Katie Pye Australian Fashion Designer Inspired by her Mother’s legacy, a sewing machine on her eighth birthday, Katie Pye has explored almost all facets of artistic discipline since completing a Diploma of Fine Art early in her career. Straddling the boundaries between art and fashion, Katie Pye was an Australian fashion iconoclast throughout the 1980s. Integrating performance, design, art and fashion, Pye represented an energetic current that introduced new visual and conceptual models to Australian fashion. Individual, experimental and highly unorthodox, her work constantly challenged the conventional limitations of fashionable dress. Integrating performance, design, art and fashion, Pye represented an energetic current that introduced new visual and conceptual models to Australian fashion (Katie Pye). |
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The 80,s represented a time were self expression was achieved by what you worn. Katie Pye's designs allowed people to rebel against boring, unflattering clothing that worn prior to then. Embellishment, loud colours and big clothing was for the first time accepted culturally and people enjoyed being different to each other. The main thing Katie Pye’s designs did was contrast in both design and material. The outfit above for example has a large bright jacket looking top, with a small polka dot skirt teamed up with miss matched tights. Visually this outfit is contrasting yet somehow works because in the 80's this was what was worn and it was perfectly acceptable. 
This jacket is aptly named Junk Jacket as the design reflects a Chinese junks sails. Perhaps not an everyday outfit this piece once again is reflective of Katie’s unique perspective on fashion. Is it art or fashion?
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This Jacket (Pictured above) is one of Katie Pye’s more recent designs, Katie has moved on from the 80's and into the 21st century however, she still uses colour and embellishments to achieve an interesting look. This jacket once again uses colour and material in an interesting way to intrigue us into the design.  Art or Fashion? Katie Pye was renowned for blurring the lines. Wearable or a costume these were sometimes the comments Katie Pye received. Katie Pye took a lot of influence from costume designs and turned them into catwalk pieces as well as made to order pieces. |
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