One of Australia's most famous cult fashion labels has staked its claim in a new creative venture.
Romance Was Born, recipient of several awards including the Woolmark Australian Designer Award 2009 and the Qantas Spirit Of the Youth Awards (SOYA) Fashion Prize in 2009, has he tenants setting up shop in the Sydney City new William Street creative hub.
Following the success of the City’s creative spaces program on Oxford Street, launched in 2012, two Council-owned properties at 101-111 and 113-115 William Street have now been turned into affordable live-work and work spaces.
Romance Was Born will share the space with a list of tenants including Andrew Donaldson Architect & Design, new online radio platform OPJAM, multidisciplinary design office *asterix, Aileen Sage Architects , and Archrival – a non-profit experimental design and architecture practice.
The 500-square metre space – which has been completely redesigned and fitted out by construction firm Lochbuild – will serve as an open plan studio and office to be shared by the tenants.
The space will also host events including a creative lecture series, pop-up art exhibitions and fashion runway shows.
Romance Was Born co-founder Luke Sales,
co-founder said the space was a rare find for the brand, and a
perfect fit.
“We’re really excited to be a part of the
new creative hub on William Street – it’s almost impossible to
find an affordable and professional blank space in the inner city,”
he said.
“This initiative is really fundamental to
supporting local small creative enterprises. Being in the inner city
allows us to walk to work and easily accommodate our makers and
production as we make everything locally.”
Commenting on the innovation, Lord Mayor Clover Moore said it will add to the arty Darlinghurst vibe.
“Opening up affordable spaces like
this gives local entrepreneurs the space to try out their ideas and
take creative risks,” Moore said.
“These exceptional
creative talents working side-by-side across art, architecture,
fashion and music will attract visitors to Williams Street and give
it a real creative and economic boost.”
Currently, the two William Street buildings are also home to a range of other creative enterprises, including:
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Two ground-floor showrooms at 101-111 currently feature a pop-up exhibition by Stills Gallery, a Paddington-based gallery specialising in contemporary photography and new media art;
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Cloth Fabric, a local creative firm that designs and makes eco-friendly fabric, furniture, rugs, buttons and blankets, has operated out of the ground-floor showroom at 113-115 since late 2012;
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HUB Sydney, an innovative international co-working community with chapters in Melbourne, London, San Francisco and Singapore, opened on level 2 of 101-111 in May this year;
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Six one-bedroom apartments offering affordable live/work spaces for local artists and other creative people are under construction on levels 1, 2 and 3 of 113-115; and
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A new small bar run by the team behind popular city watering hole Grasshopper, which is set to open in the basement of 113-115 later this year.