Summary

Coat belonging to a nine piece ensemble, consisting of a Dev R Nil coat, ASOS white chinos, an Informal shirt, a pair of Bared Footwear sneakers, two costume jewellery necklaces and a gold and beaded face mask and cloth storage bag.

The collection of six ensembles from the wardrobe of Melbourne fashion identity Shiva Singam represent his love of fashion, and how he melded together both western and Indian dress to create his look and express his identity. In an interview in The Age newspaper in 1996, looking at the best dressed of Melbourne in the lead up to the Spring Racing Carnival, the then 22yo said "Exotic, eclectic and a lot of fun is my style. I mix a lot of European designers with traditional garments and that really exemplifies my look. Then I clean it up with Indian jewellery or accessories." He proudly wore outfits such as those on offer to events such as the cup, charity events, Melbourne Fashion Week and the Melbourne Fashion Festival, the Indian Film Festival and the recently launched Indian Fashion Week, which he helped launch in 2022.

He was also an important and influential figure in the local Indian Community. Actor Sharon Jonal, noted for her residency on Neighbours and The Block, spoke at his remembrance gala and said that the first time she saw him she said to her husband "Who the f**k was that !!" She soon became great friends with him, saying "Shiva helped me personally further embrace my culture openly and proudly here as an immigrant kid in Australia." Her final heartfelt tribute was "(he was) an absolute icon in the fashion community working tirelessly to not only support Australian fashion but proudly celebrate and further his heritage with the extravagance opulence and painstaking work of Indian artisans through the royal inspired outfits he wore with drama, hence forever known as our 'Count Shiva.'"

Born into a migrant family in 1973, he originally trained as an opera singer, but by the 1990s he was managing his family restaurant the "Curry Club Cafe" in Richmond, where he honed his love for entertaining, for spectacle and for people. He always expressed who he was through his wardrobe, and joyfully mixed the best of western tailoring with the colours and embellishment of India. Noted was his adoption of the qamis, a long shirt which originated in northern India. which extended down to just below the knee, examples of which are in this collection. Later he was able to share his love of fashion through his involvement with the Melbourne Fashion Festival, up to his death in 2023, aged just 50.

Physical Description

Knee-length black coat with white floral pattern on lower half.

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