By Keely Deighton
Remuse is a Melbourne-based fashion label offering a range of gender neutral fashion inspired by the earth and nature. Tamara Leacock the designer, works with artisan techniques, recycled fabrics and low-impact dyes to create her trans-seasonal designs. With the philosophy of creating ethical garments utilising natural fabrics, Remuse has become a truly unique Australian brand.
“I wanted to offer another narrative and aesthetic for earth and nature inspired fashion. I also wanted to build a platform for visuals in the ethical fashion sphere that were truly reflective of the diversity of our world, as opposed to the narrow view that I felt was continued to be portrayed in ethical fashion,” says Tamara about why she established Remuse.
When designing, Tamara is informed by shapes, silhouettes and colour palettes but also considers how “human emotions interact with the world around”.
“It starts with an emotion, a human emotion, and how that human emotion interacts with the world around [us]. That thought informs the shapes, silhouettes and colour palette. The dyes are where I allow water and nature to take its own course.”
After the garment shapes are finalised, the dyeing process begins. The hand dyeing techniques used in each collection are informed by a specific theme. “The dyes are where I allow water and nature to take its own course” says Tamara. The final product “is a fusion of my preconceived human ideas with the structured spontaneity of natural elements” explains Tamara.
Being ethical is important to Remuse, says designer Tamara “it is the only way forward. We have a finite planet and that has become more evident now more than ever. We cannot continue to produce work that is destructive [to the environment]”.
With this in mind, Tamara uses natural fabrics, sourced locally in Australia and globally following the Global Organic Textile Standards (GOTS). She also uses recycled materials when she can.
Tamara says she enjoys working with cellulose fibres (plant materials) with known origins such as those sourced in Pakistan, India and Australia. Remuse is also accredited by Ethical Clothing Australia (ECA), which means that the brand’s supply chain is considered to be ‘ethical’.
A supply chain is a process of steps that lead to the production of a product, to make this operation ethical a brand must enforce safe working conditions and fair wages for workers. Ethical Clothing Australia works with brands like Remuse to ensure these measures are put in place.
To learn more about what ECA do, go to ethicalclothingaustralia.org.au
Remuse is a gender-inclusive brand, which means that the garments aren’t made with a specific gender in mind. This is an integral part of the brand’s ethos.
“Restrictive gender binaries only served as sociopolitical tools for many of our countries but are not reflective of real people’s identities and lives. It is time we create clothing from a truthful place,” Tamara says.
Gender neutral garments are designed to avoid the typical stereotypes of gendered clothing, and can be worn by anyone regardless of how they identify. Gender neutral garments are becoming very important in the fashion industry as we move away from the binary of clothing.
Moving into the future, Tamara has a number of plans for Remuse that fit into the core principles of the brand.
“[I’m interested in working on] more multidisciplinary partnerships, branching out into new textile design techniques and exploring innovative ways to share our work on digital platforms.”
To buy Remuse, go to remuse.shop. You can follow the brand on Instagram at @remusedesigns
Discover more interesting independent Australian fashion brands in our Brands & Designers section.
