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How this local female collective is helping to redefine how we view women in fashion

In conversation with Lara Vrkic of The Ladies Network

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The Ladies Network may only be a year old but they’re already making some serious moves in giving female creatives a powerful platform to promote their work and message. Born out of a desire to do some cool, creative shit with mates, the collective is now a go-to source when it comes to discovering the leading ladies in arts, both locally and internationally.

Probably one of the most visible conversations being had right now is the need for diversity in the fashion industry, specifically when it comes to the representation of women in fashion. We’re all familiar with the images perpetuated by some of the biggest names in fashion but we also know that there are so many other ways of seeing and appreciating the female form outside of this often restrictive view. This is not only an important conversation that needs to continue within the industry but is also the focus of The Ladies Network’s current art exhibition, on show during Sydney’s Vivid Festival.

Reclaim the Image specifically taps awesome female creatives and celebrates their ‘alternative’ representations of the feminine form and women in fashion. From what we’ve been able to preview (just take a look at some of the intriguing images in the gallery above), it’s set to be a fun and eye-opening showcase of female talent.

We caught some time with The Ladies’ curator Lara Vrkic to talk about the exhibition and how we can all add to a positive change in women’s representation in fashion (even Kim Kardashian).

For those that might not be familiar, can you tell us a bit about how The Ladies Network came about?

The Ladies Network came about around the middle of 2015. It was a way for me to gain some experience working to complement what I was studying at uni and an excuse to be able to work on something collaborative with my friends. It was initially going to be a once-off exhibition that featured art by 30 of my female friends. We called the exhibition The Ladies and used the Thrasher font for everything – we wanted it to be a celebration of badass female art and thought that, at the least, we could all share the costs of having an exhibition and throw a little party. Following the exhibition, I got so many messages asking about when the next one would be and how people could be involved – incredibly from a range of emerging and established female creatives. We realised at that point the importance of a regular space like we had created and The Ladies was born!

How much has the landscape changed for creative women in Australia over the past year?

It’s incredible to see how supportive people have become of female spaces. It’s hard to tell whether I’m now noticing it because I’m so a part of it all but I love seeing more women in group shows and more solo shows by female artists. The best thing I think is the dialogue that’s happening though. I feel like it’s turned around from being somewhat negative to largely positive. It’s great to see a landscape that focuses on supporting women in showcasing their work aside from the negative discourse of inequality. While it’s important to talk about those aspects of our past I think it’s more productive to have an environment that focuses on women that are moving things forward.

What was it that made you choose the specific artists featured in the exhibition?

The artists I chose for the exhibition were chosen more for their attitude to art making than their work in a way. I love working with girls that are incredibly proactive in getting women involved in projects. A couple of the girls I approached to be in the show, Mayan Toledano and Grace Miceli, are both incredibly inspiring for this reason. Both live in New York—Mayan works on the label It’s Me and You, and Grace works with a gallery in New York—both projects are heavily focused on groups of females collaborating together on projects. I also love choosing girls that wouldn’t consider there work to be art or show their work in an exhibition setting. A couple of the artists were first-time exhibitors which was a really cool process to be a part of.

Diverse representations of women in fashion are obviously long overdue, but do you think the average consumer / observer of the fashion industry is ready to accept alternative representations of women’s bodies?

The panel that Catalogue Magazine put together for [our] event was incredibly inspiring. It’s something I hadn’t thought about too much because I just assumed everyone would be keen and ready to see a more diverse range of women in fashion. Helene, the founder of Lonely Lingerie spoke about some of the campaigns that they have done for the brand and how they will often get a range of responses, most positive and some negative, in relation to body hair and body types most specifically. I think it’s about the industry exposing consumers to this kind of imagery more often. It’s all about creating a new norm and I think it’s their responsibility to re-educate consumers about what should be expected. I think Lonely are really leading the way in this respect.

What is your take on the feminist statements made by personalities such as Emily Ratajkowski and Kim Kardashian?

I love talking about feminism and celebrities ahah! We will often have big discussions amongst our friends, and Kim Kardashian’s recent post was a good one. I feel very torn with the whole situation. On one hand I think we control what women should do and say way too much. If Kim Kardashian wants to be that kind of feminist then go her but I think it’s problematic when these people have such huge platforms and become the norm for feminism. I also have a problem with the fact that they have huge PR teams and use the whole feminist label to their advantage sometimes.

What are some of the most important things you’ve learned as a leader since being involved with The Ladies Network?

I think being a leader is one of the most challenging things. I’m still learning so much about having that kind of responsibility but I think the most important things are being supportive, encouraging, and vulnerable.

Besides aligning with collectives such as The Ladies Network, are there any crucial elements that female creatives need to thrive in their chosen field?

I think collectives are becoming a really important part about being an artist. The internet has made it incredibly easy to join something existing or to create your own. Other than that, having a mentor is really helpful or having someone that can motivate you and guide you. Being creative is a really hard job and unfortunately not many people are able to be a creative full time, so having someone give you goals and encourage you throughout your process is crucial sometimes in order to not become disillusioned with the whole industry. It’s really tough.

If you’re in Sydney in the very near future, make sure you head down to the exhibition space to view some of the beautiful and intriguing works on show for Reclaim the Image from Saturday June 11 – Saturday June 25. And if you can’t make it down, photography prints will be available for purchase online.

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