Summary

Printed dress designed and made in Melbourne by Tiffany Treloar. It is made from cotton spandex which is digitally printed. The style is called an 'Eixample T-Shirt Dress' (possibly after the Eixample neighbourhood in Barcelona). It originally retailed for $289.

It was donated by the company to Museums Victoria, to be displayed in the 'You Can't Fight Fast Fashion' section of the exhibition 'You Can't Do That', held at Melbourne Museum in 2018. That part of the exhibition looked at the role of local producers fighting the influx of fast fashion through the production of clothing produced ethically and sustainably.

Physical Description

Long sleeved full length dress with a complex digital pattern printed on both sides. The skirt section is flared and is slightly shorter at the front.

Significance

This garment is part of a small collection of local designed sustainably and ethically made clothing compiled for the exhibition `You Can't Do That', held at Museum in 2018. They were featured in a section entitled `You Can't Fight Fast Fashion', which looked at local companies operating and succeeding in offering alternatives to the fast fashion brands. The collection was assembled with input and assistance from the Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival and Ethical Clothing Australia. Tiffany Treloar donated this outfit to the exhibition, and it has been decided to transfer it to the State Collection to represent this movement, currently not represented. The collection of four outfits and three backpacks are a great snapshot of the different elements of the contemporary Slow Fashion movement.

The outfit consists of an Eixample T-shirt dress from 2018. It is digital printed on cotton spandex, and is designed and made in Melbourne, Australia to support local industry. Their signature prints are designed and produced using the latest digital technologies, on fabrics which substainably produced and ethically sourced.

When Tiffany was 10 years old, her mother, fashion designer Prue Acton, gave her a sewing machine. By the time she turned 18, Tiffany was working within her mother's company, learning pattern making, production management, and fabric coordination and buying. Later, while working within the corporate wardrobe division of her father Mike Treloar's clothing business, Tiffany recognised the infinite potential for clothing design with the introduction of computer-aided design.

Her industry experience continued to grow as she worked freelance and sold her own textile designs in the US and European markets.Whilst doing this, she identified a niche market for high quality, feminine and timeless garments featuring vibrant prints, inspiring her to start her own label in 1999.

Tiffany began creating digitally printed textiles for her first range of T shirts, a sustainable process that has become a signature within all of Tiffany Treloar's collections. Taking inspiration from nature, Tiffany now creates biannual ranges of unique garments and accessories. Wanting a complete synergy between her environmental values and her work, her commitment to promoting better ways of living and working has resulted in a new sustainable collection called PROJECT 332 under the Tiffany Treloar umbrella. Part of this project was about researching and implementing ways to improve the sustainability of all Tiffany Treloar collections, through the use of more eco-friendly fabrics and textile printing techniques, with the assistance of a grant from AusIndustry.

In 2012 Tiffany Treloar launched her successful scarves range; and is now working on home wares and other accessories, applying her digital printing techniques and her eye for colour to a wider range of textiles. The homewares and accessories are an extension of what she does with clothing - they're simultaneously practical and quirky; useful and beautiful. They all have in common the Tiffany Treloar signature: those striking digital prints and her sense of fun. Just the beginning of a journey into new product lines, the range includes tote bags, cushions and versatile vinyl boxes.

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