Meet Harlene Del Rosario, a Gellibrand client who is making everything old new again in the world of textiles
Harlene Del Rosario, a Gellibrand ISP client for the past two years, recently exhibited her latest textile creations in her RMIT University Bachelor of Fashion Design graduation show. Harlene’s work often features repurposed ‘deadstock fabric’, which is material leftover from textile mills, over-ordered by fashion brands or designers, or fabric that has minor flaws.
“I got all this fabric from a warehouse that was giving away their old fabrics,” Harlene said, which meant it was saved from going to landfill. “I’m interested in the sustainability side of fashion because the fashion industry is actually one of the largest contributors of waste.”
Her graduate show featured digital images of her dog printed on 100% organic cotton fabric from a small Melbourne business. The show also featured fur fabric from another small business, as well as deadstock fabric. The show’s main colour was pink, Harlene’s favourite, but garments developed for it were reversible and included tetra green.
“My dog passed away at the start of the year so I decided to make the concept about reincarnation and transformation. Some of the garments you could detach parts from them and make new garments. For example, you could take the bottom panel off the pants and make shorts.”
Harlene said she uses personal experiences in her art because it allows her to be more creative in what she does.
“My concepts, I feel, are usually relatable, and also I like to incorporate diversity.”
When artists make textile items for shows they usually only make one size, but Harlene likes to expand the range.
“In my collection, it could range between a size six to an 18. I just like my garments to be more diverse in in that way. And, also, you could potentially use them for both male and female.
For another show, called ‘HIV Unwrapped’, Harlene collaborated with HIV scientists in her work.
“I used denim and patchwork to make a lab coat based on their research project,” she said.
Harlene has been busy studying for her degree for three years. She said that having Gellibrand’s ISP support worker with her had helped her deal with crowds, in which she can sometimes become anxious.
“They also spent time with me so I can have a break from the stress of uni. They take me out hiking and anywhere I want to go, really.”
Now that her university degree is finished, Harlene said she will be looking for work in the fashion industry. She is also currently preparing to take the Graduate Medical School Admissions Test in the hope of getting into medicine study in future.
“That will be combining science and fashion. But I’m just having a break now. After a busy three years!” she said.
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