Latest news with #RomanceWasBorn


West Australian
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- West Australian
Romance comes of age, with portrait of fashion pioneers
A massive artwork marking 20 years of the Australian fashion label Romance Was Born has been unveiled at the National Portrait Gallery. Designers Anna Plunkett and Luke Sales chose their longtime friend and collaborator Samuel Hodge to create a portrait of them to mark the occasion - and the resulting collage is as extravagant as one of their label's runway shows. "When you take as many photographs as I have, it's really difficult to make sense of it all - so one way to do this is just put it all together," Hodge said. The artist has combined hundreds of images of the designers taken over decades, incorporating brushstrokes of colour across four framed panels, all mounted over a specially made wallpaper. The artwork, which measures 4.5 metres across, was unveiled at the gallery in Canberra Friday night. It's the biggest framed work Hodge has ever created, and reminds him of the over-the-top approach that Plunkett and Sales' take to their runway shows, which have been known to feature everything from snow machines to giant lunar sculptures. "It's so much more than they even need to do, but they can't help themselves, and I think weirdly that's washed off on me, especially with the production of this work," he said. As well as being coveted fashion items, Romance Was Born designs are held in the collections of prestigious art institutions, and have been shown at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Plunkett and Sales have dressed the likes of Bjork, Caroline Kennedy, Cate Blanchett, Nicki Minaj and Miley Cyrus, and collaborated with artists such as Linda Jackson, Jenny Kee, Del Kathryn Barton and Ken Done. Standing in front of the portrait for the first time, the renowned designers both seem a little overwhelmed, partly due to its proximity to famous portraits of household names, such as Howard Arkley's painting of singer Nick Cave. "It feels like a very iconic moment for us to be put next to these people who we really admire and have always looked up to," Plunkett said. "When you're just young and starting out making stuff, I never thought that in 20 years I'd have a portrait at the gallery next to Nick Cave." For Sales, who says the artwork is "awesome", each of the snapshots in the collage brings back forgotten memories of designs, collections, models, photo shoots and runway shows. "It's very nostalgic and it's been emotional and overwhelming, I'm still kind of processing what it all means," he said. Hodge received the portrait commission in January, and spent months selecting photographs, painting onto them, scanning, reprinting, hand-cutting and gluing them. His printer was shocked when he turned up wanting to print about 1000 images for the artwork, requiring about 30 square metres of paper. Despite his experimental methodology, Hodge was always confident the finished product would work - after so many years collaborating with the designers, he knows what they like. The portrait will be on view at the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra from Saturday.


Perth Now
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Romance comes of age, with portrait of fashion pioneers
A massive artwork marking 20 years of the Australian fashion label Romance Was Born has been unveiled at the National Portrait Gallery. Designers Anna Plunkett and Luke Sales chose their longtime friend and collaborator Samuel Hodge to create a portrait of them to mark the occasion - and the resulting collage is as extravagant as one of their label's runway shows. "When you take as many photographs as I have, it's really difficult to make sense of it all - so one way to do this is just put it all together," Hodge said. The artist has combined hundreds of images of the designers taken over decades, incorporating brushstrokes of colour across four framed panels, all mounted over a specially made wallpaper. The artwork, which measures 4.5 metres across, was unveiled at the gallery in Canberra Friday night. It's the biggest framed work Hodge has ever created, and reminds him of the over-the-top approach that Plunkett and Sales' take to their runway shows, which have been known to feature everything from snow machines to giant lunar sculptures. "It's so much more than they even need to do, but they can't help themselves, and I think weirdly that's washed off on me, especially with the production of this work," he said. As well as being coveted fashion items, Romance Was Born designs are held in the collections of prestigious art institutions, and have been shown at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Plunkett and Sales have dressed the likes of Bjork, Caroline Kennedy, Cate Blanchett, Nicki Minaj and Miley Cyrus, and collaborated with artists such as Linda Jackson, Jenny Kee, Del Kathryn Barton and Ken Done. Standing in front of the portrait for the first time, the renowned designers both seem a little overwhelmed, partly due to its proximity to famous portraits of household names, such as Howard Arkley's painting of singer Nick Cave. "It feels like a very iconic moment for us to be put next to these people who we really admire and have always looked up to," Plunkett said. "When you're just young and starting out making stuff, I never thought that in 20 years I'd have a portrait at the gallery next to Nick Cave." For Sales, who says the artwork is "awesome", each of the snapshots in the collage brings back forgotten memories of designs, collections, models, photo shoots and runway shows. "It's very nostalgic and it's been emotional and overwhelming, I'm still kind of processing what it all means," he said. Hodge received the portrait commission in January, and spent months selecting photographs, painting onto them, scanning, reprinting, hand-cutting and gluing them. His printer was shocked when he turned up wanting to print about 1000 images for the artwork, requiring about 30 square metres of paper. Despite his experimental methodology, Hodge was always confident the finished product would work - after so many years collaborating with the designers, he knows what they like. The portrait will be on view at the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra from Saturday.

The Age
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Age
Romance in the capital: The designers happy to hang in Canberra
The anniversaries of most love stories are celebrated with lavish dinners, sparkling jewellery or breakfast and supper in bed, but Australian label Romance Was Born likes to push the envelope. After 20 years of creating intricate and amusing clothing that defies the churn and burn of fast fashion, and delights the likes of Cate Blanchett and Rose Byrne, design duo Anna Plunkett and Luke Sales now have their portrait by Samuel Hodge hanging at the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra. Hanging in Canberra is rarely the dream of fashion designers, who prefer pictures of Paris and Milan for their mood boards. Being preserved in portraiture would never have occurred to either Plunkett or Sales when they met in 2002, while studying at East Sydney TAFE's Fashion Design Studio. 'I find the idea of just a normal portrait a bit bizarre, especially when we feel like we're so young in our career,' says Sales, in front of the artwork revealed on Friday. 'I would say we're halfway through our career, but who knows?' Plunkett adds: 'It's all rather humbling, but when you're hanging beside Nick Cave, it really doesn't get much better.' For 20 years, the Romance Was Born designers have been the darlings of dressers who appreciate clothing layered with meaning and emotion. Turning their back on internships with John Galliano in Paris to start their label, they have attracted artistic appreciation rather than the financial success of Zimmermann or the label recognition of Aje and Camilla. Loading 'The other day, I was in an Uber with Anna, and I was like, if we just made clothes and sold them like everyone else, our lives would be so much easier,' Sales says. 'But it's just not how we work. We have these big ideas, and we want to follow them.' It's the exact reason why National Portrait Gallery director Bree Pickering welcomed Hodge's collage, interweaving the brand's history with images of Plunkett and Sales, into the collection.

Sydney Morning Herald
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
Romance in the capital: The designers happy to hang in Canberra
The anniversaries of most love stories are celebrated with lavish dinners, sparkling jewellery or breakfast and supper in bed, but Australian label Romance Was Born likes to push the envelope. After 20 years of creating intricate and amusing clothing that defies the churn and burn of fast fashion, and delights the likes of Cate Blanchett and Rose Byrne, design duo Anna Plunkett and Luke Sales now have their portrait by Samuel Hodge hanging at the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra. Hanging in Canberra is rarely the dream of fashion designers, who prefer pictures of Paris and Milan for their mood boards. Being preserved in portraiture would never have occurred to either Plunkett or Sales when they met in 2002, while studying at East Sydney TAFE's Fashion Design Studio. 'I find the idea of just a normal portrait a bit bizarre, especially when we feel like we're so young in our career,' says Sales, in front of the artwork revealed on Friday. 'I would say we're halfway through our career, but who knows?' Plunkett adds: 'It's all rather humbling, but when you're hanging beside Nick Cave, it really doesn't get much better.' For 20 years, the Romance Was Born designers have been the darlings of dressers who appreciate clothing layered with meaning and emotion. Turning their back on internships with John Galliano in Paris to start their label, they have attracted artistic appreciation rather than the financial success of Zimmermann or the label recognition of Aje and Camilla. Loading 'The other day, I was in an Uber with Anna, and I was like, if we just made clothes and sold them like everyone else, our lives would be so much easier,' Sales says. 'But it's just not how we work. We have these big ideas, and we want to follow them.' It's the exact reason why National Portrait Gallery director Bree Pickering welcomed Hodge's collage, interweaving the brand's history with images of Plunkett and Sales, into the collection.

The Age
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
Why this designer's unconventional air travel outfit makes sense
This story is part of the May 18 edition of Sunday Life. See all 14 stories. Each week, we quiz a prominent person about their style and the inspiration behind it. Ahead, Romance Was Born co-founder Anna Plunkett. How would you describe your style? It's eclectic. I start with one thing I want to wear and work from that. I have a rule to wear one Romance [Was Born] thing a day. I love wearing colour and print, putting combinations together and mixing everything up. What's the oldest thing in your wardrobe? My nanna's engagement ring from the '40s. I wear it with rings of my mum's and auntie's. I'm sentimental; I love putting them on every day. And the most recent addition? A 1980s cropped black brocade jacket that Luke [Sales, Romance Was Born co-founder] gave me for Christmas. What would you wear … on a first date? A dress with an '80s YSL pump and vintage jewellery. …on a plane? I like to wear baggy, comfy, stretchy things. Luke laughs at me because sometimes I'll wear a black tulle fairy-looking dress. It's probably a bit dramatic, but it's oversized and cosy. … on the red carpet? I wear something from the new season and make a bit of a statement – it's what our brand does best. I'm a shy person, but I love dressing up – it makes me feel more confident. I'll wear hand-painted Giuseppe Zanotti pumps, or a satin pair from our collaboration with Ken Done and LMS. What's your favourite fashion era? I love 1980s Christian Lacroix. It was a fun moment when people didn't hold back – the high-voltage colour, the big shoulders with small hemlines. Any other designers you love? Jenny Kee and Linda Jackson. I have a massive collection of knits from Jenny and some of my favourite pieces are from Linda, including a red strapless taffeta dress. For my last birthday, Jenny gave me a Vivienne Westwood piece from the '80s. What's your fragrance of choice? I wear Chanel Les Exclusifs 'Sycomore'. And I like the Maison Margiela 'Replica' perfumes – my boyfriend recently gave me 'When the Rain Stops'. He said it reminded him of me.