Donna Sgro

...designing as a means of communicating feelings and perceptions

The Donna Sgro label is based in Sydney, Australia and launched in 2007. Having a strong interest in creativity and individual expression, I launched the label knowing I needed to create a journey for myself, and a means to be expressive of my difference. Always standing apart and wanting to communicate this, I knew I would eventually begin my own creative journey. I studied Art Theory and Philosophy originally and developed a specific fascination with modernism, particularly futurism, surrealism and dada. I loved the offbeat curiosity with ways to create new, poetic work and wanted to further this research in a way that could become more permanent. So with this in my mind, at a later time I decided to study fashion and textile design.

DESIGN
I found designing to be a fantastic outlet for creativity and a means to communicate feelings and perceptions about aesthetics in a way that other people could relate to and appreciate. Following completion of my fashion and textiles design education, the Donna Sgro label was launched.

COLOUR AND CONTRAST
The label represents colour and contrast combined with a subtle sculpturing and tailored approach, with high attention to quality details and trims. The aesthetic is graphic with clear, concise colours and also includes digital textile prints. The garments are beautifully finished inside and out, with high attention given to sourcing quality fabrication, and refining fit.

MUSIC AND SUBCULTURE
My great love of music, film, popular culture and subcultural movements which also proves a great source of constant research and referencing, injecting the collections with a necessary humour and edge. Recent influence includes T-Rex, Battles, the musical instrument Reactable, vintage toy robots and photography by Ernst Schwitters. But this is always shifting.

ACCESSORIES
I currently design laser-cut accessories which complement the fashion ranges and I expect this will develop with coming ranges to include other objects, design projects or collaborative works.

STRANGE GAMES
The new range, Strange Games, for Spring/Summer 0809 in Australia includes quality sports inspired fabrics and trims sourced from Japan and New Zealand, and gives the range a fun, light-hearted, futuristic and sportive feel. The range uses reflective and metallic fabrics, and includes a fantastic metallic mesh jacket that helps define the feeling of the range, together with electric blue and frosted black accessories strung with light reflective flash cord.

STARTING FROM NOTHING
The hardest but also most rewarding part of starting the Donna Sgro label is working to build a brand from the ground up and securing necessary support from industry to help this progress. Slowly but surely the Donna Sgro label is building stockists who appreciate what the label represents and the future that awaits…

DONNA SGRO NJAL