Update (March 20, 2020): Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, SCCI's Fashion Hub will move to a digital-only format and talks and conferences will be streamed online. Planned international guests Daniel Lismore (UK), Hed Mayner (IL), Lucy Tammam (UK), Diane Venet (FR), Akiko Fukai (JN) and Masataka Hosoo (JN) will be featured in the festival's programming at a later stage.
Fashion is a multi-faceted art form that, at its heart, is ultimately about expression. Design and fashion can function as hyper-personal vehicles for creative exploration and cultural connection, but there's a flip-side too: industry ideals can have significant ripple effects, be that in the worlds of sustainability, beauty standards, or diversity.
The latest iteration of the SCCI Fashion Hub explores the light and shade of fashion over eleven days of talks and workshops that drill into the political, cultural, social and environmental impacts of this layered, complex industry.
There are more than 30 events to choose from: talks by leading international fashion experts; panel discussions picking apart the ethical dilemmas faced by the industry; and participatory discussions covering cross-disciplinary topics. These events will span continents, decades and look to the future of fashion design.
Keynote speaker and winner of the LVMH Karl Lagerfeld Prize, Hed Mayner, will speak at the Museum of Sydney about his contemporary, melting-pot approach to dressing the modern man (March 19). Frances Morris, Director of the Tate Modern London, sits in an intimate dialogue which zeroes in on the underappreciated role of female artists and makers over the history of art (March 23). Kyoto Costume Institute's curator emeritus, Akiko Fukai shares her expert take on how avant-garde Japanese designers of the Twentieth Century forged bold, new paths for contemporary fashion worldwide (March 25).
At Fashioning Costumes: Intersections, a panel will explore fashion on stage and scene, including Anna Tregolan and Bell Shakespeare’s creative director, Peter Evans (March 21). Fashion and Identity will bring culture to the fore and feature names like founder Sonia Gandhi, Bright Swallow author Vivian Bi, and rabbi Jeffrey Kamins discussing the intersection of art and identity (March 26).
In terms of other standout stars, Daniel Lismore, described as "England's most eccentric dresser", will speak on living sculpture and his flamboyant aesthetic (March 20). Lucy Tammam, renowned for her haute couture techniques and fair trade practices brings to Sydney her One Dress Project – an ode to suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst’s dress, embroidered by hundreds of women worldwide. Through hand-stitching and embroidered design, Tammam brings the late 19th century women’s movement to our modern world (March 24).
The Old Clare Hotel will cap off Fashion Hub 2020 by hosting an Asia-Pacific jewellry fair on Sunday, March 29, which is fully open to the public. Come to ooh and ahh at the bedazzled finery on show.
Many events on the SCCI program are free, but you’ll still need to register to attend. the whole program runs from March 19-29. Tickets will need to be purchased in advance for paid events.