The new Australiana
Marked by their fresh approach and celebration of points of difference, local design businesses are winning global applause for sophisticated,
sleekly packaged and fashion-forward products and services.
KEN DONE HAS NOT WAVERED from his mission since he began creating his vibrant and exuberant artworks 40 years ago. “In all my paintings – with very few exceptions – I try to celebrate the optimism and natural beauty of Australia,” says Ken. But while the inspiration has remained consistent since he held his first solo show in Sydney in 1980, global reaction to his art and design has waxed and waned. From widespread acclaim in the early 80s and near-insatiable demand for his colourful T-shirts celebrating Sydney’s Opera House and Harbour Bridge throughout the decade, he found himself in the creative wilderness in the 90s as ‘Australiana’, with all its clip-on koalas and shrimps on barbies, went out of fashion.
“The 80s was an incredible burst of national pride and optimism, but you get to a stage if anything is very popular that the appetite eventually dissipates and people want something new,” says Ken. Today he is again at the forefront of a renaissance in Australian design, as part of a host of Antipodean artists, artisans and creatives making it big overseas. From the realms of fashion and homewares to furniture and hospitality, our makers are marketing a sophisticated and desirable Australian lifestyle to the world, with well-designed objects of style that are about as far from those lowbrow shrimps on the barbie as you could get. “I got a call this morning from a collector in Virginia who wants to buy six of my most expensive paintings,” says Ken, who has just launched four books with Thames & Hudson with another on the way, has an exhibition touring regional Australia and an exciting commission for the Antarctic base. “Our design is back in fashion, and thanks to technology reducing global barriers and a whole new generation discovering what we do, things have come full circle,” says Ken.
In art and fashion Australian design is defined by colour, optimism and a celebration of native flora and fauna championed by the likes of Sydney brands Zimmermann, Romance Was Born and Dion Lee. They are following in the well-dressed footsteps of their forebears and mentors Jenny Kee and Linda Jackson, whose vivid garments, inspired by – and showcasing – indigenous plants and animals, are currently the subject of a major retrospective at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney until March 22. “Australiana was once taken in a negative context, but I like to think of it now as exotica because I feel like Australians are becoming a lot more curious about their culture,” says Romance Was Born’s Luke Sales who co-founded the label with Anna Plunkett. “We have so many awesome actresses and artists on the world stage, and there is really an allure to Australiana now, which is good for us, because we embrace it.” From budgies and the Sydney Harbour Bridge to waratahs, wattle and the Snugglepot and Cuddlepie books by May Gibbs, RWB designers Luke and Anna mine the national identity with a bowerbird-like instinct for unique motifs then translate them into collections that are as colourful and creative as our country. “There is a mental and physical space in Australia that evokes freedom and creativity,” says Anna. “We try to capture that with bright colours and an appreciation of nature.”
In the realm of furniture and interiors, Australian design is also inspired by nature but typified by raw materials, clean lines, a natural palette and a reverence for light and space. “For much of our work, the inspiration has been born from observations of the Australian landscape and the light and colours that are prevalent in nature,” says Akin Atelier founding director Kelvin Ho, whose “spatial communications” practice works on retail, hospitality, residential and commercial projects around the world. Those observations infuse recent and current projects including the Qantas first and business class lounges in Singapore (in partnership with Caon Studio), the Saturdays NYC flagship store expansion in New York’s SoHo and Ormond Group’s new hotel MoMo’s in Kuala Lumpur. “There is definitely a regional influence on how we approach our work that is
“There is a mental and physical space in Australia that evokes
freedom and creativity.”
directly related to our lifestyle being outdoors and surrounded by nature,” says Kelvin. “It’s lovely that international clients now feel comfortable to engage a designer outside of their country, and the reason they approach us is to provide a point of difference.”
The Australian point of difference proved key for King Living when it opened its Singapore showroom in 2015. “All the advice we were given was keep Australia on the ‘down-low’ and make it appear we were European,” says King Living global head of products David Hardwick. “We decided to take out a full-page newspaper advertisement saying ‘we are Australia’s most awarded furniture company’ and also to run a design event. Both of those really took off and totally changed our approach to entering new markets with the decision to actively promote that we are Australian.” When King Living opened its most recent showroom in Vancouver, Canada last year, the Australian allure paid off in spades, David explains. “It really took us by surprise because we did no marketing but people just flooded in, all talking about the fact we are Australian and what that means when it comes to a superior product. That bodes really well for future international expansion, which is where our eyes will be focused over the next five years.”
The international focus for many local designers is Salone del Mobile and the concurrent Milan Design Week, where the likes of Henry Wilson, David Caon and Charles Wilson present their wares with a growing focus on the ‘Australianess’ of their products. “Australia has had a strong presence in Milan and we do talk about the fact we are Australian,” says Charles. Emma Elizabeth is the curator and stylist responsible for bringing the next generation of Australians into the international spotlight, with what Charles describes as “a curated selection of Australian design presented in a highly art directed and beautifully selected context”. But showing in Milan, or anywhere on the other side of the world for that matter, comes with considerable challenges for designers from Down Under. “If you’re based in Warsaw or Berlin, you can just put your product on a truck and drive to Salon del Mobile but for us it costs thousands of dollars in shipping, flights and accommodation to be able to show there,” says Charles.
Savvy use of technology is allowing designers to subvert the tyranny of distance – along with late-night conference calls, red-eye flights and other creative solutions, says David of Caon Studio. “The time difference is huge to the bigger markets such as the US and Europe and people still like to meet face to face so it makes sense for us to look at establishing a satellite presence in another city.” While the industrial designer is considering Europe, the US and Asia as options in which to set up another office, he says he would not relocate overseas because being based in a smaller market comes with opportunities, such as creating his own modular furniture range, Bloc, and a collection of modular shelving he has launched with Studio Henry Wilson. Both are created in Australia, from conception to manufacturing.
“It’s a more niche industry here so you have to be quite self-reliant to get your work out there,” adds David. “You see studios in Europe that don’t do any of their own manufacturing. Here, we don’t have that luxury so you put it into production under your own steam and your own coin. Being in Australia makes you a more rounded designer because you have to take the global view: deciding what products to make, why you think they are necessary, manufacturing them, then likely also selling, marketing and branding them. You are a turnkey solution in yourself and have to be always on and always operating. I don’t know if that makes things a little more pure and crafted.”
Call it the new Australiana, but in 2020 that means Australian design is entering a fresh decade of global opportunity and accolades with plenty more to come. “There is a local design identity growing with certain traits that are exclusive to us,” says King Living’s David. “It’s exciting because it means the designers coming through now have a real chance to put their mark on what the national identity is.”