Territory rig
GRAND DESIGNS Art meets fashion in custom collaborations that have seen artists team up with fashion labels to produce iconic items
Flip flops, thongs or double pluggers; call them what you like, the fact is, they are prized footwear in the land of warmer climates. And it’s not just Territorians who’ve taken note. The humble thong has become the beacon of hope for our natural wonder of the world, the Great Barrier Reef.
Cult brand Havaiana has collaborated with Australian artist Ken Done for the cause, introducing a limited edition pair to raise awareness and funds for the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.
Ken Done, an Aussie icon of sorts himself, has created a wearable version of his vibrant masterpiece Barrier Reef Garden, which he painted in 1984. He owns the brightly coloured canvas, just like Carrie Bradshaw owned the high heel. Beyond the shoe for a good cause, partnerships between fashion houses and artists are just as on trend, but they’re not a new idea. One of the earliest modern day ranges was Yves Saint Laurent X Piet Mondrian in 1965.
After artists, labels and designers are targeting celebrities and influencers, typically those with a large social media audience, to codesign a capsule collection or a single item. The result? Two platforms for promotion and the tick of approval from the fashion gods.
Striping the paint right back, in 2013 Australian designer and celebrity favourite Josh Goot produced a T-shirt for paint brand Taubmans. The print was in Goot’s trademark swirl design using colours of the season. In Queensland, the AKIN Collection was a curation of indigenous artists and fashion designers to “create a retail-ready luxury fashion label”.
At the other end of the scale, mass-fashion house H& M called on Jeff Koons to replicate his popular balloon dog onto black leather handbags. They sold at $49.95 — much more accessible than the original balloon artwork.
Sydney-based print house Karolina York’s Bronwyn Ferguson has her creative eyes on a collaboration with the artists at Merrepen Arts and she recently attended the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair to further explore local talent and print trends. But its fellow Australian print princess Lisa Gorman who takes the collaboration cake. Her label is a wardrobe full of collaborations, the latest with Mirka Mora.