Young designers translate indigenous artworks into textiles
When Brisbane-born, Cairns-based artist Sharon Phineasa was a child, her grandfather would craft hair combs for her to tame her wild locks. Now, Sharon too creates her own hair combs, but for exhibition sake, as well as featuring the combs’ delicate frames in her paintings.
It’s one of these comb artworks that is being translated onto fabric as part of the Contemporary Indigenous Fashion Project at CEA Fashion Incubator. Collaborating with final-year QUT fashion student Hayley Elsaesser, Sharon has turned an artwork featuring three combs into a black-and-white textile print, which Hayley will now fashion into a dress. A joint project between established Queensland indigenous artists and QUT emerging designers, the Contemporary Indigenous Fashion Project removes art from its traditional gallery setting and transforms the pieces into high fashion cotton, silk and wool garments.
Cairns’ artists Arone Meeks, Napolean Oui, Tommy Pau and Sharon, along with Margaret Mara from Mapoon, are working with five fashion students to create a 20-piece collection. The resulting printed dresses, jackets and t-shirts will be sent down the runway at the QUT graduate fashion show in November, with the aim for the partnerships to continue under an umbrella label that continues to feature garment collaborations between emerging designers and indigenous artists.
