– From Canvas to Couture
50 x 60 cm, acrylic and latex polymer paint on stretched canvas

This striking look from the Back in Blak runway at Melbourne Fashion Festival 20250 finds its soul in the painting “Frill Neck Country.” Like all my runway pieces, it began not as a sketch or silhouette, but as a standalone artwork—a vivid story told in pigment before it ever touched fabric.

At the heart of this piece is a frilled-neck lizard ascending a tree, drawn from a vivid childhood memory: being chased through the park at Dalby by a frilly sprinting upright, wild and unstoppable. That playful chaos stayed with me, and it’s infused here in bold colours and layered symbolism.

The orange motifs scattered along the shoreline represent my ancestors, with islands encircling the red expanse of Australia. The deep blues act as a visual metaphor—waters that separate, connect, and hold meaning. Together, these elements ground the work in cultural memory, landscape, and legacy.

This painting—and the runway look it inspired—is a celebration of wearable storytelling. It’s not fashion for fashion’s sake. It’s an offering of appreciation, an invitation to understand how identity and art fuse into every stitch and stroke.

Available for purchase - Email admin@byjoshdeane.com