, but also a series of

↑ ↗ Aesop store, Balmain, designed by Henry Wilson.

initiatives for emerging and performance artists known as MAF Platform and MAF Edge. “The focus of the fair,” says director Barry Keldoulis, “is to present the best contemporary art from Australasia, and we’re excited to have attracted the foremost galleries and artists from

↘

the region to participate”, noting that painting, photography, sculpture,

A portrait of Wolf Blass

by David Bromley

I

new media and installation are represented as part of this year's line-up.

n further strengthening its ties to the contemporary art landscape, and in celebrating the 80th birthday of its founder, Australian wine company Wolf Blass has commissioned a portrait of Mr Blass by painter, and fellow South Australian, David Bromley. The 2.1 x 1.6

metre canvas painting of Mr Blass is the final installment to a series of artwork created for the occasion, and will be reproduced on a series of 80 limited edition bottles of wine, aptly titled The Master, launching in late August. The German-born winemaker has greatly influenced the way Australians think about and drink wine, making the special artistic commemoration well warranted.

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www.nmi.com.au

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News

T

oronto-born, Sydney-based art

In other publishing news, a slew of

director Giuseppe Santamaria

glossy books hit the shelves this season.

started his blog, meninthistown.

Through a long association with ‘prep’

com, in 2010 as a way of

culture, the rowing blazer is a sartorial icon

documenting stylish men

of cross-continental recognition, and in

in their natural habitat: the city streets. In

Rowing Blazers (Thames & Hudson) a

that time, the way men dress has changed

new book by photographer and former Ralph

considerably, particularly in Australia.

Lauren designer F.E. Castleberry, we’re able

“I guess I wasn’t used to the beach culture,”

to draw back the curtain on the elaborate

explains Mr Santamaria of his initial reaction

rituals and traditions of historic rowing

to the sartorial landscape. “But over of the

clubs and elite universities around the world,

last five years, Australian men have grown

including Oxford, Cambridge and Eton.

to want more when it comes to fashion.”

Navigating the expansive global

The best of Mr Santamaria’s photographs are

fashion market is no easy feat, but it’s made

included in Men in this Town (Hardie

easier for men in Contemporary Menswear

Grant), his debut book comprising five series

(Thames & Hudson), a comprehensive guide

of images shot in London, Tokyo, Sydney, Milan

to the best independent designers, labels,

and New York. “I’ve had this body of work

stores, blogs and websites that have shaped

living online and always wondered what would

menswear over the past decade. Featuring

happen to it in the future,” he says of the decision

in-depth profiles and over 500 illustrations,

to publish it in hardback. “Having a hard copy

the most creative names in the business –

of my photos that will live on is an amazing

from the heritage Alban Clothing to new

thing.” So how does Australian men’s dress

guard labels like Tellason – are included in

stand up against the other stylish cities? “Our

Contemporary Menswear.

style is a bit sportier, more modern,” says Mr

As a medium, fashion photography has

Santamaria. “We don’t have a long history to

exploded in popularity in the past decade,

look back on and learn from so you do see

thanks in part to its accessibility via the

more experimental looks out on the streets.”

internet. But in an industry defined by its cinematic, narrative-driven style. Presenting some three decades of work, and designed as one continuous overlapping montage, included are polaroids, prints, tear sheets and ephemera, making this an informative educational tool as much as inspirational coffee table eye-candy.

speed, who is emerging as the next big thing?

Photography curator Magdaleane Keaney sets out to shine a light on the next generation, profiling more than 30 young names from 14 countries – including Axel Hoedt, Hanna Putz, Daniel Jackson and Australian Samuel Hodge –who are making a claim to be the next Nick Knight in Fashion Photography Next (Thames & Hudson).

At the other end of the spectrum, Glen Luchford: Pictorialism (Rizzoli)

is a visually arresting chronicle of one of the world’s top fashion photographers, whose work defines a generation in its highly

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↖

Clockwise from left: Fashion Photography Next, Rowing Blazers and Contemporary Menswear.

↑ From top: Glen Luchford: Pictorialism, Men in this Town.

nmi.com.au - ph +61 2 9319 3199

MANUSCRIPT

Splish Splash

Model of the moment Felix Riess gets wet during his morning grooming routine of shampooing, sprucing and scrubbing.

Photography Samuel Hodge Grooming Jenny Kim 28

GROOMING

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MANUSCRIPT

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GROOMING

Felix Riess/Priscillas Model Management Ms Kim used Kiehls amino acid shampoo and conditioner, musk shower gel, Ultimate Man body soap and Crème de Corps body moisturiser; Shu Uemura Moisture Velvet nourishing shampoo

and conditioner, Moisture Velvet nourishing treatment hair masque, cleansing skin oil and

Phyto black lotion; Aveda Pure-formance exfoliating shampoo and shave cream, and Outer Peace

foaming face cleanser and rosemary mint bath bar; and Kerastase Bain Densite shampoo, Masque Densite conditioner, and Densifique hair density treatment.

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prepare for the best‌

Wednesday 13 August Vernissage

6pm - 10pm

Thursday 14 August Friday 15 August Saturday 16 August Sunday 17 August

11am 11am 10am 10am

-

6pm 8pm 6pm 5pm

For tickets and further information visit: melbourneartfair.com.au The Melbourne Art Fair is presented by the Melbourne Art Foundation, a not for profit organisation supporting living artists and contemporary art.

Venue Partner

Government Partners

Major Partners

Official Hotel Partner

INTRODUCING The Artists

Daniel Boyd Tyza Stewart & Michael Cook Edited by Alison Kubler

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MANUSCRIPT

Mr Boyd photographed by Liz Ham on 26 May 2014 at her studio in St Peters, Australia.

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INTRODUCING

Daniel Boyd Although he enjoys a reputation as one of

Congratulations on being awarded the Bulgari

How did your collaboration with [music outfit]

Australia’s leading contemporary indigenous

Art Award for your work which now will form part

Canyons on 100 Million Nights transpire?

artists and was the recent winner of the 2014

of the Art Gallery of New South Wales’ collection.

Do you enjoy the collaborative process?

Bulgari Art Award for painting, Daniel Boyd is

What does the award and the recognition of the

100 Million Nights was the third time we had

in person the very epitome of self-effacing;

gallery mean to you?

worked together. We previously worked on A

he is remarkably shy. At the Bulgari Art Award

Thank you. It’s a tremendous honour to be in

Darker Shade of Dark and History is Made at

announcement at the Art Gallery of New South

the Art Gallery of New South Wales’ collection

Night. I like the life the work takes on with a

Wales in April this year, he left an explication of

and to have its recognition is very humbling.

collaborative process, and it’s nice to have an

his work to the director Michael Brand, preferring

I would really like to thank Bulgari for their

audio/visual conversation.

to humbly accept the accolade. Mr Boyd is quite

generosity and support of the visual arts here

simply a quiet achiever. He makes politically

in Australia.

In the past your work has looked at the

potent works that exude quietude. Mr Boyd’s

“inheritance of primitivism and its influence

painting practice describes his personal history

Can you describe the winning work and how

on modernist aesthetics.” Can you explain

as tightly interwoven with the collective history

it fits within your ongoing project?

what you mean by this?

of indigenous culture with an elegance and

I’ve been looking at my ancestry from Pentecost

There is a ceremonial mask from Vanuatu that

economy of means.

Island, Vanuatu; this painting references a

Henri Matisse had in his collection. I came

Mr Boyd prefers not to elucidate his method,

waterfall from the island. The work is about my

across an image of it in Matisse’s studio at

and this is part of the appeal of his work, which

cultural inheritance, my great-great grandfather

the Hotel Regina, in Nice. When Matisse died

has a magical quotient. The artist seduces us

was blackbirded and brought to work in the

be bequeathed it to Pablo Picasso. I became

first with his unique combination of dots and

plantations of far north Queensland. Creating

interested in the trajectory of the mask and its

skeins of paint before sucker punching with the

a visual language where incomprehension is

perception in multiple contexts, because for

content, because don’t be fooled, these are so

acknowledged is important to my practice; it’s

me it addressed the lineage of primitivism. It

much more than pretty paintings. Despite his

about the memory of this landscape and the

also connected to my ancestral proximity to

reticence he has not gone unnoticed. In 2014 he

multiple connections to it. The surface of the

the mask.

was included in Post-Picasso: Contemporary

work is made up of dots, which act as lenses.

Reactions, at the Museu Picasso, Barcelona, and

It’s about the perception of multiple lenses and

Your work is also technically ambitious.

in 2012 he was included in The 7th Asia Pacific

the marks on the surface. The law of closure is

How do you actually construct your paintings?

Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT 7) at the

a way to describe it: the human mind has a

It’s a secret.

Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane, and his work is

tendency to see complete objects or forms

featured in the collections of the National Gallery

even if they have gaps in the linear or structural

Your work is deeply imbued with your personal

of Australia, the Museum of Contemporary Art,

make up. You see the image as a whole by

history and experience, and overlayed with an

Sydney and the National Gallery of Victoria, not

piecing together the marks made on the surface.

interest in how history is constructed. How do

to mention numerous private collections.

you mediate the personal and the public?

What are your plans for the Italian residency? Do

I’m not sure I do. I think it’s more about our

you plan to make new work while you are there?

relationships with each other.

I’ll be looking for enlightenment on my own Grand Tour. I’m really just open to experience what Italy

If you weren’t making art what would you be doing?

has to offer. I’ll mostly do research while I’m there.

I’d probably be an astronaut or playing in the NBA.

You are a painter but you also work with video.

Mr Boyd is represented by Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery,

Your video works are almost painterly in that you

Sydney, and Station Gallery, Canada. His work will be

employ the same kind of dot screen to create

presented as part of the IV Moscow International

them. Do you enjoy working across mediums?

Biennale for Young Arts: A Time for Dreams, curated

Yes, I enjoy working across mediums. The videos

by David Elliott, the Museum of Moscow, Russia,

were about creating moving images using the

until 10 August; Saltwater Country, Gold Coast City

same language as the paintings. I loved the colour

Gallery, until 31 August; and TarraWarra Biennial

rhythms and the way movement creates form.

2014: Whisper in My Mask, 16 August to 19 November.

35

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Michael Cook

work internationally. Being included in exhibitions like the Sydney Biennale has also created interest from international galleries but I want to wait until I have the right work.

Your work was recently featured in the Biennale of Sydney and was roundly received as one of the highlights of the event. Can you describe the work and how you made it?

Majority Rule is about a role reversal of 96% of Australians being indigenous. I based it around the forties and fifties because during this time in Australia’s history it would not have been a common sight to see Aboriginal men going to and from work as described in these images. The series is really

Queensland-based photographic artist Michael

You have had considerable success since you

about looking at the past so we can see a direction

Cook is having a rather good year. He was the critical

emerged, having been curated into significant

for the future. It asks questions about history and

hit of the largely lacklustre 19th Biennale of Sydney,

exhibitions such as the Asia Pacific Triennial

I made the series to create conversation of what

and at present he is in enjoying three months in

and the Sydney Biennale. How have you negotiated

was and what could be.

residence at the Australia Council studio in New

this this rapid ascension?

York City. In addition, he is part of a large exhibition

I have had the luck of a good relationship with a

Your practice is political in its intent and content

that starts in Queensland before touring to Utrecht

very supportive gallery, and I have had to learn the

and you identify as an indigenous artist. How

in the Netherlands and the United States. Saltwater

industry quickly. I am really just producing what I

important is this to the construction of your

Country looks at the work of Queensland indigenous

feel passionate about and letting the work speak

practice?

artists for whom ‘country’, that most sacred of

for itself.

People are interested in why an artist produces

concepts, is the ocean shore. It’s a show that

work in a certain way and want to know a little about

features established artists such as Jenny Watson,

What has been the most challenging aspect of

them. Most people would know that I am adopted

Fiona Foley and Vernon Ah Kee, as well as fellow

having your work critically accepted?

and my mother fought for indigenous rights. That’s

Manuscript subject Daniel Boyd [see page 34].

Having the work accepted is not really challenging

probably where a lot of my ideas come from. My

Mr Cook’s work, which blends fiction and

as it either happens or it doesn’t. The challenging

stories are about me discovering a little about my

historical fact to evocative and poetic effect,

aspect of working as an artist is more personal.

identity and ancestry, though I am constantly

takes a political stance without sacrificing

Self-doubt is probably the worst feeling that needs

growing and changing with where I would like my

aesthetic concerns, and has been included in

to be controlled. A person once told me that being

art practice to go, so may not always be doing

important contemporary survey exhibitions such

an artist can be a pretty lonely life. I find working

indigenous-based work. I believe I am only called

as The 7th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary

alone on ideas can create a lot of doubt, though I

an indigenous artist if I am shooting indigenous-

Art at the Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane, in

do have the support of my fiancé when deciding on

themed projects and using indigenous models.

2013, and UnDisclosed: 2nd National Indigenous

whether to take an idea to the next level. Self-doubt

Art Triennial, at the National Gallery of Australia,

can also be positive: it makes me think in depth

Your work melds historical and contemporary

Canberra, in 2012.

about each project and to take the time to make

truths with fiction to arrive at visually striking

sure I get the process right.

imagery. Can you tell me a bit about your technique?

Although you have been a photographer for some

I did my training with medium format film cameras and

25 years, you have only been exhibiting as a fine

2014 has already proved to been something of a

darkroom techniques, though work completely digital

artist since 2010. How did you make the change?

huge year for you. As we speak you are in New

now. I think it’s the early experience that transfers

I started in labs running a professional colour

York in residence at the Australia Council Greene

through to getting a certain look on a computer.

darkroom for six years and they also had a studio

Street studio. How important is this opportunity?

on site, where I started shooting portraits and also

This is my first residency and I am finding it very

What are you working on at the moment?

did weddings on weekends. My style was always

inspirational, though it did take a couple of weeks

My objective is to make each project as successful

fashion-orientated and in 2007 I decided to

to settle into the rhythm of New York. I am

as the last. I am creating something that will

experiment with the use of stylists and make up

interested in showing my work internationally and

connect both in and outside Australia, something

artists, backed with the idea of planning out a

to do so I feel I need to see what is on show in places

that can relate to various cultures, so with a little

project. By working on these projects, it taught

like New York and London. I also completed the

less of such a direct approach politically to

me how to stylise a look, creating the basis of how

British Council Accelerate program in 2013, which

Australia, as seen in some of my other projects.

I approach my art projects now. My choice to go

gave me insight into the UK art market. Australia

I am looking at different ways of creating images

into art full time was to have complete control of

is a very strong market that supports its artists,

into other forms of art and sculpture, and will

the project from beginning to end. The problem

and even though I am wanting to show my work

probably start to look at film and projections.

with being a fashion photographer is that there is

internationally, exhibiting overseas is more of a long

so much competition, not only from Australian

term goal for me and something I don’t feel I need

Mr Cook is represented by Andrew Baker Art

photographers, but ones contracted from overseas

to rush, but would rather let happen in time. I don’t

Dealer, Brisbane, and Dianne Tanzer Gallery +

as well. At the end of the day, I didn’t get to shoot

believe that showing overseas is as important as

Projects, Melbourne. His work will be shown as part

what I was passionate about because the agency

building a strong foundation in Australia and I feel

of Saltwater Country, Gold Coast City Gallery, until

and client control the end result.

I will know when it’s right to take a certain body of

31 August.

36

INTRODUCING

Mr Cook photographed by Jordan Graham on 06 June 2014 in New York City.

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Tyza Stewart photographed by Sam Scoufos on 25 June at the artist's studio in Queensland.

38

INTRODUCING

At the inaugural Sydney Contemporary art fair

guide people’s understandings of each other

range of acceptable sexual and gender identities

in 2013, the elephant in the room was censorship

and how little I understand of this. My practice

through the privileging of narrow family ideals

in the arts. At the event’s vernissage, police

is a way for me to experiment with and think

and interventions in children’s gender performances.

demanded the withdrawal of the work of

about interactions between myself and the

And in variously visible and invisible ways

Melbourne-based artist Paul Yore, having deemed

world, focusing on the ways I am perceived

heterosexuality and binary gender are both used

it an inappropriate representation of children in

based on my physical presence and the impact

to reinforce the stability and supposed naturalness

art, and sexually exploitative. It was not the first

this has on particular aspects of my identity. I

of each other. If we start really discussing children

time the artist’s work had been work censored,

want to experience less rigid, polarised ways of

and sexuality we may have to think about the ways

it must be noted, and not entirely unexpected.

understanding and being perceived, and I think

we are taught sexual norms and taught to

What happened next was though.

a lot of other people might also benefit from this,

understand ourselves through binary gender.

so that’s the kind of larger political agenda I’m

Since most aspects of society are based on a strict

interested in being involved in.

binary gender system, and we learn to understand

The work of emerging Queensland-based artist, Tyza Stewart, was caught up in the maelstrom. Stewart, a 2012 Honours graduate

ourselves through this system, it can be pretty

of the Queensland College of Art had work

How significant is technique to the work you make?

confusing and uncomfortable to reconsider it as

withdrawn from Heiser Gallery. Stewart’s drawings

The ways I render my works is significant but I find it

anything other than an essential fact.

and paintings were deemed to be images of

difficult to talk specifically about this without making

children in sexual situations. Stewart was the

it kind of meaningless or too obvious. I try to use my

It seems such a distraction from the actual work.

victim of an unintelligent knee-jerk reaction,

technical skills to complicate the content of images

What do you want the work to do – indeed, do

evidence of society’s wider inability to have a

within my practice so that my work, and the image of

you want it to do anything? Are you interested in

debate about sexuality and art. For a commercial

myself that I present through my work, is potentially

or are you seeking to create a provocation?

art world newbie, the brewing scandal was an

less coherent when read through strict binary

I’m not seeking to create provocation. My work is

unwelcome distraction, not a case of Stewart

stereotypes, especially those relating to gender.

in some ways the product of provocation; a reaction

courting controversy. What the powers-that-be

to what irritates me. Maybe this distraction will feed

failed to understand is that Stewart’s confronting

What did your experience at Sydney Contemporary,

into my practice in the future, but at the moment

images of sexuality are in fact intimate and

when your work was withdrawn due to its perceived

I don’t often think about the issues arising from

courageous self-portraits that teeter at the very

sexual content, tell you about the state of

artists working with children and sexuality or

edge of gender theory discussions. That is to say,

contemporary art in Australia?

about my experience at Sydney Contemporary

the work is all highly personal, depictions of the artist

I wasn’t really involved; it seemed that my artwork

specifically.

wrestling with and confronting self and sexuality.

and the context of the work wasn’t thoroughly

The artist is depicted as a child and an adult

considered. From this experience, it seems to me

You are now 22. When you were 14 you wrote a

simultaneously, and – here’s the sticking point –

that censorship had perhaps become a standard

note to yourself that said, “The thing to top my

in pornographic situations.

reaction for some institutions and people working

birthday wish list: to be a guy (and have a guy

with contemporary art in Australia.

friend, who is quite as gay as I am (would be).

Stewart’s work is difficult, but perhaps only because it is uncompromisingly honest. It is the

This will never appear on lists that other people

artist laid completely bare, in the process of

In recent years artists working with children has

see, for obvious reasons.” What would you say

becoming not one thing but another, yearning

emerged as a kind of collective wringing of hands.

to your 14-year-old self now?

to be something else. This is not art that is neatly

Why do you think there is such a struggle to have

The ‘obvious reasons’ will become less obvious

compartmentalised; it beguiles by virtue of its

an intelligent debate about sexuality?

as you come to better understand them. Probably

clear-eyed rendering and realism melded

The way I see it, I’m not working with children;

wouldn’t be very helpful or informative for my

with fiction. It is brutally honest. That the

I’m working with myself and sometimes myself as

14-year-old self to hear; I’m not interested in

artist’s autobiographical practice could be so

a kid. So I think sometimes the concern (shown, for

thinking about changing my past like I am

misunderstood goes to the heart of a culture’s

example, when my paintings were withdrawn from

interested in questioning and complicating the

inability to see.

the art fair) is not so much about children and

way my past is interpreted. For any other 14-year-

protecting children, but more about what adults

old with similar thoughts, maybe try finding

How would you describe your art practice?

might have to confront within themselves when

someone to read your wish list.

Is it autobiographical or is there a larger

they encounter some artworks that involve images

political agenda?

of children or concepts relating to childhood. It’s

I think I’d describe my practice as self-portraiture-

my understanding that children are positioned as

based. I often find myself thinking about how

the most important aspect of society and that

people perceive and understand each other, and

they are idealised and treated as asexual, but

Tyza Stewart’s self-titled exhibition is on show

the social structures and systems that inform and

also heterosexual. As kids, we are taught a limited

at Heiser Gallery, Brisbane until 30 August.

Tyza Stewart 39

MANUSCRIPT

Burberry Prorsum by Christopher Bailey 40

F AS HIO N

Before the Fall

Navajo prints, black leather, shearling and fur‌ it was a mixed bag this fall,with designers presenting a broad range of unique ideas on the runway.

Herewith, our favourite looks of the season.

Illustrations Clym Evernden 41

MANUSCRIPT

Left: Giorgio Armani

Right: Saint Laurent by Hedi Slimane 42

F AS HIO N

Paul Smith

43

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Thom Browne

44

F AS HIO N

45

MANUSCRIPT

Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci

Opposite: Hermes by Veronique Nichanian 46

F AS HIO N

47

MANUSCRIPT

Calvin Klein Collection by Italo Zucchelli Opposite: Dolce & Gabbana 48

F AS HIO N

49

MANUSCRIPT

50

F AS HIO N

Dior Homme by Kris Van Assche

Opposite: Gucci by Frida Giannini 51

MANUSCRIPT

DON’T STOP THE PRESSES With major newspaper and magazine houses shuttering their operations, Benjamin Law finds niche and independent publishing heartening.

Photography Jo Duck | Grooming Elisa Clark

Are you reading this on a printed page? If so, some

Still, there are also commercial and practical reasons

might argue that what you’re holding in your hands is

why The Saturday Paper is printed on paper, in contrast

possibly an endangered species. Sure, the printing press

to, say, The Guardian, which launched in Australia as a

was all the rage during the Industrial Revolution, but

digital-only product. Instead of being a daily news service,

it seems the only reason people want to talk about

The Saturday Paper’s aim was to resuscitate the style of

print nowadays is to discuss its imminent death.

longform feature journalism that was lost when magazines

Worldwide, the prognosis is grim. In Australia, our

like The Bulletin in Australia and Newsweek in the United

two big newspaper houses are culling staff in record-

States stopped running print editions. “What we wanted

breaking numbers, book consumers are switching to

to do was the journalism of a weekly news magazine,” Mr

electronic readers and magazine titles are dying off by

Jensen says. “However, the best way to get that journalism

the dozen. It’s like we’ve all developed a sudden allergy

out is to print it on a rolling newspaper press.” As Mr

to paper. But while the grand old sauropods of the

Jensen noted in his first editorial, The Saturday Paper

industry sink into a bog, what becomes clear is that

was designed to be a “small but handsome mongrel”.

print itself isn’t actually in danger. If anything, smaller, boutique and niche print titles are thriving.

Take Australia’s youngest newspaper, The Saturday

Mongrel models might be the key to survival across the print industry. With ebooks now on the verge of overtaking printed books (as a percentage of total book

Paper. Since its launch this March, 80,000 copies of the

sales), it’s curious and heartening to note that literary

paper’s crisp 32 pages are trundled out to east coast city

journals – those anthology-book-magazine hybrids –

newsagencies and airports each weekend. Launching

continue to thrive in Australia. Meanjin, Overland,

a newspaper – in the same period Fairfax and News Corp

Griffith Review, Kill Your Darlings, Southerly and

make hundreds of employees redundant – might seem

Westerly are some of the best known, but the most

like lunacy, but what helps The Saturday Paper’s case is

charming is perhaps the rascally, Melbourne-based

that it’s published by Schwartz Media, whose stable

The Lifted Brow. (Canadian writer Margaret Atwood

includes The Monthly, Quarterly Essay and Black Inc.

described The Lifted Brow as having “the cheek of

Books. Still, why opt for pulp? Hasn’t the decline of

Dame Edna [and the] weirdness of wombats”).

newspapers worldwide demonstrated that in the 21st century, paper is the worst medium to disseminate news?

The Saturday Paper’s editor Erik Jensen says part of

“I’m not one of those people who masturbates over paper,” says editor and publisher Samuel Cooney. “But I do prefer to read books and the printed word. And now,

the appeal of making a proper newspaper was paper itself.

with the age of the screen, a book or printed publication

“My career – quite counterintuitively for my generation,

is a godsend. I mean, how many tabs have I got open

I suppose – has been fixed solely around print titles,” he

right now? 37! I get distracted, reading on the screen.

says. Mr Jensen started writing for The Sydney Morning

Books, newspapers and printed publications are a

Herald at 15, became a staff writer at 18, before starting

way to escape the hustle and bustle of everything.”

The Saturday Paper in his late 20s. “When the first

Launched in 2007 by Ronnie Scott, each issue of

issue of The Saturday Paper turned up – and this is an

The Lifted Brow has always happily sandwiched emerging

extraordinary cliché – it was like seeing a child,” he says.

and young writers between big local drawcards (Helen

“I spent 18 months in secret building this paper, and

Garner, Christos Tsiolkas, Margo Lanagan and Frank

many of those days was spent touching different paper

Moorhouse have all contributed) and the occasional

→ Erik Jensen , editor,

stock and closing my eyes and running over the GSM.”

international superstar (Sheila Heti, Neil Gaiman, Rick

Mr Jensen nearly sighs. “They... were glorious days.”

Moody, Karen Russell, Tao Lin). Over seven years, what

The Saturday Paper

52

FEATURE

53

MANUSCRIPT

has kept The Lifted Brow appealing to readers has also been its internal survival strategy – to adapt and experiment at a rapid pace. From its first edition – “almost a zine, a level up from photocopied, really,” Mr Cooney says – the journal has morphed into bound book-sized affairs, before reaching its current iteration: a magazine printed on newspaper stock. Mr Cooney adds he’s considering changing the format again soon.

For a literary journal that has lasted this long, has over 400 subscribers (respectable for a journal in this country) and sells most of its 1500–2000 copies per issue, The Lifted Brow’s business model is impressive – mainly for the fact that there isn’t really one. Its writers get paid a modest fee for contributions, but no one else involved in The Lifted Brow – from the 17 people who work on editorial and production, to the interns, to Mr Cooney himself – get a dime. Money is raised through subscriptions, grants and events. “It’s a slog and a labour of love,” he says.

Mr Cooney doesn’t ask for anyone’s time for more than one day a week. The Lifted Brow, he says, “relies on kindness and hard work”. Which is to say, The Lifted Brow isn’t just a publication; it’s a community of volunteers who not only believe in the product, but have a personal stake in it.

Broadsheet – Sydney and Melbourne’s food and entertainment quarterly – operates very differently.

“We’ve seen [other magazines] come and go,” says founder and publisher Nick Shelton, “but one important difference for us is that we were a commercial operation from Day One. That was always the goal: to be commercially sustainable.” From starting Broadsheet’s Melbourne edition in 2009, Mr Shelton has now built a company that spans both Melbourne and Sydney, produces a print edition distributed in entertainment venues, boutiques, cafés and restaurants, and a website that regularly reaches over half-a-million unique users per month.

“I’m not one of those people who masturbates over paper... But I do prefer to read books and the printed word” 54

FEATURE

The fact Mr Shelton emphasises online clicks – rather than print edition readers – isn’t an accident.

Most magazines might consider their websites as complementary to their print flagship publication, but Broadsheet operates in reverse: Mr Shelton started the print edition to get people onto Broadsheet’s website – a dynamic city directory and archive that’s updated daily.

“Making a print edition was about figuring out how to get our brand and content into people’s hands,” he says.

“We did ask ourselves what we should make. A brochure?

← Samuel Cooney , editor and publisher,

A3 magazine? Proper magazine?”

Eventually they went for – of course – a broadsheet newspaper. The obvious clue was the fact they’d already

The Lifted Brow

↓ Nick Shelton , founder and publisher,

Broadsheet

named the website Broadsheet, which took its design cues from handsome newspapers. “The other reason we went for newsprint was it was cheap to produce,” Mr Shelton says. “It’s also an opportunity to showcase the great photography we were getting, and for the writers to write to longer-form stuff. We find longer form pieces work better in print than they do online, so it was an opportunity to approach things a bit deeper.”

The print and online Broadsheet experiences are very different, Mr Shelton says, because “reading online is a ‘lean forward’ experience – you’re actively searching and actively looking, because you want to go out tonight and find out what’s happening in the city. Print is a ‘lean back’ experience – that is, ‘Let me learn something I didn’t know before, and perhaps doesn’t affect my life in any way, except for the fact I’ve just read an interesting story and I’m the wiser for it.”

Similarly, the team at The Lifted Brow are also acutely aware that people absorb information differently across platforms. “There’s a term called ‘shovelling’, where magazines just shovel their content from one platform to the next and assume they will work the same,” Mr Cooney explains. Instead of shovelling, The Lifted Brow has commissioning editors who work across three editions: the flagship print journal, the website and the digital magazine on tablets. “We see the three different iterations of the Brow as three different publications.

The flagship publication is the print publication – that’ll always be the case – but there are also limitations to its reach and how far it can go.”

In contrast to the traditional newspaper industry – which often sees the internet as having done nothing but steal audience share and revenue – all three editors and publishers consider a robust digital presence as crucial to making their print products work. And though he is a newspaper man himself, Mr Jensen says his newspaper takes a more pragmatic attitude to the internet. “The internet does ‘certain things’, which allows us to focus on ‘other things’,” he says – namely, investigative and in-depth features people are less inclined to read on a computer screen.

Broadsheet’s Mr Shelton says that like Mr Jensen, he still gets a giddy thrill when the print edition of Broadsheet comes off the presses. But for him, the ultimate thrill comes later. “Often, cafés and venues will get Broadsheet before we receive our copies at the office,” he says. “So walking into a café and seeing it there, and someone reading it, that’s when it really hits me. It’s more about seeing someone else hold it. That’s where I get my thrill.” Needless to say, it’s a thrill that remains exclusive to print.

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THE SUM OF US A collaboration between two originals demonstrates the potency of art and fashion’s collective output, writes Mitchell Oakley Smith.

Photography Bruce Anderson The origins of art-fashion collaborations can be found in

But the confluence between art and fashion has

the early twentieth century; in the 1930s, Italian fashion

lost some of its potency in recent years, not least because

Art in Shanghai in 2013. For their joint menswear

designer Elsa Schiaparelli initiated the artist/designer

of the sheer proliferation of such ventures that amounts

collection, the designer and artist liaised six months

relationship, inspired by and working with artists such

to little more artistic integrity than a Picasso print from

prior to the presentation, regularly meeting via Skype

as Jean Cocteau, Salvador Dali and Alberto Giacometti.

a museum gift store. Of course, the luxury industry is

and email between Antwerp, Mr Simons’ base, and

Of course, far less emphasis was placed on the notion

a radically more sophisticated operation, but fashion

Los Angeles, where Mr Ruby lives. Together, they

of collaboration – a 21st century buzzword – during Ms

operates in a financially driven sphere, with larger

employed a completely hands-on approach to the

Schiaparelli’s career from 1927 to 1954, and that of Paul

brands owned by luxury conglomerates supported by

garments, with embroidered patches, text marks and

Poiret who, in the early 20th century, employed artists

private and public investors. But that a product – a bag,

collaged fabric scraps, essentially safeguarding them

such as Paul Irabe and Erte to create textile print designs

pair of shoes or dress – reaches production indicates

from being plagiarised, as good fashion and art so

for his creations. Ms Schiaparelli nonetheless made the

the commercial viability of these initiatives, whether

often are.

practice of joining forces in 20th century fashion popular,

or not the project harbours artistic ambitions.

given the publicity her work received.

Perhaps the most famous of Ms Schiaparelli’s artist-

In a timely reminder of just how potent the two

Esprit Dior exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary

Particularly special is a series of four coats crafted from hand-painted fabric by Mr Ruby, each of which

worlds can be when combined free from economic

is numbered in its limited edition run of five. At $45,000,

designed garments is the 1937 ‘Lobster Dress’, a white silk

purpose and with dual creative ownership, designer

these pieces don’t come cheap, but when one considers

evening dress with a crimson waistband featuring a large

Raf Simons jointly worked with artist Sterling Ruby to

the individual value of the collaborators’ work – Mr

lobster hand-painted by Salvador Dali, a surrealist motif

create his fall/winter menswear collection. So jointly,

Simons' early menswear pieces are regularly vied for on

associated with sexuality that appeared frequently in the

in fact, that Style.com’s Tim Blanks heralded it “a full-on,

the secondary market, while Mr Ruby’s work regularly

artist’s body of work. Wallis Simpson wore this particular

both-names-on-the-label mind-meld… and even if you

reaches six figures at auction – it makes sense that their

dress in a series of photographs taken by Cecil Beaton

could pick out the faces of the parents in the finished

joint venture should hold such value. Inside the jackets

shortly before her marriage to Edward VIII, who famously

product… the overwhelming impression was of an

is a woven trim embellished with words and abbreviations

abdicated the British throne for love. Images of Ms

astonishing compatibility.” Indeed, every garment in

that feature elsewhere throughout the collection, such

Simpson wearing that dress constitute one of the earliest

the full menswear collection is the result of collaboration

as ‘Fathers’ and ‘Abus Lang’ (short for abusive language),

incarnations of the collision of fashion and celebrity.

between the artist and designer.

referencing longstanding elements of Mr Ruby’s artistic

Indeed, the dress was less a ‘dress’ than a provocation: the

American-born, Mr Ruby’s art, of course, is defined

practice, particularly his 2013 installation EXHM, first

perfect surrealist gesture, it irreverently thwarted social

by its varied media, including ceramics, painting, collage

showcased at Hauser & Wirth. MatchesFashion.com

niceties in the most polite way. It might be seen as a precursor

and video, often presented in dense compositions and

will stock one of these coats (pictured) alongside a

to punk on one level, and is the original example of how

with a DIY feeling; many of the works appear scratched,

number of more accessible pieces from the collection,

art and fashion imbue in one another a new relevance.

defaced or splattered, like many of the pieces in his

including shirts, bags and denim, many of them bleached

collaboration with Mr Simons. Much of his work finds

by Mr Ruby and in limited runs of 50.

At its most basic level, the notion of collaboration in fashion is evident in the way a house employs an artist’s

its roots in punk and street subcultures, much like that

visual artwork or print for the purpose of decorating their

of Mr Simons, whose work has long been defined by its

signature or staple products: leathergoods, accessories

adoption of youth culture in a high-fashion context, with

and fabrics. The quality of these collaborations, however,

musical references integral to his presentations. The pair

can be difficult to qualify. Some carry stellar star status

met a decade ago and have long shared mutual interests.

by virtue of an artist’s reputation, while others adopt a

As Mr Simons explained to the New York Times: “We

stealth approach to integrating art; in some instances an

both work in different genres, but we work with some

artist is invited to alter a product’s physical proportions,

heavy industries to a certain degree. This is a way for

construction and style, or indeed imagine something

us to keep our autonomy.”

entirely new, although in most cases the collaboration

The pair has worked together before, in 2009,

amounts to a print that is bought and sold for a negotiated

when Mr Ruby bleached a series of denim for Mr Simons’

price based on the status of the house, the size of the

namesake menswear collection. Later, in 2012, Mr

production, and the reputation of the artist. Nonetheless,

Simons crafted a series of dresses and coats with fabric

these partnerships of art and commerce represent, perhaps

reproducing images of Mr Ruby’s work for Christian Dior,

more visibly than any other business cooperations, a

where he is artistic director of womenswear, and in yet

Raf Simons/Sterling Ruby coat,

meeting of the two worlds.

another art-fashion twist, were exhibited as part of the

from MatchesFashion.com

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Musician Benjamin Clementine performs as part of the Burberry spring/summer 2015 runway show in London

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SOUNDS LIKE FASHION As fashion constantly seeks newness in popular culture, music has, yet again, become its creative and commercial co-conspirator, writes Alison Kubler.

Last year, in an art gallery in New York, a rapper performed a song live repeatedly over a beat while artists and actors and other musicians joined in and danced or observed.

This could well be the description of any number of contemporary art performances, only this performance was by none other than Jay-Z and star artist (alongside other star artists George Condo and George Weiner as well as film director Judd Apatow and actor Adam Driver) Marina Abramovic, the mother of performance/endurance art. Oh, and the gallery was PACE, one of the most prominent commercial galleries in the world. The edited performance with thoughtful commentary from Jay-Z and interviews with Ms Abramovic is viewable on YouTube. At the time of writing it had reached 4.5 million hits. And this is an art performance. Or is it? Wait… maybe it’s a video. The song in question (sung repeatedly over six hours) is Picasso Baby, Jay-Z’s smug declaration of his art savvy and wealth. Rappers don’t rap about champagne anymore, they rap about the art they own; in Jay-Z’s case, really expensive art. The entire song is an ode to success and a mash-up of art-fashion-music references. In Picasso Baby we see the collapsing of these three forms into one intensely mediated popular culture moment.

It ain’t hard to tell, I’m the new Jean Michel Surrounded by Warhols, my whole team ball Twin Bugattis, outside the Art Basel, I just wanna live life colossal Leonardo Da Vinci flows, Riccardo Tisci Givenchy clothes See me throning at the Met, Vogueing on these niggas Champagne on my breath, yes House like the Louvre or the Tate Modern Cause I be going ape at the auction Oh what a feeling, aw fuck it, I want a trillion It’s not poetry but it’s probably the first time the event Art Basel has been namedropped in a rap song. Not to overstate the grandiose posturing of the song (which is sort of irresistible), Picasso Baby is a brash shouting of the changing of the guard.

The order has shifted – art, fashion and music combined are the new litmus test of mega wealth and, more importantly, cultural status. They appear in the same breath and, together, have become the cultural landmarks of the 21st century. In the process, Ms Abramovic has become something almost unprecedented, too: a household name.

Unprecedented, of course, for an artist making performance art, contemporary art’s

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It ain’t hard to tell, I’m the new Jean Michel/ Surrounded by Warhols, my whole team ball/ Twin Bugattis, outside the Art Basel, I just wanna live life colossal/ Leonardo Da Vinci flows, Riccardo Tisci Givenchy clothes/See me throning at the Met, Vogueing on these niggas/Champagne on my breath, yes/House like the Louvre or the Tate Modern/Cause I be going ape at the auction/ Oh what a feeling, aw fuck it, I want a trillion 60

FEATURE

most difficult medium. She is a hugely influential cultural

beauty is, in fact, fame. And pop music brings fame in spades,

popular. Perhaps what these campaigns demonstrate

figure, but it is only recently that she has become a pop

and with it, economic benefits.

best is the cache of buying ‘cool.’ If you can’t actually

culture star, appearing in advertising for Givenchy (she

When Mother Monster – Lady Gaga – donned

be a rock star, you might as well dress like one.

and the house’s artistic director have collaborated before,

vintage Versace for her 1980s-inspired Edge of Glory film

the designer famously casting himself in a photoshoot

clip, she spawned a new generation of Versace fans and,

a dilemma: how to combat piracy, in the form of illegal

being breastfed by Ms Abramovic for an issue of

in turn, Versace engaged Gaga for a global advertising

downloads and third world knockoffs, respectively. In

Visionaire that he guest edited). In addition, Givenchy

campaign. Gaga has even been known to dress like

recognition of the post-MTV generation playing field

hosted the artist’s concluding party for The Artist is

Donatella Versace, about whom she penned a song

that fashion and music must now negotiate to garner a

Present at MOMA, in 2010, Ms Abramovic’s seminal

“Donatella” for her last album Art Pop (for which she

foothold in the all important social media system, the

performance, which Jay-Z has cited as the influence for

commissioned artist Jeff Koons to realise a statue of her

relationship between the two worlds has become even

his own ‘endurance’ piece. She has also been instructing

as a pop icon). Let’s not forget rapper Drake’s catchy

more sophisticated. United they are stronger. In 2013

Lady Gaga in the art of performance.

Versace ditty (Shoes and shirt Versace, your bitch want in

rapper MIA collaborated with Versace on a campaign

on my pockets/ She ask me why my drawers silk/ I told that

for the label’s diffusion line Versus, taking inspiration from

art and artists. Collaborations with artists are now almost

bitch "Versace"/ Cheetah print on my sleeve, but I ain't ever

counterfeit Versace goods she encountered at London

commonplace ever since Marc Jacobs began working

been in the jungle), or Frank Ocean’s reference to Versace

markets, creating street style mash-ups of the brand’s

with artists such as Takashi Murakami and Richard

in his breakout single Lost.

signature logos. It was a clever collaboration that riffed on

Fashion houses have long aligned themselves with

Prince when artistic director at Louis Vuitton. Luxury

Contemporary musicians increasingly embrace

The element that music and fashion most share is

the bootlegging of luxury goods (and music, because after

fashion houses have looked to contemporary art for a

fashion as part of the cultural Zeitgeist. Popular music

all, appropriation is rap’s raison d’etre), taking a sideswipe

kind of cultural injection to reinvigorate their name and

artists are famous for the clothes they wear on and off

at intellectual property that symbolised a retaking of the

lend some kind of longevity and cerebral value to their

stage, with many designing their own namesake fashion

brand for itself. It was exemplary of fashion’s trickle up

commercial products. There have been so many art-

lines, such as Pharell Williams and Kanye West, or

theory, the high street influencing the catwalk.

fashion moments in the new millennium that one wonders

creating capsule collections for existing brands, such as

if the formula may be wearing thin. Fashion once needed

Sonic Youth front woman Kim Gordon, who designed

and brands, many fashion houses now support emerging

art for relevance and a kind of critical approbation; art

prints for Marni, or Mr West for French label A.P.C.

musicians in patronage programs that help to provide a

made fashion serious, worthy of consideration. Now that

Fashion shows, too, have become more like art

Aside from the collaborations between performers

global audience for new talent, which in turn brings a

fashion has earned a new respect, perhaps it no longer

performances or concerts. For his spring 2014 showing,

younger audience back to the brand via music. It’s a

needs art. Fashion is, after all, a fickle beast, always looking

in Paris, Rick Owens upped the ante by eschewing models

marketing-by-stealth approach that seems to be working.

to the next thing. And that next thing, it seems, is music.

and flying in a step troupe of women all shapes and sizes

Burberry Acoustic is a multi-tiered initiative by the

to do a hardcore performance (wearing Owens’s clothing),

British brand that integrates emerging British musicians

a Givenchy gown) is, as it turns out, a defining moment.

the video of which went viral globally. Musicians such as

into its runway show soundtracks, advertising campaigns,

Does this suggest the tables have turned? Does art need

Rufus Wainwright, Roisin Murphy and Tori Amos have all

special projects and weekly downloadable playlists. In

music? Some kind of proof might be found in the Museum

performed as part of Viktor & Rolf runway shows, Antony

2014, Gucci launched its own Spotify stream that

of Modern Art's announcement that it is planning a major

Hegarty has performed for Givenchy, Florence Welch,

features exclusive playlists created by selected female

retrospective of the career of Icelandic performer Bjork.

the Chromatics and Lily Allen for Chanel, and Prince for

DJs in conjunction with the release of the short film

The installation-based exhibition will look at her twenty

Matthew Williamson. And increasingly, musicians appear

The Fringe, made for the release of its signature spring

years of extraordinary projects that includes no less than

in major fashion house advertising campaigns: Madonna,

2014 ‘Bamboo’ fringed bags. The DJs have curated

seven albums and a swathe of extraordinary film clips,

Bono and Keith Richards for Louis Vuitton, Cat Power

exclusive playlists for the ‘branded’ music-streaming

many of which were produced in collaboration with other

and Ms Allen for Chanel, and most recently, Courtney

channel, which also allows listeners to share tracks. So,

incredible artists, and will include film and costumes as

Love, Marilyn Manson and Daft Punk for Saint Laurent.

is this what Gucci ‘sounds’ like? Creative Director Frida

Jay-Z’s performance with Ms Abramovic (wearing

well as performance. Björk and Icelandic writer Sjon

Shot by artistic director Hedi Slimane, who enjoys

Giannini is well known for her collection of over 8000

Sigurdsson are co-writing a ‘narrative’ in what amounts to

a reputation not just as a designer but also as a respected

vinyl records, so this musical approach to marketing a

a highly experimental project. This comes on the back of

photographer (he is represented by Almine Rech Gallery),

handbag is not such a stretch. It certainly makes for a

MoMA’s acquisition of Bjork’s App made for her album

the Saint Laurent campaign describes the brand’s rock

stylish musical interlude while you choose the colour.

Biophilia. Of course, Bjork’s oeuvre is the very definition of

credentials by aligning itself with a powerhouse of new

multidisciplinary perfection; it’s hard to imagine that we’ll

and ‘hall of fame’ stars, and is collectively titled the Saint

music to connect to a younger audience. Over the next few

be seeing a Rihanna retrospective at MoMA anytime soon.

Laurent Music Project, a section of the brand’s website

months Emporio Armani will present Emporio Armani

dedicated too it. In September, the Fondation Pierre

Sounds, an international touring concert series that will

relationship, ever since Elvis immortalised his blue suede

Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent will present an exhibition of

take place in Paris, New York, Barcelona, Monaco, Tokyo,

shoes in the song of the same name. The relationship

photographs by Mr Slimane, Sonic: a collection of studio

Beijing and Rio de Janeiro. The talent will be determined

between music and fashion is so rich as to be exhaustive

portraits (from the Xavier Burral publication of the same

by the location, but with the clout of the Armani brand

in the retelling, but the past few decades alone have brought

name) from Mr Slimane’s archive looking back over 15

behind the project, one can expect big things. Emporio

us punk and Vivienne Westwood, Madonna and Jean Paul

years and featuring music icons such as Lou Reed, Brian

Armani Sounds kicked off with a Klaxons concert in Paris,

Gaultier and Lady Gaga and Nicola Formichetti. Musicians,

Wilson, Amy Winehouse and Keith Richards. The black

and is an uber cool brand alignment for the label’s youth-

of course, have always used fashion to create an image, but

and white photos will be accompanied by a video installation

focused line. It is too evidence of music’s unique ability to

where once this might have been a more shambolic creative

of Mr Slimane’s London (2003-2007) and California

articulate the idea of lifestyle, that which contemporary

response (Madonna wearing lace gloves or Gaga making her

(2007-2014) documentary cycles. It’s not the first time

brands are keen to align themselves with. Paul Smith’s

own costumes, as she did in the beginning), fashion houses

Mr Slimane has shown in a public gallery, either, his work

latest campaign takes the form of a film clip featuring the

are becoming increasingly focused and strategic in creating

having featured in a 2011 show, California Song, at MoCA

band Swim Deep performing their track Francisco. The

alignments with pop stars, seating them front row at fashion

in Los Angeles.

members all wear new season Paul Smith and generally

Music and fashion have long had a mutually beneficial

Giorgio Armani too has recognised the power of

shows, using their visages in campaigns, creating their

Elsewhere, British band The Kills, fronted by

touring costumes and using their music as campaign

Alison Mosshart and Jaime Hince (otherwise known as

their own soundtrack. It’s very nineties British retro and

soundtracks. It’s partly a knock-on effect of Anna Wintour’s

Kate Moss’s husband), have appeared in advertisements

very Paul Smith. It feels like the brand would sound if you

strategy of using celebrities instead of supermodels on the

for Equipment, while British brand Mulberry tapped

could hear, and now you can. This is advertising at its

look nothing like models as they move (awkwardly) to

cover of American Vogue as the new millennium dawned, a

sultry singer Lana Del Rey as inspiration for its 2013

laptop drumming best, and capitalises on music’s earworm

move that was maligned at the time but will ultimately prove

‘Del Ray’ bag (she has too performed live for its fashion

capacity (Pharrell’s Happy) to lodge in your brain until

to be her legacy. Fashion still loves the pretty faces but one

presentations), which proved a resounding commercial

such time as another song replaces it. This is fashion and

only needs to scan the news shelves to see that the new

success – the bag became and remains one of its most

music’s clever ruse.

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ONE OF A KIND An exhibition and new Australian store demonstrates the authenticity of Hermès’ artistic intentions, writes Mitchell Oakley Smith.

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During the first week that French luxury house Hermès

This October, at the Museum of Contemporary

traded at its new Melbourne digs in June, an artisan from

Art in Sydney, Hermès will share more of its world with

its leather workshop in France had set up shop just by

Festival des Metiers, an exhibition showcasing the

the entry. Here, with little more than his bare hands and

craftsmanship behind the various “métiers” (workshops)

a few medieval-looking tools – he stitched together pieces

that make up its diverse product offering. Shown already

of leather that would become one of the brand’s iconic

in numerous cities around the world, Festival des Metiers

‘Kelly’ bags. Like the modest and strongly protected haute

is less an exhibition than a demonstration of the ways

couture industry that exists in France, Hermès prides

in which its products are made, “providing insight into

itself on the fact that the vast majority of its products –

the artisanal traditions and values of the house and

everything from crocodile leather handbags to printed

revealing its fine craftsmanship,” according to a company

silk scarves – is expertly and authentically crafted from

spokesperson. For its Sydney presentation, eight

its specialist workshops, all of them on home soil.

craftspeople – including a saddle maker, silk painter,

“More than half of the people at Hermès work in

gem setter and watchmaker – will travel from France and

manufacturing,” explains the brand’s executive vice

demonstrate their skill in the purpose-built exhibition

president of distribution, Florian Craen. “This means

space designed by industrial designer Paola Navone.

that before being a retail name we are a manufacturing

“The physical vision of the craftsman is quite abstract

name, and it’s something very particular to Hermès.”

today,” says Mr Craen, “whereas we live with them at

It means, of course, that the items in a Hermès store

Hermès, and it’s important for customers to see the

don’t necessarily come cheap, but Mr Craen believes

work happening, the pieces being made, so that they can

that people understand the craftsmanship, quality

understand and appreciate what it means for something

and history inherent in the brand’s products. “People

to be handmade.”

recognise this about us, and they buy our pieces knowing that they are incredibly well made.”

And it would appear that lots of people are buying.

Festival des Metiers is on display at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, 02 to 06 October 2014.

Hermès is one of the few brands to have not only emerged from the Global Financial Crisis, but also to have consistently, over the past five years, grown its global sales, net income and market share. Indeed, the company’s first-quarter this year saw a turnover improvement of 14.7% (at constant exchange rates) across its categories of leathergoods and saddlery, ready-to-wear and accessories, silk and textiles, perfumes, timepieces, jewellery, and homewares.

But perhaps it’s not so surprising considering that what emerged culturally from this bleak period in retail activity was a renewed appreciation of luxury, with consumers redefining what this term – its meaning lost in 21st century marketing-speak – really means.

“We are enjoying this movement where you may not consumer more, but you consumer better,” says Mr Craen. “You might not go out to dinner as often, but when you do you please yourself with outstanding experiences. The orange box is still very present under the Christmas tree, but maybe there are just less boxes.”

Indeed, it’s a cultural movement that has seen consumers investing in more expensive, but fewer pieces that will last a lifetime, rather than many more inexpensive, throwaway pieces. “People are wanting the quality, long-lasting, heritage vision.”

This movement has taken hold in Australia, too, evidenced by the opening of Hermès’ latest store. Having been in the Australian market for close to three decades, and occupying its former site in Melbourne for the past ten years, Hermès Australia managing director Karin Upton Baker says the opening of the new store was simply the need for greater space. “The previous store was simply too small to accommodate the comfort of the customer and to offer a little more of the Hermès world,” she explains. “It’s a conundrum, but a nice one, that we have this vast selection of products, and while no store can hold all of them we’d always like to show a little bit more.” It took time, says Ms Upton Baker, to find the right address, eventually settling on the light-filled, twolevel site, Harley House, on the corner of Collins and Exhibition streets, at the so-called “Paris end” of the city.

“Australians’ love of the brand has really grown in the past

↑ The new Hermès store in Melbourne, Australia

ten years which showed us that we needed to be bigger.”

← A leather football crafted exclusively for the opening of the Melbourne store

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The Shape of Things to Come An emerging, Melbourne-based knitwear designer is radically evolving the menswear form, writes Jess Alcamo.

Photography Georges Antoni Styling Jolyon Mason Grooming Diane Gorgievski

We profiled Chris Ran Lin in our debut graduate portfolio some two

gathering attention in the art world, as in the case of Australian

years ago, and since then he’s proven himself worthy of the hype

artist Elizabeth Roet’s Red Reef Alert, which was exhibited at the

surrounding his subsequent collections, which seamlessly unite

Art Gallery of NSW as part of its annual Wynne Prize in 2009, as

sculptural knits with sharp menswear tailoring. In fact, seamlessly

well as the growing street art movement of yarn bombing, pioneered

may be the wrong word to describe Mr Ran Lin’s work, considering

by Magda Sayeg’s Knitta Please.

the dizzying proficiency of his technical work that features delicate

What differentiates Mr Ran Lin is his exploration of balance

laser cut-outs, clean lines and, of course, skillfully woven knits that

and counterbalance, which is a theme that threads itself (both

put the classic fisherman sweater to shame.

literally and metaphorically) through the blend of knits and

Knitwear is a growing area of interest in fashion but is hardly

tailoring. Mr Ran Lin explains that his designs aim to “break

unexplored territory. Just this season, Rei Kawakubo presented

the surface and sculpt the materials to recreate a new texture”,

wormy, thick-knitted dresses for Comme des Garcons’ womenswear

evidenced in a wool blazer with knitted sleeves from his “Conflict

line, and designers such as Sofia Doglio and Johan Ku have made

and Fusion” collection. “The character of wool already gives a

a name for themselves with textural knits. Knitted sculpture is also

sense of natural beauty and power to the work”, and while there

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is a definite ready-to-wear component in his work, there is also a

particularly for designers looking to stay local. But the challenge of

focus on wool as an artistic centerpiece.

finding talented local knitters and makers, says Mr Ran Lin, “pushes

What makes Mr Ran Lin's designs all the more interesting is his audience. Australia is renowned for its outdoor lifestyle and,

me to create something in a different way and gives me clear vision of who I am, and what information I want to send out.”

as a result, lightweight clothing and swimwear – hardly a place you’d expect for a designer to feel confident consistently creating thickly bundled wears. But Mr Ran Lin bucks this trend and provides a much-needed counterpoint to the beachwear-heavy stereotype of Australian fashion. In terms of manufacturing, Mr Ran Lin’s use of wool is ideal for our local industry, which is renowned for its export

Zachary Grenenger/Priscillas Models Photography Assistance Adrian Price Styling Assistance Brad Homes

of wool to European and American markets but is now a convenient local source for the designer’s work. This is seemingly an ideal position to be in but not without its own set of functional troubles,

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The Showdown As Australia’s biggest cultural institutions realise the pulling power of fashion, audiences are treated to a raft of high-profile exhibitions this spring, writes Alison Kubler.

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Popular cultural aficionados, prepare to break your

← Tanel Bedrossiantz photographed by

Instagram. In November, three garments with extraordinary Hollywood and pop music pedigree are going to be on display (admittedly at different destinations) in Australia. Jean Paul Gaultier’s iconic

worn by Lady Gaga, will be in Adelaide, and Esther Williams’ golden swimsuit will be in Brisbane. Such an embarrassment of riches, and proof too that metallics are never really out of fashion. The significance of these three garments cannot be underestimated. Arguably the latter with its origins in Hollywood glamour is the starting point for Madonna’s famous Blond Ambition World Tour, with the logical endpoint being Gaga’s extreme self-referential beauty. They represent the holy grail of lingerie/swimwear and outerwear/underwear. And they are all in Australia.

Indeed, though it is virtually unprecedented.

Later this year, there will be four major exhibitions of fashion in our most hallowed public institutions running concurrently. The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk (17 October to 08 February 2015) showcases the work of France’s preeminent enfant terrible at the National Gallery of Victoria, while in Queensland, the Gallery of Modern Art will host Future Beauty: The Tradition of Reinvention in Japanese Fashion (01 November 2014 to 15 February 2015), from the Kyoto Costume Institute in Japan, which brings together some of the great Japanese fashion design innovators including Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto and Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garcons, amongst others.

No underwear, but no less iconic. Also in Queensland, the Museum of Brisbane boasts an extraordinary exhibition, Costumes from the Golden Age of Hollywood (07 November 2014 to 26 April 2015), drawn from the private collection of one man, Nicholas Inglis, amassed over a number of years. It includes garments worn by the era’s greats, including Joan Crawford, Leslie Caron, Bette the museum’s extensive holdings, Fashion Icons is a showcase of “emblematic haute couture garments created

pulled off the biggest coup of all. Both The Fashion World

by France’s leading fashion designers”, but this is not

of Jean Paul Gaultier and Future Beauty are coming to

to say the exhibition is limited to French labels. The

Australia after extensive international tours (at the time

collection is French, the designers are international.

of writing, the Gaultier exhibition is in London at the

There is the opportunity to see a 1973 Jean Muir dress

Barbican Centre, which was responsible for the survey

up close, the aforementioned Dolce & Gabbana chrome

exhibition The House of Viktor & Rolf, and has been

bustier made famous by Lady Gaga in her Paparazzi

seen by over one million people to date) but Fashion

video, seminal Issey Miyake pieces from 1978 as well as

Icons: Masterpieces from the collection of the Musee

incredible Valentino, Yves Saint Laurent, Thierry Mugler

des Arts Decoratifs, Paris (25 October 2014 to 15

and Madame Gres haute couture. The garments are all

February 2015), destined for the Art Gallery of South

significant pieces in the museum’s collection, and given

Australia, is a completely unique proposition. Curated

their precious status, some will be housed in glass cases

by internationally respected curator Pamela Golbin of the

for their safekeeping.

Musee des Arts Decoratifs (the curator of Louis Vuitton –

Fashion Icons is a significant exhibition for the

Marc Jacobs, Madeleine Vionnet: Puriste de la mode and

Art Gallery of South Australia not least because it does

Valentino, Retrospective: Past/Present/Future to name but

not have a fashion department or permanent fashion

a few blockbusters) especially for Adelaide, Fashion Icons

collection. This is no impediment however to the hosting

is bespoke, to use fashion parlance. The one hundred

of such a major exhibition, which has been assisted by

garments included in the exhibition have been handpicked

Art Exhibitions Australia. Rather, it demonstrates that

by Ms Golbin to “paint a unique picture of Parisian style

fashion has broken off the shackles of fusty costume

within the context of contemporary fashion design since

institutes to stake a claim on the hallowed turf of the

1947 when the couturier Christian Dior re-launched haute

white cube. This is, after all, an exhibition that conflates

couture with his New Look.”

fashion and social history, locating the two within one

The iconic garments – so much more than clothes,

featured in The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier

Melbourne, Dolce & Gabbana’s aluminium bustier,

But it is Adelaide, the City of Churches, which has

Paolo Roversi wearing a dress by Jean Paul Gaultier, fall 1984-85,

↓ Bustiers made for Madonna displayed in

golden cone bustier, worn by Madonna, will be in

Davis, Judy Garland, Ava Gardner and Elizabeth Taylor.

another. Fashion Icons offers audiences a way to engage

but historical documents – will travel to Adelaide in

with history past and present (a 2014 piece will be

swathes of acid-free tissue to be installed at the direction

included) through the inclusion of period films and

of exhibition designer Christian Biecher. Selected from

ephemera.

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The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier exhibition

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synonymous with pop music’s most famous provocateur; she brought the world to Mr Gaultier and he in turn made her iconic, evidence of fashion’s cultural significance.

No doubt Madonna’s original corset will prove one of the biggest drawcards for many visitors, for whom Mr Gaultier is something of a 1990s phenomenon. In the larger context of the exhibition though, the corset is a temporary distraction, given the breadth of the designer’s work on display. The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier is a timely reminder of Mr Gaultier’s legacy, his characteristic rebellious spirit, still so fresh alongside so much contemporary sameness. Mr Gaultier is, still, wholly original. ← Junya Watanabe for Comme des Garcons

Organised around seven themes, the exhibition

autumn/winter 2004/2005, photographed traces the designer’s influences, passions and obsessions but it also boasts extraordinary exhibition design in by Taishi Hirokawa

→ Jean Paul Gaultier costume for Le Defile, the form of 32 custom mannequins that incorporate high-definition audio-visual projections of various 1985, photographed by Thierry Dreyfus personalities (including the designer and Smashing Pumpkins bass player Melissa Auf der Maur), as well as extraordinary headdresses created by hairstylist Odile Gilbert. For the London showing, Ms Gilbert created mohawks as a nod to Mr Gaultier’s punk leanings. The seven themes offer a way in which to understand the designer’s oeuvre. The Odyssey celebrates his trademark themes of sailors, mermaids and religious iconography and features garments worn by Beyoncé, Catherine Deneuve and Marion Cotillard. The Boudoir, as the title These four very significant exhibitions collectively

suggests, pays homage to Mr Gaultier’s fascination with

amount to something of a potted history of twentieth

lingerie and corsetry through the years, and features

century fashion and costume across genres and designers

pieces from his critically lauded ready-to-wear lines for

when considered together. The confluence of scheduling

Hermès, (where he was creative director from 2003 to

and subject points to fashion’s undeniable popularity in

2010). Muses demonstrates the designer’s celebration

the eyes of the general public at the same time that it

of difference and diversity and beauty. The Melbourne

demonstrates the bankability of fashion; that is to say,

iteration of the exhibition will include an Australian

visitors are very willing to pay to see fashion. In that

muses section, highlighting Mr Gaultier’s relationship

regard, fashion is giving the traditional art gallery

with, amongst others, Ms Minogue, Ms Kidman, Cate

blockbuster a run for its money. In these new

Blanchett, Andrej Pejić and Gemma Ward.

economically straitened times, the most recent harsh

Thematically, The Fashion World of Jean Paul

federal budget notwithstanding, our public institutions

Gaultier and Future Beauty share a similar spirit of

must fight for their audience’s hearts, minds and wallets.

non-convention. The latter, subtitled The Tradition of

For public galleries and museums, the number of people

Reinvention in Japanese Fashion, brings together the

through the door amounts to money in the coffers; high

work of the seminal Japanese designers who emerged

visitation is the holy grail of marketing, which is why

in the 1970s, such as Kenzo Takada, Hanae Mori, Issey

when a big exhibition finishes media releases are

Miyake and those who burst onto the Parisian scene

routinely and swiftly sent out touting the attendance

in 1981: Junya Watanabe, Rei Kawakubo and Yohji

figures. These numbers are almost more important than

Yamamoto. Collectively, the work of these designers

any kind of critical feedback, for they are the basis upon

described a unique aesthetic, one that was a riposte

which a public gallery might make a claim for more

to then popular European silhouettes and emerged

funding, or to encourage sponsorship.

around the same time as the revolutionary Antwerp

The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the

Six. Designers such as Mr Miyake liberated form and

Sidewalk to the Catwalk curated by Thierry Maxime

structure in clothing, employing traditional Japanese

Loriot, comes from the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts,

ideas such as wabi sabi – the idea of finding beauty in

and the designer has been closely involved with the

imperfection – in their work to make clothes that were

exhibition, which features some 140 garments alongside

quickly deemed avant-garde. Future Beauty encapsulates

photographs, sketches, stage costumes, excerpts from

a feeling as much as it showcases the spectacular skills

runway shows, film, television, concerts and dance

of the designers featured. Importantly, too, it looks to

performances. Of course, Mr Gaultier has strong ties to

a new generation of Japanese designers who have taken

Australia, having designed garments for Nicole Kidman

up the mantle, whose work is included in the exhibition.

and Kylie Minogue, but also for using the internationally

There is an interesting knock-on effect of these

sought after androgynous Australian model Andrej Pejic.

mega fashion exhibitions. To coincide with the opening

Arguably more so than any other designer, Mr Gaultier

of the extensive Charles James: Beyond Fashion

contributed to the lexicon of twentieth century popular

retrospective at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Anna

culture with his costume designs for Madonna’s Blond

Wintour Costume Centre, it was announced that the

Ambition World Tour in 1990, namely the conical bra

brand would be revived by wealthy film producer Harvey

corset she wore to writhe around in for the tour version of

Weinstein, some 47 years after the designer’s death.

Like a Virgin. For many, the French designer is

Not quite a case of serendipity, but rather one of astute

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FEATURE

economic timing and marketing. Similarly, in 2013 the house of Elsa Schiaparelli, which for most of the 20th century was synonymous with hosiery licensed through department stores, was reborn with a one-off collection by couturier Christian Lacroix, though designer Marco Zanini, formerly of Rochas, has formally been installed at the helm of the new-old house. This had a direct correlation with the reassessment of Ms Schiaparelli through another Metropolitan Museum exhibition, Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations (2012), curated by Andrew Bolton.

The designer responsible most famously for the lobster dress worn by Wallis Simpson, a collaboration with surrealist Salvador Dali, was well known to fashion cognoscenti but less so to an upwardly mobile and moneyed young audience of fashion buyers. Impossible Conversations made Ms Schiaparelli’s oeuvre relevant to a new audience through an intellectual exhibition that looked at the legacy of ‘Schiap’, as she was known to her coterie of famous artist friends, through the lens of Miuccia Prada, arguably the most influential designer of the 21st century. The relaunching of both houses, relics of another century, clearly demonstrates fashion’s cultural relevance as well as its serious economic might.

Something about the critical approbation heaped upon both designers has the ability to translate to profit.

This sartorial takeover is not exclusive to antipodean institutions by any means. Fashion holds sway internationally in the most hallowed of halls. At the Musee des Arts Decoratifs, the elegant Dries Van Noten: Inspirations (until 31 August) eloquently emphasises the symbiotic relationship between art and fashion as seen by the designer, and is curated by Ms Golbin. At the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, The Glamour of Italian Fashion: 1945 – 2014 celebrates the dolce vita that Italian fashion and jewellery designers share, from Gucci to Ferragamo and Bulgari. Expect your Instagram feed to be replete with fashion moments rich in style and history.

“ fashion is giving the traditional art gallery blockbuster a run for its money ” 69

shop.bensherman.com.au

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FASHION Issue X 2014 No matter where in the world you’re reading this, very slowly but with absolute certainty the season is beginning to change, bringing with it, of course, new collections from the fashion world’s best and brightest, both in Australia and abroad. In our biggest issue to date, we pay tribute to our country’s greatest womenswear designers – those pushing boundaries and making international names – and, looking further afield, document the groundbreaking ‘Artisanal’ (read: haute couture) collection by Maison Martin Margiela. In the menswear arena, we never really look to trends to define our fashion stories, but it’s hard to ignore the prevalence of grey in this season’s collections. And really, what a terribly underutilised and extremely diverse colour for men. Our newly appointed European fashion editor, Jonathan Ailwood, takes inspiration from early America in his story, Paramount, which shines a light on the traditional prints and styles that appeared in the collections of Burberry, Dolce & Gabbana and Chanel.

And at 51 years young, model and actor Tony Ward showcases the best of the west, demonstrating that some things just get better with age.

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MANUSCRIPT

Paramount

The fall collections contain a cultural melange of silhouettes, textures and weaves.

Photography Paul Scala | Styling Jonathan Ailwood Grooming Celia Burton | Hair Lok Lau

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Mr Groenewald wears tank by Burberry

Prorsum, pants by Chanel.

Opposite: Mr Todd wears pants by

Dolce & Gabbana, belt by Azzedine Alaia.

MANUSCRIPT

Stylist’s own pants,

belt by Azzedine Alaia,

necklace by Chanel.

Opposite:

Mr Groenewald wears

pants by Prada,

stylist’s own blanket,

bracelet by Chanel.

Mr Todd wears pants

by Givenchy, coat

by Burbery Prorsum.

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MANUSCRIPT

Jacket by Dolce & Gabbana.

Opposite: Mr Todd wears t-shirt by Givenchy,

pants by Burberry Prorsum, coat by Azzedine Alaia, ring by Chanel.

Mr Groenewald wears pants by Prada,

coat by Azzedine Alaia, his own necklace.

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Tank by Givenchy,

blanket by Hermes.

Opposite: pants and jacket

by Dolce & Gabbana,

belt by Azzedine Alaia.

FASHION

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MANUSCRIPT

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FASHION

Sweater and pants

by Dolce & Gabbana,

blanket by Chanel.

Opposite:

Pants by Dolce & Gabbana, belt by Azzedine Alaia,

bracelet by Chanel.

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MANUSCRIPT

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Mr Groenewald wears top by Andrew Sauceda, pants by Prada, cuff by Chanel.

Mr Todd wears top by Andrew Sauceda,

pants by Burberry Prorsum, vintage American flag.

Opposite: Sweater by Prada, pants by Louis Vuitton, belt by Azzedine Alaia, bracelet by Chanel.

FASHION

Coat by Louis Vuitton, necklace by Chanel.

Opposite: Pants by Givenchy, coat by Burberry Prorsum,

blanket by Hermes,

bracelet by Chanel.

Louren Groenewald and John Todd/Next Models Photography Assistance Simon McGuigan and Matteo Macri | Post Production Postmen Ms Burton used MAC Cosmetics throughout Mr Lau used Bumble & Bumble throughout With special thanks to Ross Andrews, Sharon Kelley, Sarah Vickery and Sam Way

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Long regarded as an art studio as much as a fashion house, Maison Martin Margiela has redefined anew the notion of creative practice.

Photography Paul Scala | Styling Jonathan Ailwood Grooming Vincent de Moro Mr Gregoire wears Maison Martin Margiela 'Artisanal' collection throughout, jeans by Acne, boots by Dr. Martens.

FASHION

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MANUSCRIPT

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FASHION

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Matthieu Gregoire/Success Models Post Production Postmen Special thanks to Rodger at Success Models

Aussie Rules We realise these are women’s looks, but it’s not as though we’ve never touched a frock in this magazine before.

Some of Australia’s best womenswear designers are carving international names for themselves, and so here, tribute to their innovation.

Photography Georges Antoni | Styling Jolyon Mason Make-up Sasha Nilsson | Hair Jenny Kim

Ms Wiggers wears dress and coat by Maticevski,

skivvy and leggings, worn throughout, by Skin and Threads, boots, worn throughout, by Maison Martin Margiela.

MANUSCRIPT

Dress by Camilla and Marc,

sculpture by artist Dion Horstmans.

Opposite: Top, skirt and coat by Maticevski.

98

Top and skirt by Bassike.

FASHION

Top by Camilla and Marc.

Opposite: Dress by Ellery.

103

Top, mini-skirt and skirt

(worn underneath) by Dion Lee.

Marthe Wiggers/IMG Models | Photographic Assistance David McKelvey & Garth McKee Digital Operation Willy Ward | Styling Assistance Alex Rost Ms Nilsson used NARS Cosmetics from Mecca Cosmetica Ms Kim used O&M Rootalicious/Root Lift and Surf Bomb/Sea Salt texture spray, and Cloud Nine micro wand

Shirt by Jac+Jack,

leather pants by Hermes,

leather belt by R.M.Williams,

woven leather bracelet by Bottega Veneta.

FASHION

Despite the transient nature of fashion, Tony Ward has demonstrated serious longevity since beginning his modeling career some three decades ago.

We salute the man that everyone still wants to sleep with.

Photography Paul Scala | Styling Jolyon Mason Grooming Jenny Kim

MANUSCRIPT

Vintage leather chaps.

Opposite: Oilskin coat by Driza-Bone.

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This page and opposite:

shirt and pants by Gucci, neck scarf by Prada,

boots by R.M.Williams.

Oilskin coat by Driza-Bone, pants by Ralph Lauren,

boots and belt by R.M.Williams.

Opposite: Coat by Bottega Veneta,

hat by Akubra, from Strand Hatters.

FASHION

113

Opposite: Turtleneck sweater,

pants and coat by Gucci,

hat by R.M.Williams for Dion Lee.

Tony Ward/Priscillas Model Management Photography Assistance Ryan Flanagan & Mason Stevenson Ms Kim used KMS texture shampoo, sea salt spray and gel wax Special thanks to Centennial Parklands

Mr Sun wears

long-sleeved t-shirt by Uniqlo, sweater and shorts by Bassike, stylist’s own socks and

headpiece throughout.

Opposite:

t-shirt and leggings by Jac+Jack,

skirt by Maticevski, shoes by Prada.

Grey Matter Regarded as the most conservative colour in one’s wardrobe, grey is often the sole domain of bankers and businessmen. Banish the notion, for grey is the all-purpose, all-man tone of the season.

Photography Troyt Coburn | Styling Jolyon Mason Grooming Daren Borthwick

T-shirt by Wrangler,

blazer by Crane Brothers,

pants by Calvin Klein Collection.

Opposite: knitted jumper by Chris Ran Lin.

Singlet by Bonds,

long t-shirt by American Vintage, short t-shirt by Bassike,

pants by Paul Smith, shoes by Prada.

Leather jacket by Armani Exchange, t-shirt, shorts and leggings

by Song for the Mute,

shoes by Prada.

Opposite:

jacket by Uniqlo,

skirt by Strateas Carlucci, pants by Bottega Veneta,

shoes by Prada.

Shirt by Calvin Klein Jeans, coat and shoes by Prada, singlet by Bonds,

worn over shoulders, pants by Jac+Jack,

skirt by Josh Goot.

Opposite: suit by M.J.Bale, t-shirt by Jac+Jack.

Kevin Sun/London Management Group Styling Assistance Alex Rost | With special thanks to kittens Fripouille and Malay

MANUSCRIPT

Stockists Acne / acnestudios.com

American Vintage / americanvintage-store.com Armani Exchange / armaniexchange.com Aveda / aveda.com.au

Azzedine Alaia / alaia.fr

Bassike / bassike.com

Brando / brando.com.au Bonds / bonds.com.au

Bottega Veneta / bottegaveneta.com

Bumble & Bumble / bumbleandbumble.com

Burberry Prorsum / burberry.com

Calibre / calibre.com.au

Calvin Klein Collection / calvinklein.com

Gucci / gucci.com

Calvin Klein Jeans / calvinklein.com

Harrolds / harrolds.com.au

Camilla and Marc / camillaandmarc.com

Hermes / hermes.com

Chanel / chanel.com

Jac+Jack / jacandjack.com

Cloud Nine / cloudninehair.com

Josh Goot / joshgoot.com

Chris Ran Lin / chrisranlin.com

Kerastase / kerastase.com.au

Crane Brothers / crane-brothers.com

Kiehls / kiehls.com

Dion Lee / dionlee.com

Dior Homme / dior.com

Dr Martens / drmartens.com

KMS / kmscalifornia.com

Lagerfeld / nmi.com.au

Dolce & Gabbana / dolcegabbana.com

Driza-Bone / drizabone.com.au Ellery / elleryland.com

Emporio Armani / armani.com

Louis Vuitton / louisvuitton.com

MAC Cosmetics / maccosmetics.com.au

Maison Martin Margiela / maisonmartinmargiela.com Maticevski / tonimaticevski.com M.J.Bale / mjbale.com

Eton / nmi.com.au

Mecca Cosmetica / meccacosmetica.com.au

Farage / farage.com.au

O&M / originalmineral.com

Giorgio Armani / armani.com

Paul Smith / paulsmith.co.uk

Givenchy / givenchy.com

Prada / prada.com

Ralph Lauren / ralphlauren.com

Replay / nmi.com.au

R.M.Williams / rmwilliams.com.au

Saint Laurent / ysl.com

Shu Uemura / shuuemuraartofhair.com

Skin and Threads / skinandthreads.com

Song for the Mute / songforthemute.com

Strateas Carlucci / strateascarlucci.com

Strand Hatters / strandhatters.com.au

Thom Browne / thombrowne.com

Uniqlo / uniqlo.com

Wrangler / wrangler.com.au

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