Romance Was Born is an Australian

fashion house Fashion design is the art of applying design, aesthetics, clothing construction, and natural beauty to clothing and its accessories. It is influenced by diverse cultures and different trends and has varied over time and place. "A fashion design ...

, founded by Anna Plunkett and Luke Sales in 2005. Producing

haute couture (; ; French for 'high sewing', 'high dressmaking') is the creation of exclusive custom-fitted high-end fashion design. The term ''haute couture'' generally refers to a specific type of upper garment common in Europe during the 16th to the ...

and women's

ready-to-wear Ready-to-wear (RTW)also called ''prêt-à-porter'', or off-the-rack or off-the-peg in casual useis the term for garments sold in finished condition in standardized sizes, as distinct from made-to-measure or bespoke clothing tailored to a partic ...

garments and accessories, the brand produces designs that "freely toy with the relationship between fashion and art", often evoking an influence of

Australiana Australiana is anything pertaining to Australian culture, society, geography and ecology, especially if it is endemic to Australia or has reached iconic status. It includes people, places, flora, fauna and events of Australian origins. Austr ...

History

Anna Plunkett and Luke Sales first met in the early 2000s whilst studying fashion design at East Sydney Technical College (now known as TAFE NSW Sydney Institute). The duo founded Romance Was Born after turning down an internship with Galliano at

Dior Christian Dior SE (), commonly known as Dior, is a French Multinational corporation, multinational luxury goods company that is controlled and chaired by French businessman Bernard Arnault, who also heads LVMH. , Dior controlled around 42% of ...

to 'do their own thing'. The name for the business reportedly came from a pin purchased in Sydney's Chinatown by Sales' cousin. "As a fashion house, they are well known for their ..garments, but have also designed for a number of diverse mediums, including wallpaper, furniture, art installations, fashion shoots, toys, theatre and pop performance costumes." In 2008, the brand produced a

capsule collection A capsule wardrobe is a minimalist collection of clothes that can be put together in different ways to cover a variety of outfits and occasions. The aim is to have an outfit suitable for any occasion without owning excessive items of clothing. Thi ...

for retailer

Sportsgirl Sportsgirl is an Australian clothing chain owned and operated by ARG Group. History The first Sportsgirl store opened in 1948 as an alternative to its sister label, Sportscraft, on Swanston Street, Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung ...

. In January 2020, they re-released a popular collection of garments and accessories based on characters from May Gibbs' popular

Snugglepot and Cuddlepie ''Snugglepot and Cuddlepie'' is a series of books written by Australians, Australian author May Gibbs. The books chronicle the adventures of the eponymous Snugglepot and Cuddlepie. The central story arc concerns Snugglepot and Cuddlepie (who ar ...

books. According to their website, Romance Was Born's main ethos is to "create immersive cultural experiences that provoke an emotional response."

Collaborations

Romance Was Born has a strong emphasis on collaboration, particularly other Australian artists and designers, in the hope that they can "explore a creative common ground and build an awe-inspiring relationship between fashion and art." Their first collaboration was with

Archibald Prize The Archibald Prize is an Australian portraiture art prize for painting, generally seen as the most prestigious portrait prize in Australia. It was first awarded in 1921 after the receipt of a bequest from J. F. Archibald, J. F. Archib ...

winner

Del Kathryn Barton Del Kathryn Barton (born 11 December 1972) is an Australian artist who began drawing at a young age, and studied at UNSW Art & Design (formerly the College of Fine Arts) at the University of New South Wales. She soon became known for her psych ...

. The duo have also collaborated with musical acts including

The Presets The Presets are an Australian electronic music duo of Julian Hamilton (vocals, keyboards) and Kim Moyes (drums, keyboards). Formed in 2003 and signed to Modular Recordings, Modular Records, The Presets released two EPs (''Blow Up (EP), Blow Up ...

and

Architecture in Helsinki Architecture in Helsinki was an Australian indie pop band which consisted of Cameron Bird, Gus Franklin, Jamie Mildren, Sam Perry, and Kellie Sutherland. Before its hiatus, the band released five studio albums: '' Fingers Crossed'' (2003), '' ...

. In 2017, they launched a collection of five rugs with Designer Rugs, with designs adapted from their print archives. They've followed this with collaborations with other designers, the hotel chain QT Hotels, as well as major corporations such as

Lego Lego (, ; ; stylised as LEGO) is a line of plastic construction toys manufactured by the Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. Lego consists of variously coloured interlocking plastic bricks made of acrylonitri ...

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

and

Marvel Marvel may refer to: Business * Marvel Entertainment, an American entertainment company ** Marvel Comics, the primary imprint of Marvel Entertainment ** Marvel Universe, a fictional shared universe ** Marvel Music, an imprint of Marvel Comics ...

. Design collaborations have included: * Jenny Kee and Linda Jackson *

Ken Done Kenneth Stephen Done (born 29 June 1940) is an Australian artist best known for his design work. Although his simple, brightly coloured images of Australian landmarks have adorned a very popular range of clothing and homewares sold under the "D ...

May Gibbs Cecilia May Gibbs Order of the British Empire, MBE (17 January 1877 – 27 November 1969) was an Australian children's author, illustrator, and cartoonist. She is best known for her gumnut babies (also known as "bush babies" or "bush fairies"), ...

* Paul Yore.

Recognition

Several Romance Was Born pieces are held in Australian museums and galleries, including 13 works at the

National Gallery of Victoria The National Gallery of Victoria, popularly known as the NGV, is an art museum in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1861, it is Australia's oldest and list of most visited art museums in the world, most visited art mu ...

, and three works at the

Powerhouse Museum The Powerhouse Museum, formerly known as the Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences (MAAS), is a collection of 4 museums in Sydney, owned by the Government of New South Wales. Powerhouse is a contemporary museum of applied arts and sciences, explori ...

(Iced Vo Vo dress, crocheted dress & platform shoes). In 2014, Romance Was Born was featured in a group exhibition at the NGV International, called ''Express Yourself: Romance Was Born'' for Kids, which ran from 17 October 2014 through to 12 April 2015. According to the National Gallery Victoria, the "vision was to create a fantastical, larger-than-life environment for participation, play and creativity that blended fashion, art, music and design. The resulting exhibition featured works from RWB collections past and present, the NGV collection and collaborating artists. It highlighted Sales and Plunkett's trademark collaborative style and creative themes that continue to underpin their practice". Notable celebrities such as

Cate Blanchett Catherine Élise Blanchett ( ; born 14 May 1969) is an Australian actor and producer. Regarded as one of the best performers of her generation, she is recognised for Cate Blanchett on screen and stage, her versatile work across stage and scre ...

Tavi Gevinson Tavi Gevinson (born April 21, 1996) is an American actress, writer, and magazine editor. At age twelve, she came to public attention for her fashion blog ''Style Rookie''. By 15, she had shifted her focus to pop culture and feminist discussion. G ...

Karen O Karen Lee Orzolek (born November 22, 1978) is a South Korean-born American singer, musician, and songwriter. She is best known as the lead vocalist of the indie rock band the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Early life Karen Lee Orzolek was born in Seoul, So ...

MIA Mia, Mía, MIA, or M.I.A. may refer to: Music Artists * M.I.A. (rapper) (born 1975), English rapper and singer * M.I.A. (American band), 1980s punk rock band from Orange County, California * MIA. (German band), a German rock/pop band formed i ...

Natasha Khan Natasha Khan (born 25 October 1979), known professionally as Bat for Lashes, is an English singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. She has released six studio albums: '' Fur and Gold'' (2006), ''Two Suns'' (2009), '' The Haunt ...

Cyndi Lauper Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper ( ; born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Known for her distinctive image, featuring a variety of hair colors and eccentric clothing, and for her powerful four-octave vocal range;Jerome, ...

Lily Allen Lily Rose Beatrice Allen (born 2 May 1985) is an English singer, songwriter, and actress. List of awards and nominations received by Lily Allen, Her accolades include a Brit Award, alongside nominations for a Grammy Award and a Laurence Olivi ...

Grimes Claire Elise Boucher (; born March 17, 1988), known professionally as Grimes, is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Her lyrics often touch on science fiction and feminist themes. The visuals in her videos are elabora ...

and

Miley Cyrus Miley Ray Cyrus ( , born Destiny Hope Cyrus, November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and director. Regarded as a contemporary pop icon, Cyrus has been recognized for her evolving artistry and image reinventions. She is ...

have worn Romance Was Born on the red carpet. In 2018, Romance Was Born published a book entitled ''Romance Was Born: A Love Story with Fashion'', detailing their rise to prominence in the Australian fashion scene. In 2019, designs by Romance Was Born were featured in the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art's summer exhibition '' Camp: Notes on Fashion''. A portrait of Plunkett by Meagan Pelham titled ''Romance is LOVE'' was a finalist in the 2022 Archibald Prize. Romance Was Born and Anne Cordingley won the 2022 Sydney Theatre Award for best costume design of a mainstage production for their work on ''Amadeus''.

References

{{authority control Clothing companies of Australia 2005 establishments in Australia Companies based in Sydney High fashion brands Clothing brands of Australia Fashion accessory brands Australian fashion designers Australian women fashion designers 2010s fashion 2000s fashion