New Zealand Fashion Museum

Exhibitions

A Darker Eden: Fashion from Dunedin

Past exhibition

We all understand that the way we dress is more than a matter of personal taste; it tells a bigger story about our culture and society. Is there evidence to suggest that there is a distinctive Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch or Dunedin fashion identity? And where is that distinction located? Bringing together contemporary fashion from Dunedin, A Darker Eden invites the audience to consider whether the city really has its own unique fashion identity.

A Darker Eden: Fashion from Dunedin has been curated by Otago Polytechnic for the New Zealand Fashion Museum and provides a platform to showcase garments by both established and emerging Dunedin fashion designers. NOM*d, Mild-Red, Tanya Carlson and Company of Strangers, are joined by 20 Otago Polytechnic fashion graduates including twenty-seven names, Vaughan Geeson, Maaike and Mu. All of the designers in this exhibition have in common that they have experienced life in Dunedin, soaking in the city’s history, climate and geographical isolation.

While the 'dark Gothic' label has become part of the Dunedin mythology of art, architecture, music and fashion it signifies a romantic idealisation and one would be hard pressed to reconcile the whole group of designers under this simplistic umbrella. It is more useful to look at commonalities rather than a unified “look” and to consider the local inflections and inspirations that these designers share and how these nuances might serve to distinguish the fashion that emerges from that Darker Eden, Dunedin.

Curated by Dr Margo Barton and Dr Jane Malthus.

Supported by Waterfront Auckland, Dunedin City Council, Otago Polytechnic, Glassons , Purfex, Office Furniture Hire, Kingsize Studios, Hirepool, Image Centre Group, Tohu Wines, Karma Cola.