exhibition

Pattern and Print: Easton Pearson Archive

Pattern and Print: Easton Pearson Archive is a celebration of the internationally acclaimed fashion house Easton Pearson.

Easton Pearson was at the cutting edge of international fashion between 1998 and 2016. The success of the Brisbane fashion house hinged on the creative relationship between Pamela Easton and Lydia Pearson, whose unique ways of working fostered inventive designs, lasting collaborations, and supported ethical manufacture.

As well as creating its own textile designs, setting it apart from other Australian fashion houses, Easton Pearson also worked with individual artists to create unique designs which ranged from colourful Indian hand beading, bold digital prints of original artworks, or designs painted by hand directly onto a finished dress.

Pattern and Print: Easton Pearson Archive highlights Easton Pearson’s collaborative approach, featuring a selection of vibrant garments that highlight the technical innovations, bespoke fabric, bold prints and embellishment choices of the fashion house over its remarkable 28-year history.

The garments are complemented by a custom mural by Brisbane-based painter, illustrator and long-time Easton Pearson collaborator, Stephen Mok, who created window designs for the label’s flagship store, hand painting patterns onto garments, and decorating accessories and props for the runway. His playful aesthetic presents the fantastical world of Easton Pearson, where both simplicity and detail shine, and artistry triumphs.

A touring exhibition organised by Museum of Brisbane (MoB), toured by Museums & Galleries Queensland.

This project has been assisted by the Australian Government’s Visions of Australia program.

The Easton Pearson Archive gift to Museum of Brisbane has been made possible by the generous support of Dr Paul Eliadis, a Brisbane-based philanthropist and patron of contemporary art and design. The Archive consists of more than 3,300 garments donated by Dr Eliadis through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program, 2017. It is supported by more than 5,000 accessories, specification sheets, range plans, look books, photographs and other supporting material donated by Pamela Easton and Lydia Pearson, 2018.