Focus on accessories in new Fashion Festival exhibition

The Western Australian Museum - Maritime will host the inaugural 'Beyond Garment' exhibition, in which accessories and textiles take centre stage.

Culture and the Arts Minister John Day said the exhibition would be part of the 2010 Perth Fashion Festival in September.

"'Beyond Garment' will showcase the work of West Australians in creative industries such as jewellery, shoes, bags and millinery and is a highlight of this year's festival," Mr Day said.

"Many of the pieces for 'Beyond Garment' will be unique and have been created especially for the exhibition, which will celebrate accessories as works of art in their own right.

"This exhibition is the result of a partnership between the Western Australian Museum, the Perth Fashion Festival and Curtin University, with support from the Department of Culture and the Arts, and reflects the continued growth of the State's fashion industry.

Perth Fashion Festival director Mariella Harvey-Hanrahan said the partnership was an exciting new initiative.

"The festival was first established 12 years ago as a new way of showcasing the wonderful talent of West Australian designers by staging innovative and inspirational events and 'Beyond Garment' certainly continues this work," Ms Harvey-Hanrahan said.

The exhibition is curated by Anne Farren, director of Curtin University's School of Design and Art.  Ms Farren is well known in the State's fashion industry and brings a wealth of knowledge to 'Beyond Garment' as well as her passion for accessories and textiles.

"Since the rise of street style and the democratisation of fashion in the 1960s, shifts in the control of fashion trends and ideas have enabled the acknowledgement of accessory and textile forms as both design and artworks in their own right," Ms Farren said.

The exhibition will include the work of jewellery designers Sophie Kyron and Alister Yiap; artists Maggie Baxter and Nalda Searles; and textile artists-designers Elizabeth Delfs and Eunjeong Jeon.

Entry to 'Beyond Garment' is free and the exhibition will be on display at the WA Museum - Maritime, Fremantle from September 3 to November 28. For more information visit: http://www.museum.wa.gov.au or http://www.perthfashionfestival.com.au.