INTERVIEW with Kelcie Bryant-Duguid || 2026 Finalist for The Australian Wearable Art Festival
SD: Can you please introduce yourself to my readers who don’t know you yet?
KBD: Hi, I’m Kelcie Bryant-Duguid. I am a visual artist and educator living on Dharawal land in regional NSW. I have a multidisciplinary art practice that is materials based with many works having a foundation in textiles or textile-based methodologies. My work is based around language and storytelling. And I especially enjoy creating wearable artworks.
SD: How and when did you get into wearable art?
KBD: My former career as a secondary school teacher of Textiles and Design, Design Technology and Visual Arts saw me support students in the development of their major projects from which wearable art is an area of investigation. I belong to a number of textile and fibre art guilds and through these groups I began exhibiting my textile work. The early wearable art garments I made were as sculptural forms that could be hung or displayed in a gallery setting. I treated the garment surfaces as canvases for messages, decoration and self-expression, as a medium for protest, and a way to explore internal and external narratives about the life and experience of women and girls.
The utilisation of the female dress form developed as part of my art practice in 2014. I knew about WOW in NZ and while looking online I came across Paper on Skin in TAS, Wearable Art Mandurah in WA and then AWAF in QLD. I was curious and decided to be brave and give it a try. In 2020 I was selected as a finalist in all three Australian competitions which was incredibly exciting and affirming. I applied online sending a proposal design or photographs of completed designs, (depending on the competition guidelines) and from there I was hooked. The first events occurred during Covid19 lockdowns, so I had to utilise materials I had on hand. Many of the competitions have a recycled/ sustainable philosophy and many of the garments that sit in this space are constructed from junk, recycled, upcycled, repurposed materials, so this was the starting point from where my work emerged.
SD: What advice would you give to a younger version of yourself when you were starting out in wearable art?
KBD: I grew up on a farm, where everything has a purpose. While imagination was encouraged it took me many years as an adult to begin to make things that were not seen as being practical or could be worn as fashion. It took time for me to create work that would have previously been perceived as perhaps ‘indulgent’, as its sole purpose is steeped in creativity as art.
For some, the purpose of wearable art may be seen as unnecessary, for others it is food for the soul. With this in mind, my advice would be to follow your heart and passion. To do what brings you joy.
I have so much advice. I repeat mantras and words of encouragement to myself every day. I stick them on the fridge and places I can see them to remind myself that I can do this! They keep me focused and on track and keep self-doubt at bay.
Pursue the things that excite you. Stay curious. Persist. Believe in yourself. You will fail. Your work will be rejected. The world will not end. Dust yourself off and try again. Get out of your head. Action the things that wake you up in the middle of the night. Try it out. See what happens, explore, investigate and see where it leads you. Don’t be intimidated. Follow your curiosity. Reach further. Be bold. Trust the process. Push through. You will never be truly ready. It will never be perfect. Take the risk, do it anyway. You’ve got this! If you want it – go for it!
SD: What keeps you inspired?
KBD: I find inspiration everywhere. In my wearable art making practice, I am interested in creating garments that portray strong, capable women who do not need to be rescued, who are active participants in their own destiny, who rely upon their own skills, knowledge and wisdom when navigating the world. I frequently draw from folktales and storybook narratives repositioning the 'damsel in distress' trope in a new light. No longer the helpless beauty needing to be saved or rescued, the female archetype is challenged, and her story retold. I celebrate women and girls who come of age and have confidence, curiosity and agency and who draw upon the wisdom and experience of their peers and forebears and the generations of women who have gone before them as they embrace change and the challenges ahead.
In the works I make I like to incorporate tradition handcrafted techniques in modern, contemporary and unexpected ways. I like to use unusual materials that make you question what is fashion? What is design? What is art? I like to challenge cultural norms and introduce humour and flip well established narratives of what it means to be a girl.
I guess I am inspired because I still have more to say.
SD: Explain your understanding of sustainable fashion practices and how you incorporate them into your design process.
KBD: When I first started designing and making wearable art for competitions, I decided to utilise materials that I already had at home. I have always been thrifty and economical. I embrace the idea of minimising my waste and repurposing materials that would otherwise go to landfill.
I have a background in garment manufacture include couture and bridal wear, so the construction of my wearable garments has a strong foundation incorporating these production and manufacture techniques and philosophies. Some of my wearable art garment adopt couture techniques utilising unusual materials such as bicycle inner tubes and foil helium balloons, cardboard packaging. aluminium drink cans among others, only upon closer inspection would the true materials be revealed. I enjoy including this unexpected element in the work I create.
I am drawn to the idea of experimenting with ‘non-precious’ materials. I find I am greatly freed in my thinking and approach to making as the fear of ruining something expensive or precious is removed. Working with found materials changes your mindset from one of scarcity to one of abundance. Making mistakes is not an expensive exercise so you can trial and experiment in a way that you can’t with ‘specialty’ and expensively sourced materials. There is no sense of waste or carelessness when working with otherwise discarded items, they are plentiful and by using them you are both minimising landfill and adding value to something that previously had none.
A sustainable practice conserves resources, reduces consumption, minimises environmental impact, is economical and considers the planet and future generations. It is thoughtful in its use, reuse and re-imagining of materials and is a core principle of my art practice. I frequently combine preloved materials with household waste recycled items. It is satisfying to make use of what we have and reduce our consumer and carbon footprint for future generations. It also forces you to be creative and inventive in ways you might not otherwise be.
SD: You’re a 2026 finalist in the Australian Wearable Art Festival. What excited you most about this?
KBD: Being a 2026 finalist in the Australian Wearable Art Festival is thrilling and affirming and extremely exciting to be a part of. Every year the competition gets better and better. As a designer, you develop an idea, put together your application and hope it will resonate with the selection panel. This will be my fifth year as a finalist and the anticipation and excitement are no different. The relief and elation upon learning that your work has been accepted is just the beginning.
I enjoy the problem solving and physical work involved in the creation of an entry. The rhythmic calm of making repetitive design elements, the experimentation, triumph and failures alike. The innovation and exploration comprise a rollercoaster of emotions as you embrace the process. Sampling and auditioning components, as your design develops until they sing when combined to create your earlier imagined work. I enjoy it all. There are always challenges along the way, problems to solve, lessons to learn, moments of artistic growth.
The privilege of creating something you dreamt of and seeing it transformed on a catwalk in a profession setting to a captivated audience is both humbling and enormously gratifying. There are so many people involved in bringing your work to life, light, sound, hair and makeup combined. Photography and film capture the event. The collaboration with your model is a unique relationship in trust and respect. There is nothing better than seeing your vision brought to life in ways you could not have even dreamed of yourself. You cannot do it alone and that’s what makes it so exciting and satisfying. Being part of this extraordinary event with so many creative, passionate professionals – there’s nothing like it!
Tickets are going fast. Go and buy tickets to see Kelcie Bryant-Duguid in The Australian Wearable Art Festival here
The Australian Wearable Art Festival Website: https://australianwearableart.com.au/
The Australian Wearable Art Festival Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/australianwearableart/
The Australian Wearable Art Festival Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/australianwearableart/
Kelcie Bryant-Duguid:
Website: http://kelciebryantduguid.weebly.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kelciebryantduguid/
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/kelciebryantduguidartist
Photo Credits:
First Photo + Second Photo: Model Bianca Bee and photographed by Colin McLellan