Toni Matičevski () (1976) is a

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

-based

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...

fashion designer Fashion design is the Art (skill), art of applied arts, applying design, aesthetics, clothing construction, and natural beauty to clothing and its Fashion accessory, accessories. It is influenced by diverse cultures and different trends and has va ...

. Matičevski's parents migrated from the then non-independent

Republic of Macedonia North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the n ...

when it was still part of

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

. He grew up in Seddon, an inner-Western suburb of Melbourne with a sizeable

Macedonian Macedonian most often refers to someone or something from or related to Macedonia. Macedonian(s) may refer to: People Modern * Macedonians (ethnic group), a nation and a South Slavic ethnic group primarily associated with North Macedonia * Mac ...

community. Matičevski studied fashion at

RMIT University The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (abbreviated as RMIT University) is a public research university located in the city of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia., section 4(b) Established in 1887 by Francis Ormond, it is the seventh-o ...

graduating with First Class Honours. After graduating he won a Fashion Group International Award resulting in a placement with

Donna Karan Donna Karan ( ; born Donna Ivy Faske), also known as DK, is an American fashion designer and the creator of the Donna Karan New York and DKNY clothing labels. Early life and education Karan was born to mother Helen "Queenie" Faske (née Rabinow ...

in New York. Matičevski turned down an extended position at Donna Karan, deeming the power house creatively draining. Matičevski left for Paris to work two seasons at Cerruti. Matičevski returned to Melbourne in 1998 to launch his own label. In 2002, Matičevski won ''Best New Designer'' at the L'Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival with his debut demi-couture collection. The same year saw his preliminary participation in the

Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to simply as Mercedes and occasionally as Benz, is a German automotive brand that was founded in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a subsidiary of the Mercedes-Benz Group, established in 2019) is based in Stuttgart, ...

Australian Fashion Week spring and summer collections. In 2005 he tied with Kit Willow for the

Prix de Marie Claire Prix was an American power pop band formed in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1975 by Tommy Hoehn and Jon Tiven. The group ended up primarily as a studio project. Its recordings were produced by Tiven along with former Big Star member Chris Bell, who al ...

''Best New Designer'' award. Matičevski designs emotively, rejecting the norm to create such designs as his elegantly skeletal

dresses A dress (also known as a frock or a gown) is a one-piece outer garment that is worn on the torso, hangs down over the legs, and is primarily worn by women or girls. Dresses often consist of a bodice attached to a skirt. Dress shapes, silhoue ...

, held together (or to hold you together) with a bondage system of raw edged

silk Silk is a natural fiber, natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be weaving, woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is most commonly produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoon (silk), c ...

straps. These ‘nonchalantly needy’ dresses result in the wearer appearing like an intricately tied up cloud. Each season Matičevski recreates his elaborate gowns in different styles and materials while retaining a similar

silhouette A silhouette (, ) is the image of a person, animal, object or scene represented as a solid shape of a single colour, usually black, with its edges matching the outline of the subject. The interior of a silhouette is featureless, and the silhouett ...

. Matičevski has recently added a men's line to his label with fluid draping neutral

jackets A jacket is a garment for the upper body, usually extending below the hips. A jacket typically has sleeves and fastens in the front or slightly on the side. Jackets without sleeves are vests. A jacket is generally lighter, tighter-fitting, and l ...

and

trousers Trousers (British English), slacks, or pants ( American, Canadian and Australian English) are an item of clothing worn from the waist to anywhere between the knees and the ankles, covering both legs separately (rather than with cloth extending ...

Exhibitions

In 2016, a major exhibition of Matičevski's work is being held at the Bendigo Art Gallery. "Selected objects will be presented to illustrate the evolution of Toni Maticevski’s oeuvre, exploring his early influences through to his inspiration and recurrent themes in his current practice."

References

External links

Official Toni Maticevski site
*
Toni Maticevski
at ''Vogue'' Australia * 1977 births Living people Designers from Melbourne Australian fashion designers Australian company founders Australian people of Macedonian descent Helpmann Award winners RMIT University alumni {{Fashion-bio-stub