Re-Loved 2

Return to index of past exhibitions
View images from the gallery                                                  

Craft ACT Gallery One: 22 October 2009

Re-Loved 2 presented the Summer/Spring 2009 fashion designs of Hayley Wandelt-Smith (Hayley Caroline), Polly Stokes (Polbymade), Karen Lee (The Renlee Label), Georgina Edwards (George), Hanny Dewar (handmade by hanny), Lee Dewar (Craftilee)

Each designer was given a brief to deconstruct, re-work and re-imagine existing clothing and materials into new creations, promoting a sustainable fashion culture.

Re-Loved Creations, formed by dynamic fashionista duo Hanny and Lee Dewar after the initial Re-Loved event in March this year, aims to present regular parades of sustainable and recycled fashion to the people of Canberra.

George
Designer Georgina Edwards
Georgina (George) is a graphic designer, artist, fashion devotee and recycling enthusiast. Her collection has been inspired by the use of unusual material and industry off cuts. She has sourced some of her fabrics from such unlikely places as parachute manufacturers, juxtaposing this synthetic fabric with off cuts from a fine Merino wool company. George is interested in recycled and ethical boutique clothing, hoping that the trend towards handmade fashion continues. George feels privileged to be a part of the Re-Loved 2 fashion event.

Craftilee
Designer Lee Dewar
Sweetness & Bite Spring/Summer 2009 collection
Having an Advanced Diploma of Design (Fashion Design) under her belt, Lee has designed a second collection under her label Craftilee. Sweetness & Bite came about from developing a character that has both dark and light sides to her personality. Sweetness embodies naivety, flushed cheeks and unsent love letters. On the other hand, Bite is more of a mysterious risk taker with an infectious stare and a past too saucy to mention. The combination of these personalities and aesthetics created the inspiration for a wearable collection that is playful, feminine and has just enough nostalgia for big sister to ask if you've cut up clothes from her wardrobe without asking.

handmade by hanny
Designer Hanny Dewar
Retro with a Twist Spring/Summer 2009 collection
Hanny Dewar is a designer dedicated to sustainable fashion using recycled materials from a variety of sources. With a flair for the unusual and sometimes quirky, her designs reflect the desire to get back to basics and the simpler life of days gone by. The Retro with a Twist collection reflects this desire for simplicity with minimal use of adornments. Handbags and accessories from handmade by hanny are unique, essentially one-off creations. Given the limited quantity of the fabrics used, no two bags are ever identical. All notions such as zippers, buttons, handbag hardware and trims are also from recycled sources.

Misch & Me by Hayley Caroline
Designer Hayley Wandett-Smith
Just after the war, when clothing and fabric was scarce, my grandmother took one of her father's old suits and remodelled it. She changed the pants into a skirt and altered the jacket, creating a new outfit to wear, to start a new job. I have inherited her passion for using something old to create something new. Misch & Me believes that items re-worked equals items re-loved!

The Renlee Label
Designer Karen Lee
For the designer Karen Lee, clothing is not about fashion it is about the woman, about the woman with a unique, changing body shape. Her label designs for the mature woman and encourages individual style. Lee draws inspiration from manipulating textiles and aims to create clothing with unexpected twists. The Renlee Label designs exhibited in Re-Loved 2, explore creating something new from something old; the deconstruction of old garments to create textiles and designs for everyday. The detailing in The Renlee Label designs was inspired by the different patterns of shattered glass. The designer explored the fragility of the glass and how, although broken, it still holds together.

Polbymade
Designer Polly Stokes
Polbymade creator and designer Polly Stokes, sources fabrics from across the globe to create one of a kind pieces. Vintage kimono and obi take centre stage in her collection for Re- Loved 2 and in many of her bespoke and ready to wear garments. "I love the incredible variety of patterns and colours you can find in kimono, sometimes within a single garment. Every kimono I use is unique, and therefore presents a new challenge, and inspiration, for design" says Polly. Polbymade's collection for Re-Loved 2, Foldings, explores the use of kimono in the light of Japanese culture - from the hard folds and pleats of origami, to soft flowing lines, seen in Japanese watercolours

This event was presented by Re-Loved Creations, with the support of Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre and CIT Centre for Creative Studies

Photos: Creative Image Photography.