Elvis Di Fazio

I'm an Artist, Designer/photograper, The pics running down the side of my page show you my photographic work and some pics of my art and design too. "THEY ARE NOT AUTHENTICALLY OLDSCHOOL AND THEY ARE ALL COPYRIGHT"
some personal things about me: love to go out on the weekends and run a muck! I can't stand people who are up themselves. I Live out west of sydney and work at home during the week creating cool street threads for the Kids of OZ feel free to check out some of my latest works on this url:
http://spaces.msn.com/members/E-DiFaz/
I guess i'm on this space to interact with people who are of like interests that I can network with or hopefully work with on future projects.
I'm Half Italian and half south American. so i grew up in a wog house? what's it to you? ha ha. man If you wanna know me more you should mail me!
I'M REALLY GOOD AT GETTING BACK TO EVERYONE BY MAIL.....BUT IF YOU COMMENT ME I MAY NOT GET BACK TO YOU....... THAT ASIDE........ I LOVE COMMENTS SO DON'T STOP!!!! THEY MAKE ME HAPPY!!...JUST SEND ME A MESSAGE IF YOU WANT ME TO REPLY PROMPTLY. X
p.s if your interested in me and my work you should read my profile below
Elvis Di Fazio is an artist, photographer and fashion designer and with a name like that it seems he was born to have his name in lights. Instead he opted to use it in his artwork.At 23 years of age, Elvis has already created a clothing label from the kitchen of his parents’ Western suburbs home in Sydney: Elvis Di Fazio; now the most wanted tag worn in Sydney’s fashion hub – Paddington.Whether it be on t-shirts, knits or blazers, Elvis’ designs are each individually crafted from a canvas so they become a piece of artwork on the body.
“I don’t even really have an interest in fashion. I love fashion photography and the idea of being a fashion victim but clothes themselves don’t excite me, people do,” he said.
Not only does Elvis hand paint most of his own art onto t-shirts and clothing, he is also passionate about photography, often mocking up vintage inspired scenario’s which he then uses as inspiration for his designs.
From the age of 12 Elvis became interested in pop art and an obsession with the era of free love and revolution quickly evolved. He is most inspired by the eccentric and unconventional methods of personalities like Andy Warhol, Claes Oldenberg, Robert Indiana and Robert Rauschenberg. But Elvis gives every ounce of his art the ‘Di Fazio’ touch.
“People should expect dark humour, touchy subjects and loads of white, fluro’s and black prints. Really skinny girls and boys that don’t see the sun that often would finish and complement the look,” he said.Elvis is not afraid to step well outside the paramters of “normal” fashion designers and has certainly created new boundaries unto the label itself.
“I don’t follow the rules most young Australian designers would. I haven’t gone to fashion school (and never will). I don’t sew, I don’t sell my clothes at the markets and I don’t do fashion week,” he said.Elvis’ most talked about piece at the moment is a gorgeous cool blue knit with “Homophobia is Gay” sprawled across the front. This is the kind of quirky charisma that has seen Elvis feature on the cover of Cream magazine, receive editorial in loads of street press and attract a large amount of attention from reputable organisations and venues who all want a piece of Elvis.
In late June Elvis celebrated his talents in a launch party at a refurbished venue in Kings Cross, formerly known as Plan B. “The Cross” was home to the party and fashion parade; the first of its kind at the bar.
Channel V’s Danny Clayton hosted the event with mark trix –goodfella Kate Monroe Courtney Act and upand coming talent Romy as special guests. The night was an overwhelming success with the venue filled to maximum capacity just half an hour from doors opening.
“The launch was an eclectic mix of cools. Colour, things which are over glamorised, nostalgia, controversy, shock tactics, visual stimulation and full of entertainment,” Elvis said.Elvis’ most recent venture is supplying artwork to clubs such as Zooky at Havana Bar and YU for electric disco he has also been approached by milk lounge and moulen rouge which are also in the cards.
For the future, Elvis would love to see his art all over the world and celebrity portraits would be the ultimate – not to mention partying with the underground kids.
But for now?“At this stage in my life I would like people to say, if it’s jeans go tsubi, if you want a hooded jacket, Material boy, if it’s shoes a pair of chucks and to finish off the look? You are going to want an Elvis di Fazio t-shirt” he said.And it looks as though this trend has already caught on.
Suzanne Calla 2006 ©
Fashionably Artistic By Lauren Meiklejohn (STU MAGAZINE 2006)
It is not too often that you come across a talent that has managed to successfully merge artistic direction and fashion design to create a thriving artistic fashion label from his parents kitchen. Which is why it is so refreshing to meet Elvis Di Fazio.
Young, willing and able, this twenty-two year old from Sydneys Western suburb of Campbelltown portrays the hope of so many aspiring fashion designers. His point of difference however is that he has taken his love for art, in particular the pop-art phenomenon, and transformed it into a funky yet wearable range of t-shirts and clothing.
Some may compare his bold graphics and surreal photography to that of Pop art icon Andy Warhol; however being devoid of vanity, lunacy and somewhat scary facial expressions sets Elvis apart from the 60s maestro. Hardly the novice at school, Elvis turned to the iconic faces and images of the pop art era, and gave this genre his own inimitable twist. Elvis then backed up his natural talent by studying second-year art and undertaking a Tafe Fine Arts course.
Having started his creative progression into fashion in 2000, Elvis now boasts exhibiting at the Museum of Sydney and nation-wide installation exhibits, along with being stocked in over twenty stores and boutiques. Concentrating on his love for the pop art culture, Elvis went about screen printing walls and curtains for funky Sydney clothing stores and clubs. Using both his own photographic prints and that of 60s icons, Elvis created a style of art all his own.
Combining his love for fashion photography with his methods for fashion design, Elvis photographs his friends using quirky make-up techniques, wigs, retro props, nudity and a smile to create a portfolio of time period shots with a modern edge.
Elvis's self-titled label creates one-off pieces that have simple lines and tailoring so not to distract from the art and designs splashed upon the pieces. Not wanting to be pigeonholed in the fashion game, Elvis is currently designing a new line of clothing that will please everybody. There will be something for the rocker, the artist, the bohemian from Byron Bay and the fashion conscious from Double Bay. Using techniques such as hand dying, printing, painting and distressing/aging methods, Elvis has created a look that is uniquely his own. Devoid of self-indulgence, Elvis caters for what the consumer wants. While he is always open to constructive criticism, he asks that the consumer be open to experimentation and wear something that is outside their usual comfort zone and a little outside the box.
While his designs have been widely accepted and appreciated, Elvis still recognises a flaw in our local fashion industry. Starting designers need more support from both retailers and consumers. Everyone complains they want something individual and unique, but when you deliver it to them they moan that it costs $80, not considering the handiwork that goes into each garment. No one seems to flinch at paying $320 for a shirt made in a factory in Taiwan. The fashion trend of everyone can be a designer of three years ago has made people cautious of buying hand-made garments. There is a big difference between my designs, which are layered visual effects that are hand painted or screened onto one of my originally designed t-shirts, and sticking three ribbons on a bonds singlet we need to get behind creative talent so individuality doesnt die amongst up-and-coming designers he laments.
So what is next on the agenda for pop fashions boy wonder? I want to compile a series of three books containing my images and use them as a time-period ode to women, men and drag I want to make a series of books that I would love to come across when sourcing inspiration. Elvis also wants to continue with his art-based works for nightclubs as his works are further enhanced by music. Definitely a designer to look out for, if you miss him now the only chance you may get is an exhibition at the Met.
Elvis Di Fazio Bio
Elvis Di Fazio grew up in Raby, in the western suburbs of Sydney. He completed a diploma of fine arts (Majoring in silkscreen printing) at Campbelltown TAFE. Di Fazio is part of a new generation of people who are not inhibited by the institutional hierarchies, boundaries and definitions that can often limit creative expression. Distinctions between art and fashion or shop and gallery are of little consequence. What matters to this growing group, who operate outside of the establishment, is connecting with people-having something to say, finding the most interesting way to say it and sharing it with others. Di Fazio has Exhibited in galleries including the Campbelltown City Arts Gallery, Blacktown Arts Gallery, Gladstone Regional Arts Gallery, The Sydney Opera House Gallery and the Museum Of Sydney were his screen prints were included in the recent "Italiani De Sydney" exhibition.
For Di Fazio, the idea of making art on T-shirts seemed natural and logical. He saw so many screen-printed t-shirts but so few that appealed to him. At the same time he participated in an exhibition in the city that drew a good crowd on the opening night but far too few people for the remainder of the show. He says, "I thought the best way to get it out there would be on a t-shirt....like a canvas on someone's body. the people who I am directing my art towards are never going to see it in a gallery; they go to shops were they buy fashion." The first designer clothing store he approached, Crazy Horse in Darlinghurst, not only agreed to stock the T-shirts but also invited him to design part of the interior of their new store. Another of Di Fazio stockists Hanksta in surry hills, has also been very supportive and has helped secure orders from several European retailers.
Most of Di Fazio's work is inspired by an obsession with the 1960's. This interest in the decade of free love and revolution (well before his birth) was driven by a strong personal reaction to the depressive blandness and angst he confronted in the 1990's. "It was a total overnight change for me, I ripped down my room, which was a collage of heavy metal posters, painted my walls lime green, laid down shag pile carpet and just thought yep, this is the way to go....I've never looked back." He has also absorbed the art history of the era and is currently influenced by American Pop artist Andy Warhol, Claes Oldenburg, Robert Indiana and Robert Rauschenberg.
When producing the T-shirts Di Fazio ensures that each one is a variation on the last "Each T-Shirt is a direct expression of what I am feeling at the time, so it is an art-piece, not something mass-produced." He sources his imagery from original publications and photographs from the 1960's and 70's. He even takes his own time period photos of friends ala 1960's 1970's portraiture. from these he develops finished designs, which are then exposed onto silkscreen. he does the printing from home and will often paint directly onto the printed shirts by hand.
Growing up in Sydney's western suburbs and having a strong sense of family with both Italian and South American background, Di Fazio's sense of personal identity is strong in his work. Many of his t-shirts in the past have featured images from family photos and he always prints his name prominently on the back. "I like my name so much, it's woggy, it's different. I use it to my advantage. My cultural heritage feeds directly into my work." 2006 Microsoft.