Dressing Dance: Performing Spaces, Places and Bodies

This creative journey takes inspiration from the visual opulence, decadent symbolism and eroticism of Sergei Diaghilev’s 20th Century Les Ballet Russes, whose imaginative productions celebrated cross-cultural aesthetics, theatricality, and the evocative power of costume.

The abundant designs of the Ballet, with their exaggerated silhouettes, elaborate layers, and dynamic interplay of textiles, reflected an aesthetic complexity that drew upon European and Balkan influences. The richness of colours, intricate motifs, and voluminous shapes in the costumes echoed the expressive potential of the Macedonian costume, which like ballet, is performed through movement and storytelling.

The design process for this collection began as methodical and iterative, rooted in a rigorous analysis of my grandmother’s traditional Macedonian costume. The process commenced with archival research, examining the woven adornments, domestic hand-crafted customs, and ornamental configurations of the historical garment. Each element of the costume — Koshula, Klashenik, Prestilka, Elek, Samifche, and Kojstek — was deconstructed into individual components to investigate construction techniques, layering systems, and traditional methods such as crochet and trapunto embroidery.

This analytical process informed a contemporary reinterpretation, whereby the original layered structure was adapted into modular forms; including headpieces, intimates, quadrant-tailored garments, and accessories. The implementation phase involved two-dimensional tailoring methodologies to ensure precision in translating historical forms into wearable pieces.

The geometricized floral patterns and embroidered appliques of my grandmother’s costume were explored through both traditional and modern crochet techniques. Prototyping and iterative testing refined fit, functionality, and aesthetic appeal, ensuring the final designs were innovative and practical.

The design brief was met through a minimalist approach. A monochromatic colour palette of bold and earthy tones, with deep burgundy reds, warm creams and black. I further refined the intricate motifs of the traditional embroidery by abstracting them into fragments. This combination provides contrast and grounding, enhancing the grandeur and richness of the overall palette.

This project exemplifies the principles of good design by merging emotional functionality with cultural storytelling, accessibility, and sensory experience.

Inspired by my maternal grandmother’s journey with Alzheimer’s disease, the collection explores how clothing can act as a conduit for memory and identity. Despite her cognitive decline, she continued to respond intuitively to her traditional Macedonian garments, objects she rarely wore but deeply preserved as part of her cultural selfhood.

Through visual, tactile, and embodied engagement, these garments unlocked vivid recollections of her youth, music, and community rituals. Informed by reflective practice, visual analysis, and open-ended interviews, the design process embraced an adaptive and interdisciplinary methodology that acknowledged both the fragility and resilience of memory.

The resulting garments were developed not just as aesthetic artefacts, but as emotionally functional pieces, designed to be worn, touched, and felt in ways that foster reconnection and storytelling. This approach to user experience, grounded in sensory accessibility and cultural empathy, expands the definition of functionality and inclusivity in fashion design.

It sets a new benchmark for design excellence in Victoria by demonstrating the capacity of professional, narrative-led design to bridge generational divides, support emotional wellbeing, and foster deeper connections between people and their heritage.

Globally, the project contributes to emerging conversations around design and memory, offering a powerful example of how fashion can serve as both archive and activation, transforming garments into living vessels of identity, history, and human connection.

The Pandemic has significantly reshaped the fashion industry, prompting both designers and consumers to reevaluate their relationship with clothing.

As the economy recovers, the Australian and international fashion landscape remains highly fragmented, facing challenges including cautious consumer spending, intense competition and low market share concentration.

As an emerging designer, I believe there is opportunity for growth through a shift toward ‘designing for longevity’, via meaningful, slow and localised consumption and making. During the pandemic, many consumers gravitated toward garments offering comfort, meaning, and personal expression.

Influenced by the interplay between material objects, cultural norms, and individual behaviour, this collection engages with the concept of ‘emotionally durable design.’ To reduce consumption and waste, I sought to strengthen sentimental connections between wearer and garment through a made-to-order, trans-seasonal model.

The garments within the collection extend the use of item beyond one fashion season through natural fibre and materiality, inclusion of multi-way or interchangeable parts, and strong construction techniques. This approach challenges the traditional and fast-paced model of fashion production, by advocating for meaningful pieces that prioritize quality and authenticity.

Additionally, craftsmanship has seen renewed appreciation as consumers increasingly value artisanal techniques. Within the context of SDG 11, Target 11.4 supports protecting cultural and natural heritage. Positive changes in fashion must address ethical and cultural values, fostering what unites diverse communities and individuals together.

In all their diversity, having been created in different historical, political, social and economic circumstances in conditions of continual migrations, the traditional costumes of Macedonia have preserved traits of the culture of living, performance and creative skills of the individuals and community alike.

Therefore, my praxis facilitates not only stronger intimate and emotional bonds between the consumer and garments, but provides a source of pride, appreciation and culture for the communities involved, ultimately extending the product’s timeline and usage.

The project addresses the challenge of preserving cultural heritage while creating relevant, contemporary designs by reinterpreting traditional Macedonian costumes through a modern lens.

My approach to working with historical references is rooted in a critical engagement with the past, recognizing it as a dynamic reservoir of creative potential rather than a static archive. Rather than strictly preserving existing ethnographic forms, my work seeks to reinterpret and transform them through a contemporary lens, creating a symbiotic dialogue between tradition and modernity.

It epitomises the form and architectural elements intrinsic to the notational costume through a present-day perspective. The problem with the past is that it exists indefinitely, providing uncultivated and exciting potentials for new connections, insights and imaginings, relative to our changing present.

By abstracting surfaces and dissecting elements of archival craftsmanship, I aimed to recontextualize canonical forms within the interdisciplinary realm of costume design for performance and intimate wear. This process allows me to bridge my cultural heritage with modern artistic expression, fostering a dynamic and evolving creative practice that emphasizes innovation through historical reinterpretation.

Socially, this work reinforces cultural pride by rendering heritage meaningful and accessible to modern audiences. Commercially, its modularity and visual impact position it for adaptability across both fashion and performance sectors. Environmentally, the application of sustainable materials and zero-waste tailoring practices aligns with circular design principles.

Professionally, the project exemplifies the value of rigorous craftsmanship and iterative development, contributing to Victoria’s growing identity as a centre for design innovation. By merging historical sensitivity with contemporary utility, the collection offers a distinctive contribution to Australia’s creative industries and sets a global benchmark for heritage-inspired design.

Its originality signals a new paradigm, one that honours the past while shaping the future.