Overview
When you work in the most iconic building in the country, you need an eye-catching uniform to match. That'll soon be the case for the folks making sure that Sydney Opera House runs smoothly, with one of Australia's top designers given the task of coming up with their new threads.
In Sydney to open Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Australia, Lee was named as the fashion figure responsible for Opera House's next uniforms, which will be worn by more than 600 staff. Working closely with the venue's employees over the next 12 months, he'll come up with a fresh look for their tour guides, box office and front-of-house attendants. Given his acclaimed architectural and sculptural aesthetic, he couldn't be a better fit for the job.
Indeed, Lee has long admired — and been inspired by — the famous structure. "I first visited the Opera House as a child to see theatre and contemporary dance and I have been a regular ever since," he said. "Meeting the needs of the Opera House's very diverse workforce and making sure the clothes combine elegance and utility, inspiration and practicality is critical. It is important that a cultural icon such as the Opera House projects an image that parallels the architecture of the building."
Since 2010, Lee has displayed his wares at the Opera House on four occasions, starting in 2010 when he became the first designer to show in the Concert Hall Northern Foyer, and including this year's headlining Fashion Week show. Long pegged as one of the country's hottest young design talents, over the past seven years he has won the Woolmark Designer Award at Melbourne Fashion Week, the Qantas Spirit of Youth Award, and Best Designer awards for GQ and Marie Claire magazines, as well as designing a range for Target.
Images: Dion Lee's 2010 Fashion Week show / Bowen Arico.