Romance Was Born
National Portrait Gallery, Canberra
This portrait defies the limits of a singular photographic moment. Artist Samuel Hodge, a long-time collaborator of the pair, mined his personal archive to create this dual portrait that celebrates the 20-year anniversary of the brand. Deftly combining hundreds of photographs of the designers and their collections – from candid moments to backstage preparation and official campaigns – Hodge’s portrait is both intimate and expansive. Paying tribute to the dynamism, playfulness, vitality and chaos of creative practice, each photograph amassed in this work offers us a glimpse into the world of Romance Was Born but also Plunkett and Sales as people. From afar, these image fragments appear like luminous gemstones – a nod to the splendid, riotous colour that defines Romance Was Born’s designs.
Major changemakers in Australian fashion, designers Anna Plunkett and Luke Sales founded Romance Was Born in 2005. The first Australian label to be included in one of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute exhibitions, Romance Was Born have dressed high-profile people including Björk, Miley Cyrus, Caroline Kennedy and Cate Blanchett.
Commissioned with funds provided by Hayley Baillie 2025
© National Portrait Gallery of Australia.
photographic installation, collaged pigment prints, wallpaper (overall: 195.3 cm x 460.0 cm depth 5.9 cm)