Featured Artists:
Jody Kahlon
Diego De Nicola
Photography: Diego De Nicola
Jody is passionate about products being made in Australia. Australian ownership. The quality. Supporting the national workforce. Respecting the environment by using fewer resources and reducing landfill. She specialises in rescuing, reworking and breathing new life into existing pieces.
‘Promoting and supporting Australian Made is an important part of my work.’
Jody describes some of her processes below:
The dress has 13 vertical panels made from Italian silk. Each panel and seam incorporates a body dart to accentuate the feminine form.
After each dress panel is cut, It’s then laid out in order of construction. This helps to ensure the correct panels are sewn together and the colours combine well.
The iconic ‘Australian Made’ emblem design was machine carved at different heights from MDF. This made it easier for me to paint the colours.
The timber mannequin stand was turned by local artist Tracey from Malady Designs. A coat of lacquer and a saw blade sitting on the base gave it an industrial feel.
The lampshades were custom made from recycled Japanese Kimono by ‘The Lampist’ in Bentleigh.
Diego digitally reworked the original 1961 Australian Made emblem and created a selection of colours to work in with the display.
Reminding people that Australia used to be a top manufacturing country was the reason we reworked such an iconic logo. Jodys dress allowed the logo to shine once again. It was a great thrill to work with such a talented artist.