By Helen Pitt
When he was a young boy growing up in Cronulla, New York-based designer Dion Lee always loved coming into the city to see performances at the Sydney Opera House. The Newtown School of Performing Arts graduate whose work has now graced catwalks all over the world, can't remember the first show his mother Helen took him to but she does: the ballet Swan Lake.
She sat beside him today at the unveiling of her son's work redesigning the Sydney Opera House uniform, the first time the staff uniform has been updated in 14 years. It is part of the building's renewal project and this week's celebrations of 45 years since the opening of the building, which has been a pivotal backdrop to Lee's fashion success.
Designer Dion Lee and Sydney Opera House CEO Louise Herron (centre) at the unveiling of the Dion Lee uniform collection.Credit: Louie Douvis
"Growing up in the theatre I was exposed to the Opera House a lot from a young age and the building has influenced me as I grew up, it is a place of much inspiration for me," he said.
"I've presented four collections here, the first in the Northern Foyer which really launched my career internationally and for last year's Australian Fashion Week I launched my collection here on the Opera House steps," the designer said.
Ivan Ginovic, now a theatre manager who began working at the Opera House 46 years ago as a fireman, was among the staff who modelled the 24-piece collection in the Utzon Room, the only room in the building where the interior was designed by the original architect, Joern Utzon.
They were joined by the Opera House choir who sang the Stevie Wonder hit Happy Birthday at the end of the fashion parade.
Fashion designer Dion Lee during a fitting of his new uniform for Sydney Opera House staff.Credit: Nic Walker
Lee calls the elegant navy tailored jacket for front of house staff his "hero piece". The jacket has a lapel, modelled on the 3D designs of the sails of the building. It is the sails and architecture of the building that is the most influential motif, throughout his collection, he says.
"I approached the uniforms the way [Uzon] approached design," Lee said.
"The way it folds over in a three dimensional way and the way Utzon designed the building with a podium so that visitors rise above - I tried to do the same thing with the uniforms."
Introducing the outfits, Opera House chief executive Louise Herron said the contrasting lapel colour was in a "concrete" grey, to match the colour of pre-fabricated concrete which is one of the building's trademark interiors.
Sydney Opera House CEO Louise Herron and designer Dion Lee (centre) pose for a photograph with staff at the unveiling of the Dion Lee uniform collection in Sydney.Credit: Louie Douvis
"Even the buttons on the jackets are based on Sydney Opera House designs," she said adding the previous uniforms will be recycled rather than end up in landfill.
The outfits ranged from the welcome staff's orange shirts with grey akubras, to fitted and belted dresses, with the tailored jacket.
This is the first time in the Opera House’s 45-year history that it has commissioned an Australian designer with an international reputation to dress its staff, and the first time staff have been able to have a design input into their outfits.
Archival Opera House uniforms ranging from 1973 to 2004, including an embroidered mini-dress worn by staff when Queen Elizabeth II opened the building in 1973, were also on display.
Fittingly, the Queen's grandson Harry and his wife Meghan will grace the building on Tuesday as one of their first engagements as part of their first royal tour to Australia.