DESIGNER / Fashion Chealsea
designer:
Chelsea Hickman
location:
Melbourne, VIC
attributes:
DIY, punk, art, experimental
Bachelor with Honours in Fashion Design at RMIT, was the designer of the MPavilion 2020/21 uniform commission, recently won first place in the Woods Street Youth Art Prize and am currently an Artist in Resident at Yarra Youth Centre.
"Someone recently described my work as ‘goth pop’ and I think that sense of humor is in my brand as well."
q & a
manufacturing & production methods
I am a visual artist and fashion designer originally from lutruwita/Tasmania, currently based in Naarm/Melbourne. I am the sole creator of garments for Fashion Chelsea. I have a very personal and artistic approach to creating fashion. All items are handmade by me. I use the sewing machine I inherited from my Grandma.
inspiration
I feel that I created my brand out of necessity. Very few clothing labels have a holistic approach to textile waste management and responsible manufacturing. There was a type of clothing I wanted to wear that just wasn’t on the market so I decided to create my brand to fill that gap and diversify conversations about sustainable fashion.
creative process
My creative/artistic process is mainly material driven. What I create depends on what kind of fabric I have available, so each respective garment is largely inspired by its material.
concept
My overarching conceptual vision is to disrupt normative fashion aesthetics and practices. Thefashion industry is viciously polluting and malice toward its workers. Designers and consumersneed to reclaim their bodies and the environment from the devastation caused by the fashionindustry. We can create an industry that is ethical and sustainable but it comes with being brave enough to try something totally different and see fashion in a new way - and respecting ideasthat look and feel different to what we’re used to. Fashion Chelsea aims to fuck shit up in the best way possible.
