This outfit, worn by Lewis Nicolson to the Belladonna DIY Punk festival on December 4th 2004, is an excellent example of alternative dress and is accompanied by photographs and an interview with Lewis. We are well aware of the power of dress, how quickly people are judged by their clothing and the complex meanings that can be read into an individual's style and here the designer/ wearer take us through the making and meaning of his outfit.
The Powerhouse Museum has an excellent collection of historical and contemporary fashion and dress. However there is a need to constantly reassess what areas of fashion and dress the Museum will collect, whose histories we are collecting and how they will be presented within the Museum. Recognising the need to broaden the scope of our collections to reflect the multiple discourses occurring in contemporary fashion we have an ongoing project documenting a range of alternative and sub-cultural events and individuals. This project seeks to address the complexity of contemporary dress and highlight the way it is used for self-expression, creativity, identity and communication. Given that alternative forms of dress are so intimately bound up with the personality, lifestyle and attitude of the wearer, the most effective way of documenting subcultural and individual style is through photography and film of selected people and events and through the acquisition of outfits that will still resonate within a Museum context.
The outfit is comprised of various commercially available items of clothing including a hat made in France, a belt made in Australia, a T-shirt made by Delta Pro Weight, a jacket made by Magazine, China, trousers by Jag Jeans, and boots by R D Allender, Australia. These items have been customised through the addition of badges, screen printed fabric patches and fake fur by the owner and wearer Lewis Nicolson in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 2004.
On the 3rd, 4th, and 5th December, 2005, Lewis Nicolson attended the DIY Punk Festival held at the Youth Centre in Wollongong, NSW. This annual festival is a celebration of Punk and DIY (Do it yourself) culture and the 2005 program included bands, a range of market stalls selling zines, (self-published magazines), band merchandise, clothing and accessories and do it yourself workshops, discussions and forums ranging from bicycle repair and maintenance to dealing with sexual harassment within the radical community.
Lewis travelled to the festival from Melbourne seeing it as an important opportunity to learn more about DIY culture, share knowledge and attend workshops with like minded people.
While uncomfortable with being labelled a punk, due to the often negative stereotyping associated with the subculture he describes himself as a punk and anarchist involved in DIY culture. For Lewis DIY culture is essentially a way of escaping Capitalism's emphasis on consumption and reliance on technology and finding other ways of living that are more broadly beneficial to the community and the planet. Lewis feels punk and anarchy's traditional associations with chaos and mindless violence has nothing to do with his beliefs which are essentially about respect for all people and animals and striving to create a better more equitable world.
Lewis makes most of his clothing and accessories, remaking and modifying existing commercial clothing and creating new items, resulting in outfits that reflect his personal style and communicate his beliefs. This outfit includes a printed t-shirt and numerous applied 'patches' with imagery and text from bands whose music, lyrics and political beliefs he admires. ( A 'patch' is a piece of fabric which has been screen printed, hand written or painted with images and/or text and then sewn onto garments or accessories). Lewis created most of the 'patches' in this outfit featuring band names, anti-racist and anti- sexist text. He has also added political and band badges to the hat and jacket. While acknowledging that he '..can't change the world just by wearing badges' he sees them as a powerful communication tool setting up dialogue and inspiring others to seek further information.
Lewis's denim jacket features an applied trim of fake leopard fur, a take on fashion's disregard for the wellbeing of animals and his own commitment to vegetarianism. His 'bum flap' features the red and black anarchist flag overlaid with patches of anarchist bands. The front flap is printed with an anti-Nazi symbol, reflecting Lewis's anti-racist stance and concern with the resurgence of racism among young Australians. He has been involved in youth peace organisations and anti-racist actions for several years. His t-shirt features USA based political band 'Anti-flag' whom Lewis admires for their stance condemning blind patriotism and the way it leads people to unquestioningly follow their governments policies.
For Lewis the chain necklace symbolises the constraints that hold individuals and society back like racism, sexism and homophobia and the belief that people should be 'Judged by content of character not what they look like'.
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