Full of Pride, the world of bold art empowers fashion
Australian fashion house Romance Was Born has presented its most risque collection to date: a special collaboration with the multidisciplinary artist Paul Yore.
Anna Plunkett and Luke Sales never imagined themselves making shirts printed with homoerotic scenes. But on Tuesday, in front of a colourful crowd of art collectors, fashion editors and fans of the brand, the duo behind beloved Australian fashion house Romance Was Born presented their most risque collection to date: a special collaboration with the multidisciplinary artist Paul Yore.
Despite only being announced two weeks earlier, the partnership has attracted considerable hype. Yore is one of the most exciting contemporary artists working right now, and the themes his expansive practice touches on – queer identity, politics, pop culture and religious symbolism – are especially topical as Sydney comes alive for WorldPride.
“There is definitely a lot of ‘rude’ iconography; Paul’s work is very politically minded,” Sales says. “And coming from fashion, we tend to be a little bit more reserved. So this is something we haven’t really done before.”
But Yore’s work is also characterised by his infatuation with kitsch and colour – two things Romance Was Born know better than most.
“When you look at his stuff, and you look at what we do … it’s a bit of a no-brainer,” Sales says.
This might be Romance Was Born’s most provocative collection, but in no way does it feel like a departure from their whimsical, art-driven oeuvre. Founded in 2005, the label isn’t just one of the country’s most avant-garde fashion brands; through collaborations with iconic artists like Ken Done, Jenny Kee and Linda Jackson it has become a national treasure.
It’s a fashion house by definition. But Plunkett and Sales work more like artists than contemporary fashion designers.
“We don’t really work in a conventional way. We like to start with a concept. And often working with an artist will give us that starting point.”
While the collection was in the works for some time, the runway show was the product of serendipitous timing. Since January 5, an architecturally-scaled installation by Yore, titled Word Made Flesh, has been open at Carriageworks. The towering maze crafted from LED lights, plastic play pools, dildos, gaffer tape and other found paraphernalia was the perfect setting in which to show this collaboration.
“When we saw the space, it just felt like a wasted opportunity not to. So that’s why we’re showing now and not in fashion week,” Plunkett explains.
From a wedding dress hand painted by Yore to a sequinned reinterpretation of a needlepoint embroidery work called The Truth Is Out There (2015) – all modelled by a cast of people from the LGBTQIA+ and ally community – the spectacle felt like an inclusive celebration of the thriving community that currently exists at the intersection of art and fashion in Australia.
Supermodel of the moment and transgender woman Manahou Mackay, Christian Wilkins and Elliot Cowen, who just landed his first international fashion campaign for Italian luxury brand Bottega Veneta alongside mother and 90s fashion icon Emma Balfour, were among the show’s diverse cast.
For Yore, seeing the collaboration come together has been especially empowering.
“Growing up queer, as with other minority communities, you don’t necessarily easily find images or forms that you can use to navigate and affirm your identity,” says the Gippsland-based artist. “Fashion and art engage our sense of the fantastical and allow us to imagine hybrid ways of being in the world, which is vitally important for our community.”
The entire Paul Yore x Romance Was Born ready to wear collection - which features garments inspired by those worn in the show - will be available to buy from Romance Was Born’s website from Wednesday, as will a very small selection of the handmade runway looks.
“It’s been a really fun and relaxed show to put together. I don‘t really feel there’s any specific pressure for it to be super ‘fashion’, because we’ve kind of taken it out of the fashion context. It’s got a lot more to do with the artist and art,” reflects Plunkett.
“It’s been very collaborative. I think that’s really what our focus is on.”