The Interview

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Jaimi Kark

Craft ACT Gallery Two: 7 February to 20 March 2008

Text by Jas Hugonnet, February 2008

Jaimi Kark and Susan Taylor first met during a fashion design competition held by the Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT), where Kark was a student. The competition was co-sponsored by Taylor, proprietor of Department of the Exterior, a contemporary fashion boutique in Canberra. The students were required to create works that, amongst other things, exemplified Exterior's ideals - authenticity, originality and the innovative use of material and pattern with a strong design aesthetic. Kark took this opportunity to pitch her designs to Taylor as innovative pieces that could readily translate into a commercial retail environment. Following Kark's graduation in 2006, Taylor commissioned an exclusive run of skirts based on Kark's competition entry. The skirts were extremely well received in the boutique where Taylor marketed the individual nature of each piece as well as their hand made quality. Now with the benefit of a three month mentorship provided by the Australia Council, Kark and Taylor have the opportunity to work with Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre in staging an exhibition of selected works.

Taylor suggests that interesting and idea-driven designs can be something of a rarity in the fashion world. It is especially challenging because of the commercial pressure on designers to produce at least two major collections every year. In order to produce a strong collection, it is important to have a well thought out conceptual basis for the designs. It is clear from Kark's collection that she has done a great deal of research. For this project Kark's initial idea was inspired by her sister's discovery of herself and her place in the world after emerging from a perceived invisible state and finally identifying with a community. Drawing on influences from the band AFI and in particular their last album Kark explored these themes. She has translated this concept into garments by working with layers, creating dark exteriors and detailed interiors. This concept has enabled her to construct garments where textured, painted and printed layers of fabric form a language which tells her story as a designer. Overall her approach is meticulously hand-crafted, an important promotional and selling point to differentiate her collection from an over-saturated mass market.

The cost of producing a design is always an important consideration and designers need to be mindful of retail prices, balancing these out with material costs and production methods. In conversation, Taylor points out that in Sydney, students begin outsourcing in the first or second year of a three year degree but in Canberra there is no established rag trade to facilitate this. The positive side to this is that CIT students are extremely well versed in garment construction and have fine hand building skills.

Kark has produced an emotive and sophisticated set of pieces for THE INTERVIEW, using a range of sustainable fabrics including fine cotton voiles and wools that have a cosy felted appearance. The garments show an affinity with the body as they embrace the wearer through their layers and adjustment mechanisms which act functionally and conceptually as constraints. Seeing the works filled out by the body in a photo shoot highlights their theatrical nature and subtle tonal characteristics. The amount of work involved is amazing; Kark has an innate sense when it comes to joining fabric to fabric and she has captured the essence of detailing openings to work with the body. The garments are designed as a series of interchangeable pieces that can be interpreted by the wearer, a point that will appeal to the individuality of the customer.

THE INTERVIEW has enabled Kark to develop her label by producing a commercial collection. By working with Taylor she has received a great deal of support in developing strategies to promote her work in a retail environment and has gained insights into a fashion retailer's perspective. Now at the end of the mentorship, Kark will begin to source manufacturers for her designs. For Taylor, the most rewarding part of the mentorship was being able to provide useful commercial advice at the beginning of the design process and seeing that evolve in Kark's exquisite garments.

 

Jas Hugonnet
Curator / Exhibition Manager
February 2008

All photos: Gemma Behrens.