The Culture Couture Fashion Project was the first performance of Indigenous Australian textiles and fashion design in the United States. After a fashion design contest in January 2015, eight sketches were chosen by the Kluge-Ruhe Collection and Professor Marcy Linton in the UVA Department of Drama, and were fabricated in an advanced-level Costume Technology course in the 2015 fall semester. Each garment was made with Indigenous textiles that were procured with the help of Alison Copley from the following art centers: Injalak Arts and Crafts, Merrepen Arts, Erub Erwer Meta, and Babbarra Women’s Center. To showcase the completed garments, the Kluge-Ruhe Collection worked with over thirty UVA students to present a fashion performance at the Jefferson Theater on March 19. The evening included a special performance by visiting Aboriginal trio Billiir, made up of sisters Nardi Simpson, Jilda Andrews, and Lucy Simpson (Yuwaalaraay). The performance featured three segments, twenty-one models, and a total of forty-four looks. In addition to the eight designs fabricated by students, models also exhibited garments from Indigenous designers Elisa Jane Carmichael (Quandamooka), Nicole Monks (Wajarri Yamatji) and Cara Mancini Geros, Julie Shaw and Lucy Simpson (Yuwaalaraay, Kamilaroi) and Grace Lillian Lee.
The Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia is the only museum outside of Australia dedicated to the exhibition and study of Indigenous Australian art. Whether onsite or online, we aim to amplify Indigenous perspectives and foster inspirational cross-cultural experiences to deepen appreciation and understanding of our shared humanity. We believe the most inspiring journeys are personal, immersive, uplifting and enlightening, with twists and turns we can’t predict. We provide platforms for you to chart your own path as you explore our unique collection of art and stories that are embedded with deep historical and cultural significance.
We are located in Charlottesville, Virginia and came to exist through the generosity of two prominent American collectors, Edward L. Ruhe and John W. Kluge. To learn more, visit us at kluge-ruhe.org.
source
