Designing Birthday Suit: a Q&A with Georgia Clark

Bodytorque choreographer Damien Welch set out to create a ballet about the relationship between personality and clothing choice. “I have my own love-hate relationship with fashion”, Damien says. “Birthday Suit comes from my belief that we would be happier (and colder) if we all just stayed naked.” For fashion designer Georgia Clark, Birthday Suit gave her the perfect opportunity to observe the various ways in which people express their identities in their day-to-day existence. We caught up with Georgia to talk about her interest in industrial workwear, and the everyday things that inspire her.

Tell us about your first meeting with Damien; did you find you were on the same page in terms of creative concepts?
Damien had a clear idea of the costumes at our first meeting, I liked his ideas and we went from there.

Your designs for Bodytorque are inspired by the way everyday people express their identities through clothing. Did you conduct stealth research on Melbourne’s streets?
I wanted to know what people were wearing under their clothes. So I conducted some of my research through conversations with retail sales staff in high street stores. Department store staff members are a wealth of knowledge when it comes to the current tastes and trends of all types of people.

What are some words that were flying around your head when you were designing Birthday Suit?
Movement, character, bare legs, and “how, oh how, will they move in that?”

What else are you working on outside Bodytorque?
I have been collaborating with parts of the hospitality industry designing uniforms for staff. This industry is so competitive; everyone wants to stand out from the rest, and I enjoy exploring this area of design.

Tell us a little about your graduate collection Practicality Meets Femininity …
I have always been interested in industrial workwear. I wanted to develop the idea that woman in the industrial workforce could look and feel feminine in a generally male dominated environment: a workwear range addressing woman’s curves but fit for hard yakka. I also addressed sustainability issues such as minimal fabric wastage during the cutting process.

What have you discovered about fashion since graduating?
That it’s a wonderfully creative and exciting industry to be a part of and that it’s incredibly important to stay focused.

What everyday things inspire you?
Inspiration, to me, is all around. It’s abstract, and manifests itself in all areas of my life. I see it in the not-so-spectacular; overflowing warehouses; hessian sacks; grey matter. Even day-to-day tasks like writing the address on an envelope and putting it in the postbox. Food is an inspiration, so is the changing of the seasons, nature, other people, Australiana, the art of tea-drinking, and flea markets! I love to observe others. Markets are good for that.

Walk us through your studio …
Visually, it’s a very busy place. There’s my industrial sewing machine, an iron, cutting table, scissors, tape measure, tailors’ chalk, etc. Then there are extra trimmings, a small library, a hessian sack collection, a flour bag collection, bookcases of vintage fabrics, a herb garden, music, views, pictures of gypsy women and antique maps hanging on the wall.

I rarely buy anything new, so most of my possessions have a history. I like to be surrounded with objects that have a story. I can get sidetracked by all the beautiful and interesting things I have collected over the years, but overall the space is very conducive to productivity. It’s a calm space.

What is your favourite item of clothing?
At the moment it’s an authentic woman’s inventory shirt from the Second World War. It has a very simple cut, flat- felled seams and brown Bakelite buttons. I’m a sucker for vintage labels. This one reads: V526, Made in Australia, 1942, size 13 ½. The font is so elaborate and the quality of the weave is beautiful. It’s full of history and character. It hangs in my studio and I love it.

If you could spend the day in one designer’s studio, whose would it be and why?
If I really wanted to indulge myself I would definitely choose Antonio Marras, the creative director for Kenzo. My ethos aligns with his, and I love his work, art, and nostalgic flair. I love the way he fuses the East and West; his ability to adore woman in such a creative and refined manner, and that he’s diverse and nomadic.

He spends most of his time working from his birth place in Sardinia. I like to think that because I also grew up on an island (Tasmania) that we would have a similar disposition and would get along famously! If I could speak Italian I would love to spend a day with this man in his studio on his island.

Bodytorque.à la mode plays in Sydney 27 – 30 May