Collaboration knows no boundaries, is not subject to borders. You can’t give collaboration a passport or deport or exile it to the furthest reaches of the globe, because ultimately, it’ll always find a way to work together.
Take, for example, the collaboration that is Of Cabbages & Kings (OC&K).
On one hand it comprises artist Tané Andrews, living it up here in Perth, his fine detailed photo realistic illustration of insects the toast of the town.
On the other hand is red-headed bombshell Kira Goodey, living it large in London, one of the unequivocal fashion meccas of the world.
It’s here that Goodey recently undertook a four-month internship at Alexander McQueen, completing her stint weeks before McQueen tragically passed away.
So how exactly do you collaborate on opposite sides of the world? Two words: ‘Skype’ and ’email’.
‘It is not the ideal way to work, but email and Skype and all that is so accessible that we are in constant communication,’ Goodey explained… via email… from London.
‘We both have very defined roles within the label and that allows us to work fairly autonomously and then come together a couple of times a week and compare notes via the magic of the internet.’
‘Growing up together and sharing a lot of creative experiences both Kira and I can almost always produce an outcome that we agree upon,’ Andrews added.
‘We have a lot of trust in each other creatively and this allows us to work separately and then come together every so often to share what we have done.’
The latest OC&K range is Earthly Delights, an explosion of feminine charm and classic ’40s glamour reminiscent of Dior and Balenciaga, all done in full-waisted skirts and blouson sleeves, accented with lavenders, raspberry and lemon yellows – not their usual palette by far.
‘Well, for me personally, I’m just so sick of the grey London skies I just wanted to inject some colour into life!’ Goodey exclaimed.
‘We both wanted to make something bright and feminine as a new challenge to show we are not limited to greys and blacks… and big hoods.’
‘We wanted to produce a collection that expanded our creative vocabulary and I think we achieved that,’ Andrews added.
‘The garments themselves still have darker elements though; you just have to look a bit harder to find them.’
These subtleties include delicately tiny spider designs crawling through the black and white stripes of one blouse, and appear more brazenly in the sharp exaggerated shoulders of another.
Each garment references, either explicitly or implicitly, some aspect of the garden, be it plants, flowers, insects or birds.
What is evident throughout though is a love affair with the feminine form, an accentuation of assets, from super cropped shorts to figure hugging jackets with the most mesmerizing folds.
‘We worked from the Belle Epoque ideal of long skirts, tiny waists and traditional concepts of femininity, pushing the classic wasp-waist silhouette,’ Andrews pointed out.
The result is a collection that, while small, has vast possibility, invigorating Old World charm with a postmodern sensuality, presenting the modern woman with a nostalgic silhouette that gives her the good grace of elegance.
Of Cabbages & Kings will be appearing as part of STYLEAID on Friday July 31. www.ofcabbagesandkings.com.au
Scott-Patrick Mitchell
