Cutting Edge 2025 - about the designs

Photo by Caroline Attwood.

Cutting Edge is a collaboration between Fashion Queensland and the Institute for Molecular Bioscience.

This bold and boundary-pushing initiative that brings together leading Queensland designers and IMB scientists to explore the intersection of creative design and cutting-edge research.
Launched in 2024 as a stand-alone runway event, the project has been presented as part of Brisbane Fashion Month '25 at Brisbane Powerhouse and at World Science Festival Brisbane at Queensland Museum. In a short time, Cutting Edge has emerged as a unique cultural platform that celebrates cross-sector collaboration, design excellence, and scientific discovery.
Each year, emerging and established Queensland designers are engaged on a paid commission basis to create one-off couture garments inspired by scientific research from the Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB). Areas explored include stroke treatment using spider venom, plant-based medicines, and antibiotic development from soil bacteria—themes that are reimagined as wearable works of high art. In '24 and '25, five designers participated annually; in '26, this will grow to 8.
The process includes a tour and connect with IMB researchers, allowing designers to interpreting their learnings through their skill at garment creation. The result is a collection of couture pieces that embody the innovation, talent, and storytelling power of Brisbane’s creative and research communities.

Cutting Edge 2025 - Designers’ Artistic Statements

Lydia Jiang

Lydia’s work reflects Professor Irena Vetter’s research into chronic pain, specifically her study of the venomous Gympie Gympie plant. Lydia hand-designed a bespoke print, produced locally in Brisbane by Left Bank Art Group, featuring an abstract interpretation of the Gympie Gympie. The dramatic collar of the dress mirrors the shape of a DNA double helix, symbolising the intersection of nature and science.

Bulley Bulley by Kiara and Bianca Bulley

Bulley Bulley’s design is inspired by IMB’s world-leading microscopy facilities and the use of fluorescence in imaging. The designers have utilised and incorporated actual microscopy imagery captured by Dr Nicholas Condon into the diaphanous layers of the skirt, creating a garment that brings the unseen microscopic world to light.

Joteo by Joash Teo

Joash’s work draws on the body’s experience of pain, with his garment hinting at the wearer being in discomfort. Design elements such as a constricted waist, an exaggerated hip, and a metal structure suggest tension and danger. The piece is informed by Professor Irena Vetter’s research and interprets the complex and often invisible experience of chronic pain.

Krystof by Andrzej Pytel

Andrzej’s work “Making Visible”, developed in dialogue with Dr Igor Bonacossa Pereira’s research, explores how the bioluminescent properties of jellyfish can uncover hidden layers of biological matter, amplifying what was previously unseen. He suggests that the act of seeing is shaped by the interaction of tools, materials, and the observer, which together produce visibility through layered illumination.

Central to this process is the creation of new materiality, bioluminescent surfaces that both reveal and obscure. His design investigates how clothing can act as a transformative threshold, simultaneously uncovering and concealing the body in dynamic states of presence.

Sommerfeld by Tahnee and Natalie Sommerfeld

Inspired by Dr Brett McKinnon’s research into endometriosis treatment, the Sommerfeld sisters have created a multi-layered garment featuring sheer panels layered with organza layered details. These elements reflect the organoids grown from patient cells to enable personalised treatment for patients —translating scientific complexity into delicate visual form.