Sourcing the Muse

FASHION LABEL: S!X
DESIGNERS: DENISE SPRYNSKYJ AND PETER BOYD

Photo of Denise Sprynskyj and Peter BoydSprynskyj and Boyd established their Melbourne-based label S!X in 1993 after graduating in fashion design from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT).

Recycling is a key theme in their work. Previously worn garments and newly created garments are taken apart, then reconstructed and reconfigured into new styles. Often a change of gender occurs along the way with a men's trouser becoming a women's skirt. In taking garments apart they reveal and celebrate the usually hidden structural details, so that seams, labels and tacking now feature on the garment's exterior.

SIX's design for Sourcing the Muse
Photo of the S!X design worn by a model
© Outfit by S!X. 'Pant' jacket of wool-polyester,
'fan' skirt, polyester with laser-cut heat transfer design
and applied shapes, blouse of printed polyester
Photographer: Jack Sarafian
Hair: Tracey Colebrook for Shibui
Model: Tory Rodd, Cameron's Management (Pty Ltd)

S!X's design concept - tailoring and folding
Christian Dior woman's suit 1950'After exploring the Museum's collection we finalised the object list to include specific items, which relate to our design philosophy and also discovered items which have pushed us into a 'new' and interesting areas of design.

'The Dior suit and the various dickies relate specifically to our training in tailoring and our ongoing interest in the technical aspects of this craft. A re-occurring theme within S!X is recycling, and with each collection we aim to include a recycled prototype that includes tailoring and is sometimes taken from a man's wardrobe but redesigned for women.

Shirt front or 'dickie' c1950'By analysing the elements of the Dior suit and the male dickie, we have created a jacket, which resembles a man's pair of pants worn as a jacket. The inner details are both real and photo copied, padstitches are printed yet seams are bound and hand tacked.

'The jacket has been constructed to open out into a flat pattern piece and is cut from two pieces only. This is related to the Issey Miyake dress and the collapsible construction.

'The skirt presents a "new" approach for us and only after researching the fans and the folding mechanism we have attempted to design a skirt which folds in like a fan and conceals the decorative details such as heat transfer prints and embroidery.

'Finally each garment will include tiny details such as stamps and hand tacked tags to resemble those of the couture house Dior and the male dickie.

'Having had an ongoing interest in the Japanese craft Shibori, and in particular Japanese forms of presentation we have chosen to display our garments flat and similar to a collection of sushi.' - Denise Sprynskyj and Peter Boyd

Objects from the Powerhouse collection that inspired S!X
Interview with Denise Sprynskyj and Peter Boyd