Fashion has always played a pretty pivotal role within the LGBT+ community, as historically garms have been an experimental way to not only subvert gender norms and conventional forms of expression but also to help to exude pure joy in a world that hasn’t always been (and continues to be) unkind to all types of marginalised folks.

Sydney-born fashion couture label, Nicol & Ford, understands the relationship clothing has with the LGBT+ community, and focuses on traditionally feminine silhouettes and styles that are made with inclusion for all gender identities and sizes in mind. We recently caught up with the creative duo behind the label, Kate-Louise and Lilian Nicol-Ford, (who also happen to be life partners, not just in fashion) to chat all about what fashion means to them, inspirations and what they’re most looking forward to at this year’s Mardi Gras celebrations. Plus, have a read down below to find out how you can take part in the festival’s annual Debutante Ball, organised by Johnnie Walker.

Howdy Lilian and Katie! Please introduce yourselves and tell us what you do. Lilian: We are fashion designers and are also partners in life, and we’ve been running our label Nicol & Ford for seven years now. We’ve been fully independent during this time, just run by the two of us, working in collaboration with our local community.

Katie: We work together in the entire process of garment-making; I physically craft the outfits and Lil designs them.

 

 

 

 

 

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How would you describe the style of Nicol & Ford? L: We are always inspired by the female gaze and the queer community. We also take inspiration from everything political, social or culturally relevant happening in today’s world, as well as the past. We love to highlight designs or art that came from people who may have been historically left out of the history books, so there’s always a lot of referencing found in our work.

K: On the production side of things, everything is made in our studio in Sydney’s inner-west. It’s such a social hub for all of our collaborators, models and customers. We know that the world already has more than enough clothing, so we want to make items that last and are also unique to the community around us. We live by the good ol’ fashioned saying: quality over quantity.

When and how did you both discover a love for fashion? K: I’ve been sewing since I was a little kid, and I used to make outfits for my Barbie dolls with a needle and thread. I grew up in a very small town and I never really had a lot of money, so I’ve always been making my clothes.

L: I almost had an opposite experience, because growing up I was never into fashion. I didn’t grow up in an environment where clothing was ever discussed. There are always these whimsical, beautiful tropes of designers talking about gushing over fashion magazines and how they thrived in a fashion-loving adolescence, but I just cannot relate to that. I studied art history at uni, and I began to become interested in how decorative arts were a vehicle for cross-cultural communication, and fashion started to stand out to me as the most digestible form of this. It was only a matter of time until fashion became my full-time obsession.

 

 

 

 

 

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Who or what are the biggest inspirations behind your clothing? L: We’ve always found an appreciation for 20th-century fashion, especially the work of Orry Kelly. He was an Australian designer who dressed some of the biggest names during the Golden Age of Hollywood, but he was almost forgotten by history due to the fact he was a gay man. We also find inspiration in interior design, especially during the 1920s.

K: Other designers we’re fond of are Alexander McQueen and John Galliano because we just love eclectic designers who think outside the box. I think if you’re a fashion designer working today under 40, those two are always going to influence your work because they were just such prolific powerhouses.

A big ethos of your fashion label is that you want any person, regardless of gender identity, can wear your clothing. Why is inclusivity so important to you? L: Well, we started our brand because we were honestly a bit tired of the laziness in the fashion industry. Runways only featured women with the same size, shape and height, and we wanted to see something a bit more complex and exciting. Fashion has always had this air of elitism, and it has always thrived off of exclusion. Katie has the skills to make some of the best outfits, and we both share the same values that good clothing is for everyone, regardless of what they look like.

K: Yeah, and I think that way of thinking started at home. I love the idea of being able to empower not only the love of my life but also the people around us that we see every day who get to wear some designs that are made with them in mind.

L: One of the most discussed experiences in the trans community is clothing shopping and the struggles of trying to find something that suits us without feeling super-dysphoric.

K: Being at fashion school, you’re also taught to only make clothing that can fit a size six, even though it’s not that hard to make different sizes. It’s just a matter of mathematics, and I truly think it’s incredibly lazy to only make clothing for one type of person. If you can’t make bigger outfits then you honestly don’t have the skills needed in fashion design, frankly.

 

 

 

 

 

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Why do you think fashion has such a strong relationship with the LGBT+ community? L: Queer people have always worked behind the scenes in fashion, and fashion has always been linked to queer people. Fashion can act as a method of escapism, where you can wear a joyful outfit and exude happiness, even if the world doesn’t want you to feel this way. There are ways to subliminally send messages across to other queer folk with our outfits that only we can understand, so it’s also a way of communication and expressing solidarity.

Talk to us about your partnership with Johnnie Walker. How did that come to be? L: So, Johnnie Walker reached out to us because they wanted to highlight the work of the Australian queer community, and we were lucky enough that they thought of us!

K: It means a lot that our work is appreciated, and that we get to show it off to the Mardi Gras audience!

 

 

 

 

 

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What does Mardi Gras mean to you both? K: We went to our first-ever Mardi Gras together, so every year we go it’s not only a celebration of the queer community here, but also a celebration of our relationship.

L: There are great parties and it's always super-fun, but more than that it’s a time when queer people can feel safe and celebrate their queerness together. Mardi Gras helps to keep Australia’s queer history and identity alive, and we’re always so grateful for it.  

Check out the details and tickets for the 2024 Mardi Gras Debutante Ball over here, where all ticket sales will go towards Equality Australia.