DINOSAUR DESIGNS
They’re an Australian design powerhouse and there’s good resin for their success, writes Chris Pearson.
Three art-school students began selling jewellery made from modelling clay at Sydney’s Paddington Markets in 1985. They had just launched their label, Dinosaur Designs, but this beast was not exactly making the earth move. One day, they earned just $10, blown on hot chocolates as they commiserated in a cafe.
Then the students – Louise Olsen, Stephen Ormandy and Liane Rossler – began eyeing what another stallholder was selling: resin sculptures. All three had worked with the material in their studies and realised that its moulding properties were similar to the clay they’d been using. So they began experimenting with polyester-resin jewellery. The results proved a hit with the public, and soon celebrities such as Kylie Minogue and Michael Hutchence were wearing it.
Four years later, the trio opened their first store in Sydney’s Strand Arcade. Direct contact with a new customer base prompted them to try exciting things. Why not extend resin to vases and bowls? The material’s hand-textured feel and lolly-like, translucent colours would be ideal, they reasoned. Booming sales proved them right. Another defining moment came in 1993, when supermodel Christy Turlington appeared in the pages of British Vogue with both arms decked out in Dinosaur Designs bangles.
“We bridge the boundaries between art, design and fashion,” says Louise (pictured above with Stephen, her business partner and husband). “Our pieces have an organic quality, juxtaposed with a modern material.”
Where did the Dinosaur Designs name come from? “We were influenced by the Dadaists [a European art movement that flouted convention with nonsensical works] and wanted a name that was distinctive, that people would remember, but also didn’t really mean anything.”
Over the years, their range has grown to include furniture designs, too. Today, the firm’s headquarters in Sydney’s Strawberry Hills has the ambience of an atelier, with craftspeople drafting, moulding, grinding,
polishing and refining pieces by hand. “Our studio is like a lab and we’re always trying out new techniques,” says Louise. “It doesn’t always work, but accidents can lead to new products or casting techniques. We’re still finding new possibilities from the material.” While Liane Rossler left the company in 2010, Louise and Stephen continue with the commitment and vision begun 34 years ago. Eryca Green, owner of Melbourne designer store
Smith Street Bazaar, has been collecting Dinosaur Designs for 15 years. Her interest was stirred when she was browsing through a home magazine. “There was a picture of a shelf filled with Dinosaur Designs resin vases,” she says. “It was so textured and artistic, and the colours were almost visceral. That was it for me.” Eryca’s interest grew into a passion and now she has “quite the collection”, including homewares and side tables.
WHAT IT MEANS TO US
As well as Australia, Dinosaur Designs has dedicated outlets in London and New York, and sells in stores across 16 countries, from Canada to Saudi Arabia. Salad bowls and servers are its bestselling items. “They’re a great way to make a statement on a dinner table, but also work as sculptures when not being used,” says Louise.
“They are artworks that are practical,” adds Eryca. “And you can put them with all kinds of furniture. Their warmth and integrity, as well as the unique nature of each piece, means they will endure and become collectables of the future.”