Warrnambool's iconic Fletcher Jones factory serves as an inspiration to Lisa Gorman's home-grown exhibition.
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Lisa Gorman and Mirka Mora: To breathe with the rhythm of the heart, opens at Warrnambool Art Gallery on Saturday, November 18. It runs until March 17, 2024.
Gorman, who grew up in Warrnambool, worked as a nurse before running her own fashion label from 1999 to 2021.
She said exhibiting her work in Warrnambool was a dream come true.
"Fletcher Jones has been a big inspiration for my life, I've always been fascinated by tartans and textiles, which has brought me to where I am in my own work," Gorman said.
"So being back in Warrnambool, particularly with the iconic Mirka Mora, is really special for my family and me.
"I've got fond memories of visiting WAG when I was in primary school and learning about Tower Hill through the (Eugene von Guerard) artwork in this particular gallery."
Several of her family members worked at the Fletcher Jones factory.
Gorman's mother Jane recounted when her daughter wanted to do be a fashion designer. She told her she'd never get a job in the industry. "And here we are," Jane said.
Jane said her daughter started designing when she was younger.
"I had a great-aunt who died and my grandmother got a little hand sewing machine and it had a little china handle on it with the black roses painted on it - that's where she was sewing when you had to do it by hand," she said. "She used to make the Barbie doll clothes for her sister."
Jane said Lisa also made her own clothes. "She'd cut the dress out and sew it up and wear it that night. It was amazing," she said.
WAG director Aaron Bradbrook said Gorman's lack of formal training linked her to Mora, who was an artist for seven decades after escaping Auschwitz during World War II.
"Through her (Mora's) father's association with the French Resistance, her and her sister and mother were one of about 100 people who escaped the internment camp," he said. Mora moved to Melbourne in 1951.
"Her first job was as a dressmaker, she wasn't trained. She adapted her processes and started making her living," Mr Bradbrook said.
The world premiere of the exhibition also includes works from Mora's estate which includes rarely exhibited embroideries, soft sculptures, and seldom before seen paintings.