The 'Aaron' costume was designed by Australian fashion designer Peter Morrissey and manufactured in the Ceremonies Costume Workshop. The costume featured on the Oceania float in the Arrivals segment of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony. It was worn by and is named after Aaron Elias.

The costume features pants constructed in synthetic crepe fabric patterned with the 'Numina' textile print created from an original artwork by indigenous Australian artist Jacinta Numina Waugh. The fabric was hand beaded with blue, black and silver sequins at a beading workshop in India.

The costume is accessorised with a silver plated 'tusk' earring and cuffs. The jewellery was developed by Peter Morrissey in consultation with jewellery designer Peter Lang. It is based on the MORRISSEY jewellery collection released to complement Peter Morrissey's Summer 2001 collection which also featured the 'Numina' print.

The hair design featured the insertion of hairpieces, feathers and rhinestones and was developed by Renya Xydis in collaboration with Morrissey.

The Opening Ceremony Context

The Opening Ceremony of the 2000 Olympic Games comprised three major sections: mandatory formalities and protocol sections, the cultural display and the entrance of the athletes.

The Arrivals segment was part of the cultural display of the Opening Ceremony. This segment aimed to produce a theatrical representation of Australia's multiculturalism. The programme for the Olympic Opening Ceremony states: The history of Australia is the history of migration. We have come from all corners of the planet to form a vibrant, culturally rich and constantly evolving society. In this segment, a new group of arrivals form the Olympic symbol that unites the five continents of the world. They disperse, leaving behind their children - our hope for the future. More children appear until two thousand gather to form the pattern of the night sky, containing the distinctive Southern Cross constellation.

The Arrivals segment saw five floats each representing a continent enter the arena. Each float carried performers in costumes inspired by the continent. Using the symbolism of the colours of Olympic rings, each continent/float was represented by a colour. Black was used to represent the African nations, yellow the Asian nations, red the Americas, green was used for Europe and blue for Oceania, which includes Australia

The costumes for each float were designed by prominent Australian fashion. Fashion designers rather then theatrical costume designers were used to provide a contemporary, cutting edge, high fashion look to the costumes. The designers were Jenny Kee (Africa and Americas), Lisa Ho (Asia), Norma Moriceau (Europe) and Peter Morrissey (Oceania).

Performers for the segment were selected from schools, community groups and from cultural and ethnic support groups. Approximately 500 performers danced around and on each of the five floats in the costumes created by the designers.

Peter Morrissey (born 1962) has been at the forefront of Australian fashion design for over a decade. In the mid 1980s he co-founded the internationally successful Morrissey Edmiston label. With its signature sexy, youthful styles and slick marketing the label attracted a star clientele, which included Michael Hutchence, Elle Macpherson and Nicole Kidman. His designs graced the pages of national and international magazines.

The Morrissey Edmiston partnership dissolved in 1997. In the same year, Peter Morrissey launched a new label MORRISSEY. Under his new label, Morrissey began designing both men's and women's wear that successfully combined wearability with glamour and sex appeal. In November 2000 he sold his fashion business to Oroton International, however he retains creative control over the look of the MORRISEY label.

Morrissey's Summer 2001 collection was previewed at this Mercedes Australian Fashion Week in May 2000. The collection featured a print from an original artwork by indigenous Australian artist Jacinta Numina Waugh. Morrissey discovered Numina Waugh's work through an Aboriginal development unit initiative in Darwin. Morrissey titled the print 'Numina' and decided to also incorporate it into his designs for the Oceania float.

The base colour palette used in the Oceania section was blue. Morrissey highlighted the base colour with darker blue, aqua, white and silver.

In developing the costumes a series of conceptual sketches were presented to Ric Birch, Director of Ceremonies, David Atkins, Creative Director/Producer and Ceremonies Department staff in February 2000. After developing the final sketches, Morrissey and Creative Director Jayson Brunsdon worked at refining the designs based on the choice of wearer.

The silver jewellery was developed in conjunction with jewellery designer Peter Lang. The jewellery is based on the boomerang influenced MORRISEY jewellery collection released to complement the 'Numina' print designs in 2000.

The design of the hair and make-up formed an important part of the overall look. The extreme high-fashion makeup and hair styles were developed in collaboration with hair stylist Renya Xydis and makeup artist Kelly Stratton.

Worn by Aaron Elias on the Oceania float in the Arrivals segment.

Presented to the Powerhouse Museum by the Olympic Coordination Authority, on behalf of the NSW Government

Performance costume, 'Aaron', consisting of a pair of trousers, a pair of earrings and 3 silver cuffs, fabric / metal, designed by Peter Morrissey, Sydney NSW 2000, made by Ceremonies Costume Workshop and Peter Lang, Redfern and Alexandria NSW, 2000, used in Opening Ceremony of Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, 2000

Consists of a pair trousers, a pair silver earrings and three silver cuffs. The trousers are made from light blue synthetic crepe fabric and have been decorated with sequins in a design taken from a work by indigenous Australian artist Jacinta Numina Waugh. The earring has been cast in silver in the shape of a tusk. The silver cuffs have been shaped to fit the forearm.

Designed: Morrissey, Peter; ; 2000

Made: Ceremonies Costume Workshop; Redfern, New South Wales; 2000

Made: Peter Lang; ; 2000

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