Newcastle Museum is rolling out the red carpet for a new exhibition that celebrates the city's connection to Australia's fashion industry.
Showcasing 10 years of Newcastle-based fashion magazine and modelling agency Façon, the retrospective offers an insight into couture culture, with a focus on how local designers, models, personalities and locations have been celebrated in print and on the runway.
City of Newcastle's Director of Museum Archive Libraries & Learning Julie Baird and Façon founder and stylist Lara Lupish with the Toni Maticevski gown featured as part of the Facon 10: Retrospective exhibition, which opens at Newcastle Museum on 1 May.
City of Newcastle's Director of Museum Archive Libraries & Learning, Julie Baird, said the exhibition was testament to the vision of Façon founder and stylist Lara Lupish, who saw an opportunity to intertwine her experience in the international fashion industry with her hometown.
"Newcastle Museum is a place where local stories are shared, celebrated and preserved and this same ethos has been at the heart of Façon from the very beginning," Ms Baird said.
"They proudly prioritised their Newcastle identity, providing opportunities for local photographers, models, designers and creatives alongside nationally and internationally recognised names.
"They celebrated the place where the magazine was produced, showcasing the city's iconic locations like Fort Scratchley, the Civic Theatre and the Newcastle Ocean Baths.
"From the famous faces that have adorned its covers, to the designers whose looks have styled its pages, Façon has spent a decade bringing high fashion to Newcastle - and Newcastle to the world."
Enlarged reproductions of the magazine's covers and fashion shoots take visitors on a journey through the years, featuring everyone from Newcastle's own Miss Universe Tegan Martin to the universally loved icon of Australian television Kate Ritchie and Indigenous supermodel Samantha Harris.
Some of the magazine's signature looks are also brought to life in the exhibition, with mannequins dressed in clothing and accessories from Newcastle-based and nationally renowned designers including Jean Bas, High Tea With Mrs Woo, Saretta The Label, Studio Melt and vintage Givenchy.
Designer fashion on display at Newcastle Museum as part of the Facon 10: Retrospective exhibition, including a gown designed by John Robinson (far right).
Never before displayed couture from the Museum's own collection is included in the exhibition with mid-twentieth century gown, The Lantern Dress by John Robinson. The Newcastle designer combined made-to-measure craftsmanship with theatrical embellishment, often incorporating hand-applied sequins and beads.
A selection of Robinson's gowns from the Museum's collection were featured in the Winter 2021 issue of Façon magazine, reaffirming their enduring significance within Australian fashion history.
The showpiece of the exhibition is a sculptural evening gown created by renowned Australian designer Toni Maticevski, which was worn by singer and television presenter Ricki-Lee Coulter for the cover of the Summer 2019 issue.
Ms Lupish said Façon has become more than a magazine, it is a conduit for launching, shaping and celebrating people, places and creativity.
"Façon was designed as a celebration of Newcastle and the Hunter; a way to highlight local businesses and creatives alongside luxury national and international brands," Ms Lupish said.
"But it has become more than a magazine; it is a record of time, place and community.
"We're proud to have launched and progressed the careers of countless up-and-coming models including Face of Façon finalist Sarah Henderson, who went on to sign with Metropolitan Models Group in Italy, walk the runway at Australian Fashion Week and for DIOR in Paris.
"We've prioritised First Nations models and stories including the development of The Indigenous Storytellers Scholarship to celebrate, sustain and grow Indigenous art, design and storytelling.
"This has allowed us to support recipients including filmmaker Jahvis Loveday, photographer Sean Kinchela, fashion brand Miimi and Jiinda, who have now showed at Australian Fashion Week numerous times and singer-songwriter Ruby Shay, who went on to secure an ABC Country Charts #1 after her scholarship win.
"Through it all we've proudly celebrated our city and its stories. We will continue to create and put Newcastle on the map, not only in our own country but in the world."
The free exhibition, Facon 10: Retrospective, will open tomorrow and remain on display at Newcastle Museum until 27 June 2026.
