Congratulations to Year 12 Textiles and Design student Gabriella Ribeiro on her nomination for the Shape exhibition at the powerhouse. Shape is an annual exhibition of exemplary Major Textiles Projects held at the Powerhouse Museum. Well done to Gabriella on her wonderful achievement and consistent dedication to her major work throughout the year.

Gabriella’s designer statement for her project titled ““Azulejo”

My HSC Major Textiles Project, titled “Azulejo”, is a wearable textiles art piece reflecting the intricate detailing of my favourite Portuguese sanctuary as well as the significance of Portuguese Azulejo tiles and how they reflect the connotations of the history, culture and religion of Portugal. This has allowed me to construct an Asymmetrical Suit Jacket with a halter-style top, as well as a unique architecturally inspired dome-shaped mini skirt. The inspiration for my major textiles project is drawn from high-fashion couture designers, specifically Guo Pei’s Fall 2018, and 2019 couture collections as well as her Spring 2016 collection. Similarly, I have been inspired by Jean-Paul Gaultier’s penchant for challenging the then-standard views of fashion and reworking and adopting women in masculine attire. I aim to communicate a unique decorative representation of the history and significance of my Portuguese culture as well as demonstrate a unique advanced technical level of construction and embellishment techniques upon my form-fitting suit jacket.  

My MTP has highly embellished distinctive features, including my favourite cathedral, O Santuário de Santa Luzia, Viana do Castelo, Portugal. This cathedral is embellished with high technical skills and techniques that will be featured on the front half of the suit jacket. Further elevating wearable textiles and couture fashion conventions the use of aesthetically pleasing embellishment techniques such as embroidery, beading, hand couching, and sashiko embroidery will be the most efficient way to achieve my desired end result.