PUBLISHED IN VAULT: AUSTRALASIAN CULTURE
ISSUE 24 · NOVEMBER to JANUARY 2019
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Find a scarf that has pizzazz, and it’ll do more than just keep you warm. For Brad McGlashan, founder of Sydney-based niche boutique SKARFE, scarves are the ultimate wardrobe accoutrement.
Lightweight and versatile, they have the ability to elevate personal style and complement seasons. As a passionate scarf-hunter, McGlashan founded the vanguard luxury label in 2013 to address the market gap for character- rich and distinctive scarves. This led to collaborations with contemporary artists to turn their paintings and illustrations into eye-catching textiles. “It’s always a thrill to see artworks come alive in a completely different medium,” says McGlashan, who has translated the striking works of Jess Johnson, Karen Black, Nell, Lucas Grogan and Sally Bourke into semi-transparent silk and cashmere modal wraps. Among his bestsellers is Black’s Licking the Rain, a whirlpool of cherry, lemon and pine-green figures that reflect the vibrant chaos of the artist’s Kings Cross neighbourhood.
Then there’s Johnson’s wild-worlded Gilgamesh and Bourke’s flowy, ghost-faced mountains that are “perfect for the adventurous buyer,” McGlashan muses. “That said, someone who isn’t necessarily into art, but who likes to experiment with fashion, can still layer our scarves around their neck – and voilà, they’re wearing a diaphanous heap of colourful shapes.”
Aside from its Potts Point flagship and online store, SKARFE is also stocked at galleries, museum shops and art hotels around Australia. In October, it expanded to a sister store in Hobart after McGlashan noticed many tourists visiting MONA and developing an avid interest in art. “Our scarves become a nice crossover for them,” he says. “It’s rewarding to introduce artists and artworks to people this way.”
Images: Jess Johnson for Skarfe Gilgamesh Scarf 2016, Re-editioned 2018 100% Silk Twill, Hand-rolled Hems, 110x158cm | Karen Black for Skarfe Licking the Rain Scarf, 2017 Cashmere & Modal, Hand-rolled & Fringed, 136x170cm | WORLD New Zealand Catwalk Scarf, 2017 100% Silk Chiffon, Hand-rolled Hems, 136x136cm | Victoria Smyth Tree Anemone Scarf, 2016 100% Silk Habotai, Hand-rolled Hems, 136X186cm | Jess Johnson for Skarfe Gilgamesh Scarf 2016, Re-editioned 2018 100% Silk Twill, Hand-rolled Hems, 110x158cm.
PRODUCTS: ALL IMAGES COPYRIGHT. 2017. Dragon Papillon Photography© All Rights Reserved | STYLED MODEL IMAGES by Natasha Foster ©