Romantic dress
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Summary
Larger than life, utterly original and mind-glowingly beautiful, the creativity of Australia's quietly achieving, quirky but supremely talented fashion duo is an honour to behold. Anna Plunkett and Luke Sales believe in fashion as fantasy and create exquisite clothing that makes us all dare to dream.
Over the past eighteen years, Romance Was Born has been shown in Paris; acquired by national institutions, including the Powerhouse Museum and the National Gallery of Victoria; and worn by the likes of Cate Blanchett, Beyonce, Sia and Daphne Guinness. More importantly, Romance Was Born has contributed to the evolution of Australia's cultural identity through their exploration of themes and their lavish, immersive runway shows.
Romance Was Born bridges the boundaries of fashion, art and theatre with a magical formula that combines culture, colour, humour and handwork to spectacular effect.
Author Notes
Anna Plunkett and Luke Sales met while completing their fashion design degree. In 2005, the pair established the inimitable label, Romance Was Born.
Georgina Safe is
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Nearly 15 years later the joke is on them, in a way, because a pair of mates who loved “hanging out and making crap” have become the most powerful voices in Australian fashion. They have dressed celebrities, Ms. Blan-ket included, made the cover of Vogue’s Australian imprint, and turned their passion project into an international business—last summer, they even staged a couture show in Paris. In the process, they’ve managed to score the seal of approval of two of their heroes, Linda Jackson and Jenny Kee, another Aussie designer. Plunkett refers to the pair as their “fashion fairy godmothers.” They met—where else?—on the dance floor of Vogue Australia’s 50th anniversary party back in 2009 and have been thick as thieves since.
With Lee and Jackson as muses and mentors, Plunkett and Sales have managed to structure Romance Was Born as a fully fledged business that balances their creative urges with the realities of retail. “The last five years have been when we both realized that this is what we want to be our career,” says Sales. “We always loved the idea of fashion. We’ve on
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Artistic collaboration is an integral part of how Romance Was Born design, they carefully choose collaborators who share their creative passion and dedication to their process. Past collaborations with kindred artists and brands such as;May Gibbs, Linda Jackson, Jenny Kee, Del Kathryn Barton, Disney, Marvel, Lego and the Sydney Theatre Company. Romance Was Born create clothing that is more than just beautiful garments - they create an immersive and emotional experience for the wearer.
Together they explore a creative common ground and freely toy with the relationship between fashion and art. The design duo have garnered respect for their extravagant and theatrical runway shows, a forum where they have agency across the entire Romance Was Born vision. Such fashion statements have attracted artists who also boldly express their sartorial style with individual flair. Those who famously wear their collections include style mavericks and mavens such as; Bjork, Caroline Kennedy, Cate Blanchett, Roisin Murphy, Nicki Minaj, Karen O, MIA, Eva Chen, Natasha Khan, Laura Brown, Patricia Pa
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