Raw Of The Jungle

Sydney Morning Herald

Wednesday August 13, 1997

PAIGE KILPONEN

From Morocco to Lombok, Julie Ryder translates the tribal into timeless

fashion, writes PAIGE KILPONEN.

Since graduating from the Melbourne Institute of Textiles seven years ago, Julie Ryder has travelled to remote corners of the globe, weaving her way through villages in Africa, Asia and the Pacific. She has absorbed diverse indigenous cultures and translated them to fabric design.

Her 1997-98 range of furnishing fabrics, Calabash, is infused with tribal images in earth colours of indigo, baked terracotta, ochre, rusty reds and parched oranges. "To select the colours, I looked at books and also photos I had taken when I was travelling. I look at the landscapes, the houses, the way people live," she explains. "These colours work well in Australia; they're also quite reminiscent of the outback."

As an avid collector and producer of textiles, Ryder has always favoured natural fibres, and for this range she has printed her designs on base cloths of cotton, hemp and wool. "I only use natural fibres," she says. "Natural fibres breathe and they're naturally fire retardant, which is important for homewares. I really dislike synthetic. I don't like wearing it and I don't work with it. Cotton, hemp and wool are easy to print, they have a better handle and they look better."

The Calabash collection, costing $35-$80 a metre, comprises five designs in three colourways. Prints feature boats, masks, crosses, leaves, butterflies and tie-dye stripes.

Inspiration for this collection has come from time spent in villages from Morocco to Lombok. "Although the name Calabash is African, I didn't want it to be all African so I've also used designs inspired by Indonesian, Indian and South Pacific textiles," she says. "I wanted to get a global feel. I was on a tribal trek."

For practical reason's Ryder has had to adapt some of the more traditional techniques in producing these fabrics, but the process is still very hands-on. "I create the designs by painting, collage and making my own stamps, so some of the actual design techniques are traditional," she explains. "But I've used modern techniques to produce the fabric because standards dictate that it has to last and it has to be reproduced."

The designs in this range can be specially hand-printed with colour variations to work with an existing interior colour scheme. Also, Ryder will apply her designs to other base fabrics such as silk. "Although I see the designs being used more for upholstery, curtains and cushions, some of the designs have been successfully adapted to fashion items. I've used one of the prints on chiffon scarves and they're beautiful."

Ryder's feel for raw fabrics and primitive design won her plenty of attention at this year's Interior Designex in Melbourne, and although the range sells through only a limited number of retailers locally her work has been enthusiastically received overseas. The prestigious Hong Kong department store chain Lane Crawford has placed orders for her soft furnishings range, which includes cushions, tea towels and napery.

The ability to change the overall look of a space by updating soft furnishings is one of the most exciting aspects of Ryder's work. "If you're decorating your house you can't change it every year because of the cost," she says. "But soft furnishings are more affordable; you can change the entire look of the house with new cushions, curtains or by recovering something like an ottoman."

Ryder admits that, while she is influenced by fashion movements within interior design, she has intentionally attempted to give these fabrics a timeless look. "I design according to how I feel and I go with what I think the trend is, but at the same time you can't follow fashion for homewares because fabrics used in interiors are going to be there for a lot longer than a fashion trend."

Details: Balgowlah Living, ph 9907 6809 or Julie Ryder, ph (03) 9326 5927.