< Take Me Back

Narelle Dore

Based in Antwerp, Belgium, Narelle Dore studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp, renowned for its highly competitive and demanding, creative program. Originally from Perth, Australia, Dore first studied fashion and textiles at the Western Australian School of Art and Design, before starting a seven-month internship with ‘Antwerp Six’ famed, Walter Van Beirendonck.

Renowned for her fine and unexpected use of macramé which runs through each collection, each piece is hand crafted in her Antwerp atelier, and a reminder of her background in textiles prior to her education at the Royal Academy. Produced entirely in Belgium, Dore only produces a single collection a year, each piece sold as a unique item, and expressing the value of artisanship. Dore’s waif-like, ethereal designs have been compared to an early Rodarte.

Her Fall Winter 2010-11 collection comprised of twenty handmade pieces, based on a series of pinhole camera photographs she took at the salt lakes near her hometown of Perth. Diffused through the unfocused softness of the pinhole, the harsh light of the surrounding environment, led to her rich fabric choices, including linen, suede, sanded silk and laser cut leather. The collection is realized in rich cream and tan, through to dark wet sand colorations, punctuated effectively with soft aquamarine, shimmering burnished gold, and shell pink. Macramé features heavily in the collection, augmented by crochet, and delicate cutouts, expressed through simple, uncluttered silhouettes. Long swathes of yarn undulate, drape, criss-cross and hang, anchored by diamond shaped stripes of macramé knots.

In the eight years since her graduation, Dore has let opportunity dictate her work, with various projects and design residencies in Vienna, Amsterdam, Barcelona and Paris.. Her work is most often exposed through artistic installations, as a means of expressing the creative world that gives birth to her designs. Narelle’s collection is sold at RA in Antwerp, as well as online through NJAL.

NJAL site: www.notjustalabel.com/narelle_dore

You May Also Like

Alabama Chanin

Natalie Chanin of Alabama Chanin, based in her native Florence, Alabama, Natalie Chanin produces a labor intensive contemporary collection from the age-old tradition of quilting circles.

Amabelle Aquiluz

Aquiluz’s series of work has complex and deeply personal themes, combining diverse sources of inspiration ranging from technology, art and ideas about existence.

Elena Garcia

The Elena Garcia collection has a romantic flavor tinged with a Victorian sensibility. Designs are labor intensive, with a particular focus on indigo dyes, traditional shibori dye techniques, and intricate cut work applications.

SAVIA

SAVIA is a clothing and textile art project founded by sisters Fabiana and Patricia Persia. One of a group of seven designers based in Santiago, Chile, under the collaborative name of Moda Lenta de Chile, or Slow Fashion Chile.

Zaida Adriana Goveo Balmaseda

Goveo Balmaseda’s knitwear collection is a craft led exploration of the concept of transition and hybrid evolutions reflected in moss and critical weathering. The knitwear collection was produced using only recycled, and ethically responsible methods and materials, and explores her personal journey into biomorphic design in knitwear.

Amanda Henderson

Amanda Henderson is an independent knitwear designer, working with hand knits, and based in Queens, New York. Working towards her

Anita Hirlekar

Icelandic designer Anita Hirlekar creates a poetic but modern collection through hand crafted fabrics and traditional nuno felting.