Aurelio Costarella Abstraction Dress
In 1983 when I began my career, WA fashion designers had little impact on the national market place. Perth now has a local fashion community that sits confidently not only on a national but on an international platform. The WA government (Department of Culture and the Arts) implemented the Designer Fashion Grant system (similar to New Zealands format) over 10 years ago. This funding is unique in Australia and gives financial support to emerging and established designers. I believe this has nurtured and supported the industry here.
At twenty I dropped out of university and opened my first store…The fashion landscape has change phenomenally since I started out 32 years ago. Showing at New York Fashion week was a huge achievement but the greatest one is that I have survived all these years in this industry. In 2013 we celebrated 30 years by having a retrospective exhibition at the Western Australian Museum, which attracted 85 000 visitors.
Check out the magnificence of Aurelio Costarella here.
Enjoy xx
Aurelio Costarella