Vivian Chan Shaw - Timeless fashion with integrity

Shaw’s daughter, Claudia, who is also her business partner and co-designer, came to Tamworth last week to curate the exhibition, which opened last Tuesday and will be on show until June 4.

As the exhibition opening coincided with Easter, the gallery hosted a “conversation” between mother and daughter on Thursday.

Vivian Chan Shaw: 40 Years – A Retrospective, traces the label’s evolution, from the first collection of fabric garments in the 1970s through to the unique, hand-loomed knitwear that has earned Vivian Chan Shaw a global reputation. 

The future direction of the label is represented by body adornments, including hand-made jewellery and contemporary neckpieces featuring cinnabar, jade and other precious stones. 

This inspiring exhibition comprises garments, jewellery, photographs, video and ephemera spanning 40 years. 

The exhibits are drawn from the Vivian Chan Shaw archive, Powerhouse Museum and private loans from clients.

Vivian Chan Shaw started her fashion career in Sydney in the 1960s as a designer and fashion co-ordinator for leading bridal fabric specialists, René and Canns. 

She then moved on to fashion retail as manager for In Shoppe and The House of Merivale.

In 1972, building on her background in design and retail, Vivian opened her own boutique, Jeunesse, in the Royal Arcade beneath the Sydney Hilton Hotel. 

Here she established a following for her exquisitely detailed designs, made from jersey, silk and panné velvet. 

Her one-off garments caught the attention of international stars such as Dionne Warwick, Bo Derek, Margaux Hemingway and Roberta Flack. 

The 1980s saw Vivian switch to knitwear and the opening of her flagship store in Sydney’s Queen Victoria Building in 1986, which was the label’s home for 28 years.

Vivian recognised early in her career that to survive in the fickle world of fashion, one’s label had to be unique. 

Her timeless, hand-loomed knit designs prompted Sportswear International magazine to name Vivian Chan Shaw “a master of knit who would rival the Missonis”. 

The designs draw on Vivian’s rich and vibrant heritage. Softly-draped garments echo the unstructured lines of classical Chinese costume. 

Themes explored include Chinoiserie, geometrics, signature bold colours and space-dyed blends, appliqué and hand beading. 

The collections of four decades demonstrate the influence of heritage and its place in Australian society.

With so many of her contemporaries now no longer in the fashion business, Vivian Chan Shaw is a survivor in a difficult and challenging industry. 

By creating timeless pieces that don’t go out of fashion from season to season, and which can be worn by women of many sizes, Vivian Chan Shaw was promoting sustainable dressing before sustainability became fashionable or an imperative. 

Her technically complex work constantly evolves and grows, rather than relying on seasonal trends and gimmicks. 

Most importantly, Vivian has retained her design integrity and remained true to her ethics.

Vivian Chan Shaw was one of Australia’s ground-breaking early fashion exporters, selling her designs in the United States from 1981. 

Iconic American stores such as Bonwit Teller, Neiman Marcus, I Magnin and Nordstrom, and independent boutiques in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, all stocked the distinctive Australian label. Chan Shaw designs have also sold in the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland and New Zealand.

In 2000, Vivian Chan Shaw added jewellery designs to the collection, specialising in dramatic pieces incorporating precious stones such as jade, onyx, amethyst and lapis lazuli, and contemporary neckpieces made of knitted wire. 

In 2009, Vivian was the recipient of the Fashion Group International Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of her work and her contribution to the Australian fashion industry.

Admission to the exhibition is free. The gallery is open Tuesday to Friday, 10am to 5pm, Saturday, 10am to 4pm and closed Sunday.