Fashion art and culture fused
No, this is not an Australia Post survey or a bizarre police crime-busting initiative, but a remarkable plan cooked up by local fashion designer Loren Whiffen to combine her interests in fashion, art and culture.
Having opened her Loz Clothing Gallery late last year, Whiffen described its inaugural selling exhibition - scheduled to run from June to August in collaboration with local artist Carmel Cosgrove - as a meditation on culture in the inner west.
"If postcode 3011 with its many cultures were a cloth, I imagine that some of the yarns would fuse together, that some, whilst joined, might fray and that others might stray, unable to weave together; but in the end, with all its textures, there would still be a whole."
Whiffen has more than 15 years as a designer and post-graduate studies at Central Saint Martins, London (as well as a BA in Fashion from RMIT) under her belt, and sees the gallery as a showcase for her philosophy of "clothing as an expression of self".
Nestled in a Seddon shopping strip between Yarraville and Footscray, Loz Clothing Gallery comprises a store and a studio where the designer also works on the Loz label.
Comprised mainly of one-off pieces - a tyLong term she sees the gallery - which sells a small selection of other brands including Sydney designer Tania Angeli's label Handmade and European hosiery label Fogal - as a destination retail experience.
The aim is to enhance and promote Loz, with a rolling program of themed exhibitions adding cultural value to the gallery's fashion offer.
"I am looking to do things a little differently and to align the business with what I enjoy and what I find important. I also want my space to be an interesting place to visit, exhibiting fresh ideas connected to our world and our community."