The IC crew is super excited to collab with Gold Coast based fashion label Casey Tanswell.
Drawing on the premise of clothing as an art form, the label, Casey Tanswell, was born of a longing to present women as works of art. The female form is celebrated and enhanced with a palette of opulent fabrics, themselves a testament to art and skill. The use of specialty fabrics and faultless fit has become a signature of Casey Tanswell pieces, designed and constructed to be both timeless and unique. Launched in 2012, the self-titled label is a melding of both an International Business and Fashion Design background, and an accumulation of European, architectural, and artistic influences.
We look forward to sharing their stories from behind the scenes and everything in between, captured with disposable cameras of course.
Click on the links below to see the various rolls that have been shot.
Roll 1 – Casey Tanswell Designs / China Town, Southport. Gold Coast, AUS
We also sat down with Casey, the brains behind the brand and Holly Gibson, the talent behind the lens, and asked them to give us some insight into their world.
IC MEET SERIES – Q+A
Who are you?
Casey: I am the designer behind my self-titled label Casey Tanswell Designs, currently embarking on its 5th year of business as a women’s wear ready-to-wear and bridal line.
Holly: I am currently a senior in high school.
Where’s home?
Casey: Home is none other than the radiant GC!
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Do you have a website/blog/insta/facebook page we can promote…?
Casey: Yes, I most certainly do. Head to www.caseytanswell.com.au for an insight into the label.
My breathtakingly talented friend who conceptualized and photographed this shoot can be seen at: –
Holly: my instagram, @hollygibson_
What do you do for a crust?
Casey: I work full time on my label, and primarily at the moment in making bridal gowns and custom garments.
Holly: Lucky and grateful to be currently working for Casey Tanswell Designs! Still have to pinch myself to believe I’m not in a dream.
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Can you tell us about your creative background?
Casey: I had a quarter-life crisis mid way through my 20s and decided on a career change. I went back to study at AICD in Varsity Lakes, and learnt from scratch the basics of designing, patternmaking, sewing, etc. I wanted to understand every facet of a garment from start to finish. I worked retail at the time to pay off my fees, and was approached by the owners – Kat and Dean McCauley from Adrenalin Clothing – to help with their in-house label. So I was given the opportunity to not only create a garment, but then to see it in-store on customers and get their immediate feedback. It gave me the confidence to start my own label. During this time I had friends start to approach me about making their wedding gowns, which gave me another creative outlet and more experience in dressing the female body.
Holly: Whilst I am still at school, art class was where it began. I have always loved taking photos, although the year 11 photography unit was where I truly developed and found my niche. Using art and photography to create and capture realities, I made an outlet to express my troubles and an opportunity to learn more about myself. Art and creativity has now become something I can’t live without, not only in the need to create things myself, but the huge impact has been in the change of how I see everything around me, in a different light and level of understanding. I am always trying to develop my signature and grow as a person, in which I do through my attempts of making art, and numerous mistakes along the way, but practice makes perfect. Next year I hope to move to Sydney and further my studies in the fine arts at university and also take/make any opportunities possible. Fingers crossed it all goes well…
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Best advice you’ve ever been given?
Casey: Nothing worth doing is ever easy, and outside of your comfort zone is where the magic happens.
Holly: You never know unless you try.
What do you do with your free time?
Casey: I’m not remotely a well-rounded person. I tend to work until I pass out, but I’m a big one for wild Saturday nights in reading.
Holly: Mostly spent taking photos of friends and dreaming of travel.
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Tips for making your ideas and dreams come to life…
Casey: Don’t let failure ruin your confidence – nobody got it right the first time, and when you pick yourself back up you will know so much more. Be flexible and embrace change – this is something I find so hard to do but is invaluable. Things change. If you want to be working at your dream for decades to come you need to change, evolve, and adapt with it. Finally, no guts no glory! At a certain point all the planning and talking can’t make your dream happen – only you can. Take the plunge! You’ll either sink or swim but you’ll never again wonder “what if”.
Holly: I feel that in being 17 years old I do not yet have enough wisdom to be overly influential here, although like I said before, you never know unless you try. I live by that motto and I guess that’s really the reason why my words have been published on this site now. You just have to give everything a go as there is no harm in being told no, so it is always worth trying in case you get that yes, and that changes everything. Sounds super corny but you do only have one life, so do what you want. Dream big and work hard to make those dreams happen as that is the point of you being here. People may be stuck inside the bubble of social expectations and think that your dream is crazy, but who do people remember? Those who sat back with the crowd or the people who worked hard to do what they love?
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What inspires you to shoot film?
Holly: In a culture where everyone has a smartphone in their pocket to spam with photos or selfies, the value of a photograph has been taken for granted at times. Memories get lost within the thousands of random pictures on your camera roll, and because it is so easy to take a photo we end up taking 20+ at once without thinking about it, hoping that there will be one good pic within the bunch. When shooting film I feel like there is so much more value to the photo. It costs money for the roll, money to develop, and money to scan if you’re feeling generous, so you want to make every photo count. Whether it is just pointing and shooting on a disposable or manually setting an analog, you want to make it perfect. You think about the light and shadows, your framing and focusing, you are so much more conscious of the moment you are in before clicking the shutter. Spamming photos on our phones is a gift we are lucky to have and am grateful for as it means we are always able to keep record of moments and inspiration, although it is my film photos that cover my bedroom walls, filled with the best memories. The people around me and moments we share are the reasons I am inspired to shoot film, I want to grasp the rawness of the moment that digital can not always give justice.
How did you come to connect with Indisposable Concept?
Holly: A friend (@lauragoodall) reposted her disposable photo from IC on instagram years ago, I loved the concept and have followed it since. It is a really cool opportunity to see the world through other people we may have never crossed paths with, all on the one account.
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How did you find the experience of using the disposable camera? Enjoyable or painful?
Holly: Enjoyable!
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How did it make you feel not being able to see the photos as they were taken and not being able to edit or know what the photos turned out like?
Holly: It makes it all the more exciting! When getting my photos back, it feels like I am opening a present as I really do not know what it will look like inside.
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Analogue Vs Digital?
Holly: I have to sit on the fence here. I am grateful for both depending on situation.
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It seems film photography and disposables are making a comeback, why do you think that is?
Holly: It’s nostalgic and also ‘vintage’ has become a trend, so people are hopping on that bandwagon and giving it a go. As disposables are fun and easy to use, taking film photos is a situation you enjoy but also one in which you are rewarded at the end with the surprise of seeing your photos. It can become addictive. Film photos have a rawness and boldness to them that digital just can’t grasp at times, so once you start film it is hard to stop.
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If someone destroyed all the disposable cameras in the world and you had the very last one, what would you capture?
Holly: Portraits of my friends & family.
What Does 2016 hold for you?
Holly: The end of my schooling and the beginning of the rest of my life.
Casey: The end of ready-to-wear collections and the beginning of a complete custom bridal focus.
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How would you describe your photographic style?
Holly: Purposeful. It changes depending on what I want, but each photo does relate to just that. I may one day want to capture spontaneous moments with friends, or another be purely driven by what the light is doing and want to capture that, or I may want to express something that has been on my mind and create an elaborate surreal shoot as an outlet for it. I feel that I can’t pinpoint my style as it differs so drastically, but every photo is instinctual.
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Who or what influences you creatively?
Casey: I’m enormously influenced by the design houses in Europe, not so much their style specifically but more their dedication to their craft. They never compromise on design, fabrication, or construction. Many if not all of them fell over and re-started better than ever, and lastly they seem to have an adoration for the female form which I highly agree with!
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Where do you find inspiration?
Holly: Everywhere. It’s not something you can go look for, but if you keep your eyes & mind open to possibilities, you can find inspiration everywhere. You know when you do as your gut feeling just tells you.
Casey: It’s not one specific place or thing. I don’t even know it’s going to inspire me until it starts irritating me endlessly until I start sketching or draping. At the moment I’m obsessed with a broken umbrella I saw in an empty car lot in Southport… It’s the most gorgeous thing I’ve ever seen, like a bat. All broken spikes and webbed fabric. I have no idea what it’s going to turn into garment wise… Maybe nothing but I keep thinking about it, so who knows!
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What’s the biggest issue facing the world right now?
Holly: Prejudice
Casey: Intolerance and short-sightedness. We’re thinking now now now, not “how will this affect us in 50 years time?”
Worry less about….? Focus more on….?
Holly: Worry less about what they will think and focus more on being you as an individual as different is good.
Casey: Worry less about doing it all at once and focus more on building something day by day.
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Fave place to shoot?
Holly: I usually spontaneously find locations that are perfect for specific needs, so my favourite place changes depending on my goal at the time (I prefer not to repeat locations), although currently my fave place would have to be the Ernest Junction Railway tunnel.
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5 at 5… (For lack of a better name)
5 photos from history you wish you’d taken…
N/A
5 people you’d like to photograph?
Holly:
1. Cindy Sherman
2. David Lynch
3. Chloe Sevigny
4. Phoebe Tonkin
5. Yoon Ambush
5 books you wish you’d written?
Casey:
1. The Name of the Wind
2. Like Water for Chocolate
3. The Great Gatsby
4. Of Mice and Men
5. The Lord of the Rings
5 people you’d invite around for drinks and dinner?
Holly:
1.David Lynch
2. Diane Arbus
3. Nobuyoshi Araki
4. Stevie Nicks
5. Sofia Coppola
Casey:
1. Tim Burton
2. Grace Coddington
3. Michelle Pfeiffer
4. Colleen Atwood
5. Tom Ford
5 go to songs to get you in the mood?
Holly:
1. Champagne Coast – Blood Orange
2. Rock n Roll Suicide – David Bowie
3. Gooey – Glass Animals
4. The Chain – Fleetwood Mac
5. Healthy Moon – DIIV
Casey:
1. Shelter – The xx
2. Harder Than You Think – Public Enemy
3. Leave my Body – Florence & The Machine
4. Girl with One Eye – Florence & The Machine
5. Bound – Indiana