And Susan Jones has no doubt her grandfather Sir Fletcher Jones would approve of the technology that will help shine a light on his role in that history.

The debonair Plus 8 Man statue, as synonymous with the Fletcher Jones legend as the iconic Silver Ball and the once-renowned gardens, is set to be reborn.

Thanks to cutting edge 3D printing technology, a solar-powered illuminated replica statue will be unveiled with a party at the former factory’s Pleasant Hill site on Sunday, more than a decade after the original was removed from public display, damaged beyond repair.

“My grandfather would be absolutely thrilled to know that this is possible,” Ms Jones said. “He was a great enthusiast for anything new and innovative. This is quite extraordinary.”

Ms Jones, who helped secure the $35,000 funding for the project from the Jones family philanthropic foundations, the Cumorah and FJ foundations, said the unveiling would complete the story of the revival of the site of the once iconic clothing manufacturer.

“With the extraordinary generosity of Dean Montgomery and Troy Kelly (new site owner and manager), the gardens and the silver ball have been restored to their former glory. And now we have the return of this very elegant figure, the Plus 8 Man.”

So named because of the extra eight inches of fabric pleated into the waistband, Plus 8 trousers became the staple of the manufacturer in the 1940s and ‘50s, with the Plus 8 Man’s image appearing on FJ storefronts and advertising material around the country.

“Most men in Australia aspired to owning a pair,” Ms Jones said.

The popular ready-to-wear trousers were created in the late 1930s as a collaborative design by Sir Fletcher and his first tailor, Lance Munday.

In the upstairs workroom of FJs first store, The Man’s Shop, on the corner of Liebig and Koroit streets, the pair came up with the design that would help put the fledgling manufacturer on the map. The trousers laid the foundation for the business’ 1948 expansion to Pleasant Hill and a national manufacturing empire that grew to a workforce of 3000.

Memorabilia displayed in a scrapbook lovingly created by Mr Munday’s granddaughter, Michelle Cust, shows the young Warrnambool tailor went on to become Sir Fletcher’s right-hand man. 

He was sent to Melbourne to perfect his cutting technique and managed production until his early death in 1943, aged just 45.

“As a family, we are very proud of Lance’s lasting legacy to Warrnambool and as an early pioneer to fashion at the time,” Ms Cust said, recalling that her grandfather, and father Des Munday, were rarely seen not wearing FJ clothing.

Tall and handsome in his finely-tailored trousers and vest, cigarette to his lips, strongly-chiselled jaw, the Plus 8 Man epitomised movie star cool.

Unlike its predecessor which was cast from reinforced concrete, the 2.5m tall replica is a much lighter version made from a polymer coated with a weather resistant epoxy resin.

Innovative Melbourne company Seen Technology, which has one of the country’s largest 3D printers, created the statue and installed it, along with replica lettering, in the original frame on site on Friday.

It was printed in two pieces from a scan by Melbourne firm Thinglab, of a Plus 8 Man on the former FJ store on the corner of Queen and Flinders streets in Melbourne. The site is currently being redeveloped as a 24-storey hotel.

It is believed to be the first time in the world that the technology has been used to replicate a heritage-protected sculpture.

Seen Technology director of sales and innovation Rob Grosso, who will have the honour of flicking the switch at Sunday’s unveiling, said he was “extremely happy” with the finished product after being inspired by the Fletcher Jones story.

 “I read through all the history about Fletcher Jones. He was an amazing man, and you think, what a role model. I personally felt like I had to do it,” he said.

As a showcase for the company’s technology, the project will be entered into next year’s prestigious international printing awards, FESPA (Federation of European Screen Printers Associations) and several architectural awards and publications.

Heritage Victoria executive director Steven Avery welcomed the Plus 8 Man’s return, citing potential for the processes used in the project to help reconstruct other elements of heritage places or objects.

The Fletcher Jones factory and its gardens, statues and other elements were included on the Victorian Heritage Register in 2006 for their historical, social and aesthetic significance to Victoria. The original Plus 8 Man remains protected.

For Julie Eagles, Warrnambool co-ordinator of the Fletcher Jones – Stories From Our Community Project and one of the driving forces behind the rejuvenation of the site, the Plus 8 Man’s renaissance is particularly gratifying.

“It’s honouring our history. It’s heritage in the best sense of the word,” Ms Eagles said.

“It really connects with people’s stories and it’s helping to preserve a part of our history that’s so important to so many people.”

Kevin Fry was better acquainted with The Plus 8 Man than most, sharing many a quiet hour together during his 15 years from 1974 to 1989 as the FJ painter and decorator.

It was his job to keep the site looking spic and span, painting “every conceivable thing in that garden”, including the statue and the Silver Ball inside and out.

“I probably said hello to him and talked to him while I was working on him,” Mr Fry recalled.

“It will be good to see him brought back to his original status. I might even go back and say hello to him again.”

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