Luxury Island Toad Bag, VERMIN
Luxury Island Toad Bag, VERMIN 2020 Photo credit: Jasmine Fisher
Luxury Island Toad Bag, VERMIN 2020 Photo credit: Jasmine Fisher
Thursday Island Toad Leather Photo credit: Lia Tabrah
ABOUT THE PIECE
In January 2020 Perina Drummond and Lia Tabrah from VERMIN spent two weeks on Thursday Island in the Torres Strait, an Indigenous community on the northern tip of Cape York Peninsula — one of the many communities affected by the introduced and damaging cane toad species.
Perina and Lia experimented with the skins of the local cane toads during the wet season, the most populous time of year for the species. They ethically hunted, skinned and tanned the cane toads with the guidance of the local Indigenous park rangers and local children on the island. They experimented with sustainable tanning recipes provided by collaborator, The Bush Tannery.
The toad leather was then transformed into a luxe bag by Morgane Pinet, a French born and trained, Melbourne-based shoe designer and maker who had previously worked for the luxury brand Christian Louboutin in France. The bag is adorned with Baulch Design chain.
WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT MORGANE PINET
MATERIALS
cane toad leather, cotton, Baulch Design chain
PRICE
NFS
ARTIST BIO
Founder of VERMIN the Label, Lia Tabrah, commenced working with cane toad leather in 2017. Lia is a Melbourne based designer, artist and curator operating under the brand O.T.T. by Lia.T since 2008.
Lia Tabrah is a Melbourne based artist and curator working in design, sculpture, and installation. In her art and design practice O.T.T by Lia .T, she revels in the colourful spectacle of Australiana, kitsch, vernacular forms and wearable art. Lia’s flamboyant work blurs the lines between the natural and the artificial in unexpected ways, bringing together a wide range of references including pop culture, tourism iconography, Australian folklore, and the environment. She uses various techniques such as metalsmithing to redefine notions of beauty, luxury, and high and low culture.
Lia has collaborated with many leading cultural organisations including National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), Museum of Old and New Art (MONA), Melbourne Fashion Festival, and Melbourne Design Week.
As a regular artist showcased in Melbourne’s art and fashion scene, Lia met Perina Drummond and formed a friendship that led to creating the now partnership that is VERMIN.
Perina is a proud Indigenous woman from northern Australia. Her mob is Daureb, Wuthathi and Yadhaigana. She moved to Melbourne in 2015 to continue her styling career in the fashion industry where she was taught and guided by one of Australia’s leading fashion stylist in runway, curated exhibitions and photography.
Her former career in modelling resurfaced in 2017 where she founded modelling agency Jira. Jira Models solely represents First Nations people of Australia. It is a platform where talents can enter the industry in a culturally safe environment.