IMAGES BY VOLIM
Current trends see many facets of entertainment falling under the three R's: re-issuing, revamping and regurgitation. Fashion, too, can be guilty of theses same failings. OPALUS, by contrast, stands for and promotes the cutting edge of fashion; the innovative, the inventive, the unexpected, the unique. A pristine example of this is VOLIM, an upstart Australian company started by TIA TOKIC and LAUREN SALT, and featured in the latest issue of OPALUS.
IMAGES BY VOLIM
The unique (and refreshing) twist that these two artists bring to the walkway is the combination of fashion and fauna. In other words, flowers, actual flowers, woven intricately and passionately in the very clothing designs themselves.
IMAGES BY VOLIM
Bold and unabashed, VOLIM takes beauty and art to truly unique levels with no apologies and no looking back. Their recent photo shoot in OPALUS reveals an awe-inspiring beauty unrivaled by many in it's uniqueness. I hope all enjoy their vision as much as OPALUS did presenting it.
View below to see what all the hype is about and to enjoy this exclusive interview with the talented duo!
Exclusive interview with Volim
Photographer - Aleks Markovic
Designer - Volim (volim.com.au)
Makeup Artist - Tia Tonic
Model - Ella Mills
OPALUS
What sparked the idea to create a collection inspired by bacterial diseases.
VOLIM
Micrographs of any subject (artificial or living) are incredible; they have an ageless property that make them consistently impressive. I have been collecting them for a few years and focused on diseased cells which were often pink due to Crystal Violet dyeing. Some symptoms of the diseases are repelling to say the least, which I found to be a completely different reading to their cellular images. The idea of fusing bright, intricate textures with unusual silhouettes justified this colour palette for me.
OPALUS
What colors are inspiring you most lately?
VOLIM
Black is our focus at the moment
OPALUS
What beverage do you most often have when creating?
VOLIM
Just ur standard ice cubed water
OPALUS
Please explain the creative relationship between the two of you when it comes to Volim.
VOLIM
I guess we just have common views on method and process in each of our fields
OPALUS
What do you hope the viewer will take away from your Bacterium collection?
VOLIM
Any sort of questioning of popular fashion would be an excellent outcome! I think it's important for people to be introduced to different shapes that challenge the common "desirable" silhouette for either gender.
Photographer - Aleks Markovic
Designer - Volim (volim.com.au)
Makeup Artist - Tia Tonic
Model - Ella Mills
OPALUS
Can you describe how it feels to wear one of the garments from this collection?
VOLIM
The couture pieces are supposed to make the wearer uncomfortable and restricted to represent the feeling of disease. None of them have armholes and are made with bizarre materials, so I didn't see many models who were confident in dressing themselves without some direction.
OPALUS
The materials you choose to work with seem unique, please tell us about your materials choice.
VOLIM
I used a few unconventional materials and finishes such as cotton balls, pipecleaners, nail polish, bandages, acrylic paint etc. I wanted to experiment with new, intricate applications to encompass the wearer in a overwhelmingly decorated garment.
OPALUS
Tell us about the unique name choices of your garments
VOLIM
Each of the garments reference a particular disease, so it seemed obvious to credit the bacterium that is responsible for the sickness. E.g. Anthrax -> 'Anthracis', Haemophilus Influenzae -> 'Haemophilus'
Photographer - Aleks Markovic
Designer - Volim (volim.com.au)
Makeup Artist - Tia Tonic
Model - Ella Mills
OPALUS
What was one of your favourite moments during the creative process of the Bacterium collection?
VOLIM
The time spent on each piece is definitely not my favourite past time, but their undying effect on an audience is something I'm proud of.
OPALUS
What can we look forward to in the future from Volim?
VOLIM
We will just continue doin what we're doin; exploring and sharing new concepts that improve design methods and practice in our own work and others. We look forward to the possibilities