Carving a niche, artistically

Marlon Brando and James Dean turned the humble tee-shirt into an iconic fashion item, but Melbourne label Do It Baby has turned it into a work of art. Belinda Smart finds out how.

It's not often a fashion designer receives a personal request from an aboriginal elder to be the custodian of their tribe's artistic heritage, but then Do It Baby creator Colin Sheppard is no conventional designer.
"I was in [Melbourne restaurant] Lentil as Anything when I met this aboriginal elder from a tribe near the Murray River where I grew up and we got talking. It turned out she was interested in giving her artwork to someone who would be able to print it, but naturally she was concerned about finding the right person. Ten minutes later she grabbed both my hands, looked deep into my eyes and told me she wanted me to do it. I was amazed, but I think she had been looking for someone with our values, which are very much anti-mass production and about creating truly Australian product."
It's no surprise the brains behind a label with a name like Do It Baby are not only passionate but also given to taking an idea and running with it. Which is exactly what Sheppard and partner Brett Gillespie did when they launched the label in 2002 as a protest against the sameness of imported merchandise.
"I really cannot cope with mass produced 'made in China' clothing," says Sheppard, who has a long history in fashion and retail, having launched Melbourne label Draconia in the late eighties (the label also operated two retail outlets in Victoria's capital) as well as working in window display and interior design, most notably as a creator of striking murals on the walls of swanky Melbourne bars.
"Basically I am a man obsessed by images," says the maverick, whose decision to combine this obsession with his passion for fashion has resulted in a unique collection of individually numbered T-shirts and shirts.
Do It Baby tees are available in widely diverse designs ranging from images of cultural icons such as Elvis Presley to turn-of-the-century, or '60s and '70s prints - "there's a very strong retro element to the collection" - as well as Sheppard and Gillespie's original designs. These include a recent Australiana range featuring Gillespie's loose sketches of native fauna and flora complete with kangaroos and gum leaves.
"Our product is very unusual. We use several screens during the printing process. We might produce an Elvis Presley T-shirt, then another one with an amazing turn-of-the-century pattern and then another using both. The key thing is that every T-shirt is unique."
Do It Baby has also produced a number of visually arresting one off pieces which are nothing if not memorable.
"We did one men's suit which was printed with a blown up image of the human nervous system and we've also collaborated with [Melbourne designer] Ryan Whelan on a woman's evening dress. Both were created for catwalk shows and were used for promotional purposes more than anything else.
"Some of the bars we're doing murals for have also asked us to print T-shirts as uniforms for their staff. For example the [Melbourne bar] Marrakesh staff wear tees with a strong Moroccan theme including Arabic writing and graphics."
Indeed, it's the locally produced T-shirts - made from high quality jersey, printed with non-toxic paints - that are the label's true signature piece.
They are currently available in selected Melbourne stores, though Sheppard would like to expand the label's presence interstate and overseas.
"We have been in Sydney stores in the past and in around 16 stores in Europe. I'd really like to push back into Europe again at some stage. It would be great to start exporting but I'd like to attack the Australian market first."
His five-year plan includes expanding the label - currently predominantly men's product - to cater equally to women and expanding its retail presence nationally, primarily targeting "jeaneries with a difference".
In Sheppard's view the greatest challenge in getting a label into the market has always been providing sufficient promotional support, particularly given the limited cash flow available to start up labels.
However, all that now looks set to change following a turning point last December when the label was Clearly the move has enhanced Do It Baby's prospects, particularly as MDFI recently moved into expanded premises on the second floor of the Melbourne Central shopping centre, giving the label a captive market of centre shoppers.
Sheppard is unequivocal on the boon of being represented by MDFI.
"[MDFI CEO] Cindee [Smith] is the most wonderful woman I've ever met in my life. I adore her. The things that she has achieved with MDFI are outstanding and to be able to get into Melbourne Central is nothing short of a triumph."
With the label now selling well Sheppard is all too aware that sudden growth can be a poisoned chalice, with many small companies driven under by their inability to keep up with demand.
"It does concern me a little, but I think we'd have to train people up very well and get them to use samples as guides in the dying and making process."
Undoubtedly keeping the integrity of the product is a key concern for Sheppard and Gillespie and one that justifies a higher price point - between $120 and $145 - than many consumers would usually expect to see on a T-shirt.
"The thing is that the product really speaks for itself. It stands out by far. To Consider that when customers buy a Do It Baby T-shirt they are purchasing something genuinely unique and the price starts to look decidedly knockdown.
As far as Sheppard is concerned the worth of one of his T-shirts is beyond dispute.