The Endless Garment showcases cutting-edge knit fashion

05 Feb '10

2 min read

Throw away any notion of shawls, knitting needles and chunky wool vests – when The Endless Garment exhibition opens at RMIT Gallery on 12 February it will feature bold fashion, sexy revealing knits and astounding creations from 10 international and Australian designers.

“This exhibition will change the way people see knitwear. The clothes are so new they have come straight from the catwalks of Paris and Milan,” curator Robyn Healy said. “Many of these designers don't even stock their clothes in Australia. This will be the first time people can see these clothes up close and in Melbourne. It's a real coup.”

RMIT Gallery is proud to present a stunning collection of cutting-edge knit fashion in a major new exhibition to showcase
the combination of computerised industrial knitting machines and international fashion design.

The Endless Garment: The New Craft of Machine Knitting brings to Australia for the first time nine leading international designers: ISSEY MIYAKE (Japan), Yoshiki Hishinuma (Japan), Sandra Backlund (Sweden), Cooperative Designs (UK), Mark Fast (UK), Saverio Palatella (Italy), Freddie Robins (UK), SIBLING (UK) and Walter Van Beirendonck (Belgium).

Dai Fujiwara, Creative Director of ISSEY MIYAKE Creative Room, will give a public lecture at RMIT University's Storey Hall on 17 March, 6pm-8pm.

Successful Australian knitwear designer Nikki Gabriel – who has worked with designers including Akira Isogawa – features in the exhibition and will make an address at the opening night on Thursday, 11 February, 6pm-8pm.

A model will be wearing Ms Gabriel's designs at the event. Now based in New Zealand, Ms Gabriel will also conduct a workshop at RMIT Gallery on Friday, 12 February, featuring her highly popular Construction Patterns and imported yarn.

RMIT is the leading educational institution for fashion and textile education in the southern hemisphere. RMIT Gallery Director Suzanne Davies said it was fitting the gallery was presenting an innovative exhibition of this calibre.

“We are thrilled that internationally renowned designer Dai Fujiwara has agreed to give a public lecture specifically tied into this exhibition,” Ms Davies said. “We will also be transforming part of the gallery into a knitting factory with two computerised flat bed knitting machines from SHIMA SEIKI producing garments that push the boundaries of what knitwear is.”

RMIT University

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