Doris de Pont
Doris de Pont ONZM (born 1954) is a fashion designer and director of the New Zealand Fashion Museum.
Doris de Pont | |
---|---|
Born |
1954 Auckland |
Nationality | New Zealander |
Education | University of Auckland, Auckland Institute of Technology |
Occupation | Primary school teacher, fashion designer, curator, author |
![](../I/m/Doris_de_Pont.jpg)
Education and early life
Doris de Pont was born in Auckland, New Zealand in 1954.[1] Her parents emigrated to New Zealand around 1952 from the Netherlands.[2] Her maternal grandfather was a tailor and owned the family clothing business: established in 1840. Her father's family made football boots and shoes. Both family businesses contributed to the textile industry in Tilburg. de Pont started sewing at a young age and continued to sew while studying for a Bachelor of Arts in anthropology and political studies at the University of Auckland and completed her teacher training in the early 1970s.[2]
Career
After her studies, de Pont worked as a teacher for several years before moving to the Netherlands, where she lived between 1978 and 1984.[3] During this time she found work at the Rudolf Steiner School in The Hague, and also designed and made clothing as part of a women's fashion collective.[2][3]
After returning to New Zealand, de Pont met Jack and Trelise Cooper at a night class for pattern making. It was through this connection that de Pont acquired the lease for her first boutique situated at 13 O'Connell Street, Auckland.[4] The shop opened in June 1985 and sold her designs under the label 'Design: Doris de Pont'.[3] In 1994 she joined up with textile designer Adrienne Foote to establish the fashion label DNA which was sold in New Zealand, Australia, the UK and Denmark.[5] In 2002 de Pont and Foote parted ways and the DNA label became 'Doris de Pont'.[5] de Pont was known particularly for her designs that incorporated the imagery of New Zealand artists including Richard Killeen and John Pule, and the New Zealand writer Gregory O'Brien.[6] Items by de Pont are held in the collections of the Auckland War Memorial Museum, Te Papa and the National Gallery of Victoria.[7][1]
![](../I/m/O'Connell_House%2C_Auckland.jpg)
Retiring from fashion in 2008, de Pont undertook a BA (Honours) in Museum and Heritage Studies at the University of Auckland, and after graduating founded the New Zealand Fashion Museum where she is the director and curates exhibitions.[5]
Publications
As a curator and fashion historian, de Pont is the author or editor of a number of publications and catalogues, including:
- Looking terrific : the story of El Jay, Auckland: Centre for New Zealand Art, Research and Discovery (University of Auckland) and the New Zealand Fashion Museum, 2010. ISBN 9780473169855
- Black : the history of black in fashion, society and culture in New Zealand, Auckland: Penguin Books, 2012. ISBN 9780143566953
- Strands : weaving a new fabric, Auckland: Objectspace, 2015. ISBN 9780994122872
- Walk the walk : A history of fashion in the city, Auckland: New Zealand Fashion Museum, 2017. ISBN 9780994114747
Awards and recognition
In 1990, Doris won the Hugh Wright Menswear Award at the Benson & Hedges Fashion Design Awards.
In 2013, de Pont was invested as an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to fashion.[8]
References
- 1 2 "Doris DE PONT". National Gallery of Victoria. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
- 1 2 3 de Pont, Genevieve. "Doris de Pont". New Zealand Fashion Museum. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
- 1 2 3 "Doris de Pont and DNA Clothing fashion shows". Collections Online - Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
- ↑ A history of walk the walk : fashion in the city. De Pont, Doris,, De Pont, Genevieve,, Dix, Kelly,, New Zealand Fashion Museum, (Second ed.). [Auckland]. ISBN 9780994114747. OCLC 1016870563.
- 1 2 3 Groufsky, Jane. "Print and pattern in New Zealand textiles". Auckland Museum. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
- ↑ du Chateau, Carroll (31 August 2007). "Fighting the fashion trends". NZ Herald. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
- ↑ "Doris de Pont". Collections Online - Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
- ↑ "Doris de Pont ONZM". The Governor-General of New Zealand. Retrieved 21 January 2018.