Peter Dwyer Design

Culture Magazine Features the Schwarzkopf Professional Hair Expo Awards Gala

2011-06-24T22:44:00.001+10:00

Here is clip taken by Culture Magazine of the Schwarzkopf Gala Show. It explains the hair trends for the year featured in the show, which my students and I designed the costumes around.

Hair Expo Gala 2011

2011-06-23T21:15:00.009+10:00

May 2011 and the phone rings as I drive along the face of George street train terminal. The random phone call is always a good sign and suddenly I was accepting a meeting with show producer Sally Clarke who was asking me to design the next Schwarzkopf Hair Expo Gala, Darling Harbour Sydney June 2011.

Four Themes this year moving on slightly from the ones we used in 2010.

Edge Section- the tribal city girl

Pure Section- the natural beauty

Urban Section- the lights of the night - clubland

Metro Section- city slick and chic!

Here is a 5 minute slideshow of pictures taken during the backstage preparation and of the actual show:

European Holiday

2011-01-25T21:18:00.000+11:00

Fashion Pallete 2010

2010-10-14T20:47:00.002+11:00

The Schwarzkopf Show for Hair Expo 2010

2010-07-08T21:53:00.010+10:00

"The show was simply OUTSTANDING! I actually had shivers down my spine at both the level of visual impact and the quality of the work shown on stage tonight."

" . . . . . . . it moved the goalposts to a completely new level!"

Simon Ellis
Global PPS Director
Schwarzkopf Professional

Schwarzkopf Essential Looks Gala - Hair Expo 2010

2010-07-01T21:47:00.028+10:00

Schwarzkopf Creative Manager, Leesa Smith, and show producer, Sally Clarke, approached me to design the costumes for the Schwarzkopf Essential Looks Gala for Hair Expo held at the Darling Harbor Exhibition and Convention Center. Sally and I have worked our magic in the past on many other shows, but this one would prove to be the most spectacular!

I took a couple of days to reflect on the images presented to me as part of Schwarzkopf's Essential Looks portfolio. I eventually presented 15 pages of designs that contained 39 looks for the five sections of the show: Uniform, Cyber Sport, Punk Goddess, Boudoir, and New Rebel. A mad evening of faxing designs to Leesa resulted in a resounding ‘YES’ the following morning. We had the go ahead!

I could see that I needed a large team behind me. It would take a lot of time, energy and money to pull off a design project as big as this. So I approached my boss, the Managing Director of the Institute of Design Ulladulla (IDU), Karl Von Busse, to allow me to run the Schwarzkopf project through the fashion department. I believe that real projects give the students practical experience in working with real clients, budgets and time lines. These experiences are invaluable to students and provide wonderful design training. At the end of the project, they will have photos in their design portfolios as proof of their work.

I arranged a phone conversation between Leesa Smith and Karl Von Busse. Leesa was looking for a design college in which to affiliate the Schwarzkopf brand. After their conversation, Karl was happy to involve the institute in the project and was happy to promote the association between Schwarzkopf and the IDU.

We had four weeks from this point on till June 14, the night of the gala. I approached my 20 students and asked them, if they were willing and prepared to substitute a real project for their folio-based exercise. I told them it would consume their lives and all of our class time to realize the designs for such a grand scale event. They were game to take on the challenge and work on the project as design assistants.

As head of the fashion design department, I am fortunate to have gifted and dedicated staff willing to work into the night to see magic happen. Joanne Borgatti is the pattern maker and garment construction teacher in the department. I approached Joanne and contracted her to be my technician on the project. Outstanding costumes require precise attention from both designer and technician. It was the first time we had worked together and it will not be the last.

Class work began. I presented the five Schwarzkopf Essential Looks images and my approved designs for each individual garment. Students formed work teams and began to plot out the work required to achieve the look and feel. Fabrics and colors were chosen, and accessories were designed. The local hardware, retro clothing and opportunity shops became our best friends. We scoured them for objects of desire.

Every night for four weeks, day in, day out, till 3 am in the morning, Joanne and I would cut out and sew the Uniform, Punk Goddess and Boudoir costumes. In the last two weeks, we had pizza and pasta parties to cater for students staying back to assist. At the end of each night, we would set up all the work for the students for the following day.

Each student participated in the production of the costumes at whatever level of expertise they possessed. They made spikes and covered Barbie dolls in glitter for the Punk Goddess costumes. They traced patterns for Cyber Sport. They used industrial sewing machines to sew the Punk Goddess jackets and Boudoir robes. They hand stitched buttons, braids, medals and other trimmings to finish off the garments.

Rochelle Buttenshaw created the dynamic resin jewelry for the Cyber Sport section.

Two local companies in the south coast region would prove pivotal to the success of the Cyber Sport and New Rebel sections. Luckily, I have students in my course involved with both companies.

Emily Hackett’s family owns Ultimate Campers, a company specializing in the design and construction of camper vans. I approached Emily to coordinate the manufacture of garments made from fiberglass and resin for the New Rebel section of the show. We worked with Emily and her family to create garments made with brand new wearable materials.

The partner of Jodie So, another student, has a new wetsuit company called Agent Eighteen that sources Neoprene material and manufactures wetsuits out of Taiwan. I needed fresh, new colored Neoprene at a reasonable price, if the Cyber Sport section was to be a success. With the guidance and support of Agent Eighteen, we were able to negotiate the difficulties of sourcing fabrics internationally. I was to realize later that the FedEx cost to bring it into the country completely negated any savings on the cost of the material.

Coincidentally, Kim Ashlee Ord, a local resident in the middle of her degree in Fashion Design at UTS in Sydney, approached me to assist on the show. Kim added invaluable research to the project, and created a digital print mirroring the artwork provided by Schwarzkopf for the lycra suits in the Cyber Sport section. We had the print applied to high sheen lycra by Sydney based company Sublitech.

Airy Fairy Costumes in Caringbah sewed the Uniform outfits, fashion police and Cyber Sport undergarments, while Character Costumes in Marrickville sewed the Neoprene outfits for Cyber Sport. However, the staff and students of IDU made the final alterations, adjustments and styling needed to complete the sexy looks.

On the big day, all 20 students and staff worked tirelessly backstage from 11.30 am to 7.30pm to fit the models, and make the necessary alterations to perfect the looks for the stage.

If you were to ask the students what type of project they would prefer, now that the experience is just a memory, they would choose the hands on approach. They have grown as designers. They have experienced the joy of seeing their work manifested and now, they can say with honesty and pride – ‘I am a designer, and I was a design assistant on the Schwarzkopf Gala show for Hair Expo’!

It is thanks to all these people that this all happened. Their vision, hard work, belief and team work created magic on stage that evening!

IDU Ad on TV

2010-01-25T17:16:00.003+11:00

Sensation 2010 New Year's Eve Party Melbourne

2010-01-13T16:08:00.001+11:00

Sensation 'Oceans of White' VIP Hostesses

2010-01-13T15:27:00.002+11:00

I was commissioned once again by Sensation to design and produce the outfits for the VIP hostesses for their New Year's Eve dance party in Melbourne. The theme this year was 'Oceans of White'. I designed a dress inspired by 1940's swim suits.

For the accessories, we purchased rubber sea creatures from the Fish Market, which we spent Christmas and Boxing Day gluing and glittering. The octopus, lobsters and crabs made perfect headdresses.

We also bought styrofoam balls, which we painted, glittered, skewered and made into 'pearl' sashes. Finally, I completed the outfits with handmade star fishes.

Institute of Design. Ulladulla

2009-12-01T18:06:00.007+11:00

Karl Von Busse, my former boss from KVB, has started up a new design school, the Institute of Design Ulladulla. He recruited me to be Head of Fashion Design, and I officially joined his team in December.

The institute had its open day on Nov. 21. Local government officials, high school heads and teachers, potential students and teachers, and local residents were in attendance.

Contemporary Home Design

2009-10-12T18:50:00.016+11:00

I was featured in Contemporary Home Design magazine. Here is the article, which was accompanied by photographs of my designs for Hair Expo.

Born in Queensland, Peter Dwyer began his career in design by studying Fine Art in all forms, majoring in painting, drawing and ceramics but always with a flamboyant and theatrical style.

At the early age of 21, Peter accepted the position of artist in residence at the Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, and then as drawing and ceramics lecturer at Griffith University. In addition to lecturing, Peter was awarded a grant from the Australia Council for the Arts and then another from Arts Queensland, both helping Peter to create incredible bodies of art work for exhibition. Flying all over Queensland, Peter accepted commissions to paint murals and make sculptures that still stand as testimony to his artistic influence.

One of this most notable project was working with the Brisbane City Council Urban Redevelopment Unit to redesign the streetscape for the suburb of New Farm, a project that lead him into architecture and design for the public sphere.

After a stint as costume and set designer for the contemporary dance season of the Southern Ballet Company in New Zealand, Peter developed a taste for fashion. One-year intensive pattern making and construction at TAFE Queensland and three years fashion design study at East Sydney Tech, supported by part-time work with Nicola Finetti, enabled Peter to combine his experience in fine art and love of tailoring, leading to his first collection which was presented at the illustrious Mercedes Australian Fashion Week in 2000. It was a coup for the fresh face in fashion and he became renowned for slightly abstract, yet wearable pieces, with material choice and composition definitely falling left of centre.

After graduating from East Sydney, Peter worked full-time with Nicola Finetti and then Carla Zampattie in the coveted roles of design assistant, which gave him a great insight into the business side of the industry.

With so much knowledge and experience, Peter was appointed head of the fashion department at the KVB Institute of Technology for four years. This lead to his current position as head of the styling department for the Whitehouse Institute of Design in Sydney and Melbourne, where he has designed and now directs Australia's first degree in Styling and Creative Direction.

At DesignEX 2008, Peter was asked to create a stage performance for "Changing Rooms", a show that focused on the idea of resdesigning one room constantly around the themes of beach, city and country. The performance showed the audience how to recreate a room on a daily basis.

Peter has also been heavily involved with Sydney's hair industry, collaborating with the state's top hair stylists to create their photographic looks. After presenting a show of 10 paper ball gowns for Suki Hairdressing at Hair Expo, Peter was appointed fashion director for Sharon Blain's Art of Hair 2006 Hair Expo Finale show and Adam Noble's 2007 Hair Expo Finale show.

Over the years, Peter has become one of the most sought-after stylists and visionaries in the fashion world and complements this by passing on his knowledge to his students. He is a man to watch and we look forward to seeing many more tantalising designs in the near future.

Fashion Pallete

2009-10-05T19:53:00.003+11:00

I was a guest speaker at the inaugural Fashion Pallete event held at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre. The event, hosted by Ruby Rose of MTV fame, is the first ever event to allow budding fashion designers and members of the public the chance to learn from leading fashion figures. I presented a 45 minute interactive and visual presentation to an audience of 800 on my personal career journey. Some of the other speakers included Peter Morrissey, Mimco, Insight, InStyle and Daniel Herman of Switzerland.

Sensation NYE 2009 White Party in Melbourne

2009-01-12T11:23:00.012+11:00

We designed and produced the outfits for the VIP hostesses for the international dance party, Sensation! 20 girls all looking like runaway brides with a ballerina twist - tutus, stretch tops, PVC petal skirts, and love hearts and doves in their hair. The girls loved the outfits. The Sensation team were great to work with. I look forward to more costume fun. Same time this year.

Rosemount Fashion Festival

2008-08-14T23:23:00.006+10:00

Oglivy Action, the communications company in charge of creating profile opportunities for Rosemount Estate, invited me to design a dress made from wine lables for the Rosemount Fashion Festival launch party at the Loft club in Sydney. In a couple of days, I coordinated the construction of a glamourous black taffeta ball gown. I extended the opportunity to my first year styling students in the degree program at the Whitehouse Institute, and encouraged them to participate by pinning on the labels from large at the hemline to small at the top. Our gorgeous model, Heidi, modeled the garment over a four hour period, while we worked to attach the labels. In the end, the client was blown away and we had a great time creating this stunning garment for Rosemount.

Abu Dhabi Nights

2008-08-01T19:18:00.002+10:00

Created the following outfits for Liz and Roderick for their farewell party as they move to Abu Dhabi.

Fashion Illustration at Fashion Weekend

2008-05-20T22:41:00.006+10:00

Sunbeam Australia sponsors the Whitehouse Institute of Design. They asked me to design a stand for them to profile their products at the Sydney Fashion Weekend. I incorporated a fashion illustration element into the design. Here are a couple of the images I produced. I drew 28 images in six hours.

Slutty swimsuits nearly in view... next time!

2008-05-11T13:55:00.004+10:00

Adam Noble invited me to design a look for his photographic submission for Hair Expo. Adam wanted something simple and dramatic. Large necklaces were in his mind and I designed sexy swim suits in pearlescent color. The swim suits were so small, I called them postage stamps with straps. The following images capture the top half of the look as Adam needed more detailed head shots .

Women in Armors

2008-05-01T22:22:00.002+10:00

Amanda Craig from the Nischler Salon in Hobart asked me to design a concept for her photo submission for Hair Expo. 'Joan of Arc' was the theme I came up with, using silver cardboard held together with gold split pins to create armors. Nine shots in all, here are a few. Couldn't stop the photographer, Wendel Toledo, photo shopping the hell out of the images.

Culture Magazine

2007-08-27T00:03:00.004+10:00

I am featured in the "Style File" section of the August/September 2007 issue of Culture Magazine, the premier hair fashion magazine in Australia. The photo below, which accompanies the article, was taken by Kylie Coutts at my studio. Here is an excerpt from the article:

How would you describe your style?
I am definitely interested in theatrical and dramatic expression - let it be larger than life.
Define a 'fashion tragedy'?
Somebody who does not try! It's a tragedy to live life without passion.
Who do you think has great style?
John Galliano's recent collection for Dior demonstrates such stylish vision; the whole team must be exceptional. The opening scenes of Madonna's Confessions Tour concert in London took my breath away-mixing tailoring, bondage and equestrian sytle. The music videos of Christina Aguilera also show greating styling.
What do you think is your best feature?
My imagination. I have been accused of living in 'la la' land, but I believe in Unique Beauty and i love being a part of its creation. I'm optimistic-magic does happen and just when you need it! And I'm intuitive and spontaneous, that's a must in our industry.
What are your three tips for feeling great?
1) Prepare good food and share it with others.
2) Dress up! Go on, make the effort.
3) Go to bed early with your lover and don't get out till brunch the next day. Then you can start all over again!

The issue includes an event wrap of Hair Expo 2007. Accompanying the various pictures from our show "The Byrds" is a very flattering review, which I have added to "The Byrds" blog further below.

Whitehouse Shoot

2007-08-26T22:58:00.001+10:00

As the head of the Styling and Design Coordination department for the Whitehouse Institute of Design, it fell to me to style a photo shoot for the college. The images are needed for a new institute brochure and for inclusion in the new Whitehouse web site. Tha garments are really ornate in nature, so it was a challenge for the styling direction to keep the detail and still look slick and directional. Of course, the success of any shoot relies upon the skills of the team: hair by Suki Hairdressing, makeup by Vanessa Eisenberg, styling assistance by Claire Hansen, Mirriam Andersen- Ward and Brad Preston, and photography by Kylie Coutts.

Diva Awards

2007-08-25T10:49:00.000+10:00

DIVA= Drag Industry Variety Awards. Now you don't get a more willing client than a Drag performer wishing to out do every other drag queen at the DIVA night at the Australian Jockey Club. Damien Ross is a performer working full time in the 'Priscilla, Queen of the Desert' cast, and needed to make an enterance as 'Freeda Corsett' her drag performer identity. Our mutual friend, Paul Gambin (who is on the board of the DIVA committee), introduced us and it was a designer/client marriage made in heaven. I designed and constructed a black satin 40's glamour gown under a faux fur coat trailing an 8 meter boa around the hem. Of course, I had the expert assistance of Charles Chan to 'build' this beautiful coat as it was physically impossible to push 12 meters of fur under the machine.

Cutting to the chase, Freeda won 'Belle of the Ball' and another drag performer demanded Freeda leave the coat to her in her will. At the event we had the pleasure to meet celebrity photographer Morgan Carpenter. Morgan captured some very descriptive images of Freeda. Here is one I like and you can see Morgans complete portfolio at samesame.com.au

In addition to Freeda's outfits, Paul Gambin and Finbar Leong requested suits in my beatuiful jacquard fabrics for the event.

The Byrds

2007-07-22T13:23:00.002+10:00

In June 2007, Goldwell/KMS offered Adam Noble of Next Hair Salon in Canberra the 30 minute finale show for Hair Expo. Adam approached producer/choreographer Sally Clark to coordinate the models and movements, and Ross Fairhurst and his team to design all the make-up. I was invited to design and produce the outfits, 32 in total, along the theme of 'Birds'. Below you may recognise outfits resembling canaries, flamingoes, magpies, penguins, hawks, swans and peacocks. These photos were taken and generously supplied by Wendell of Tito Media.

The following review of the show appears in the August/September 2007 issue of Culture Magazine:

Welcome to Birdland
A brilliant counterpoint to the melting pot of themes and fantasy on show in Generation Next was a sublime show by Canberra wunderkid Adam Noble and his team at Next Hair. Sponsored by Goldwell and brilliantly portraying fashion as an advanced form of bird life (with a cheeky David Attenborough running commentary), Adam in collaboration with the Whitehouse School's brilliant fashion designer Peter Dwyer, took more than 1200 people in the audience on a journey that featured 'bird life' of all descriptions and personality traits. From the self-possessed peacock, through the street tough magpie, the pretty flamingo down to penguins and birds of prey, all manner of fashion and behaviour was exposed. One of the most brilliant shows to ever hit the Hair Expo gala stage fusing killer hair, including Adam's bespoke precision cutting, to couture fashion with fun and a touch of fantasy.

Paper for money

2007-07-16T19:08:00.000+10:00

Evelyn Miles shoes were in the process of designing their next add campaign and asked me to design one of my signature 'Paper Dresses' for them. The paper TuTu is a wonderful piece and I have won awards with it in the past, so I decided to offer them a fresh piece. It took seven hours to create. I instructed the Melbourne stylist (sorry can't remember her name) to cut down the individual paper strands to reveal the model. It should be fitted higher on the crotch line, but never mind, it still looks great.

Working with snakes

2007-07-15T18:16:00.000+10:00

In Feburary this year, I was invited to assist Amanda from the Nishler Hair Salon in Hobart, create a shoot for her hair submission, along with photographer, Ian Golding. She had the idea to use live snakes, so I felt that an appropriate styling strategy would be to create a look that related to either 'Cleopatra' or 'Medusa'. I had seven pairs of Gold Bikinis made up and flew in to Tasmania with two suit cases of gold jewlery ( generously loaned by Conte Moda in Sydney) and "Hey Presto!!" Cleopatra with snakes!

Restrained

2007-07-14T21:43:00.000+10:00

Matthew Nischler from the Nischler salon in Hobart invited me to design and style a shoot for him, with Ian Golding behind the camera. I had an idea to do a beauty shoot with girls tied up to industrial rubbish - 'Beauty thrown away'. In the end, the "tossed away" element was toned down, however my 'hording' is still evident in the background. If I was to have my way, the vague facial expressions need more distress, and a lot more 'bondage'. Oh well , next time!!

Cars and Couture

2007-07-13T21:34:00.000+10:00

Being part of a wonderful team ensures a successful job. PR agency George P Johnson handles the Lexus account and wanted a fashionable approach for the Lexus reveal, during the 2007 International Sydney Motor Show. They (luckily for me) engaged Sally Clark to produce the reveal and she proposed a 'Spring Racing Carnival' theme. As we have a successful working relationship, she offered me the task of styling the event. Sharon Blain from The Art of Hair performed a spectacular job with classically styled up do's, and the talented Julie Elton applied the make-up. I spent weeks designing and pushing 'Sinamay' (spelling) under the machine to create, what i think, are fabulous 'race day' hats. It's all about colour and movement. This is one of the highlights of my year, event couture at such a stylish level. Bring it on!!!!

Paper Ball Gowns

2007-06-20T22:18:00.002+10:00

Kate Jones from Suki Hair Design was entering the Generation Next showcase at Hair Expo 2006, and needed a creative director to conceptualise a show for her. I am mad about paper and proposed a show consisting of 10 paper ball gowns using recycled paper. The electro pleated paper was provided by Rado Pleaters in Surry Hills. My students from the Styling Department worked with me for 4 weeks (2 days per week) to design and construct these wonderful 'garments'. Here is a 6 minute video of the show.

Paper Dresses

2007-06-15T22:33:00.000+10:00

The preparation for the photo shoot.

Photo shoot with Kylie Coutts.

Wearble Art

2007-06-10T12:42:00.000+10:00

In March 2006, Suki Hairdressing asked me to design a photo shoot for Julia, one of their staff. She had an idea to use jewelry as clothing. It took 8 hours to create 9 wearable art pieces out of 'nothing' . Here are a couple of shots from the day.

7 Deadly Sins

2007-06-05T13:02:00.000+10:00

In January 2006, Brooke Blackwell from the Nischler Hair Salon in Hobart invited me to design a photo shoot along the lines of the 'Seven Deadly Sins'. What fun it is to tell small stories, using the body and the enviropnment. Clothing was sourced from my own collection, whilst jewelry was generously supplied by Alistair Trung and Conte Moda.