News Hit

From the 2nd to the 6th of August, Monash University Caulfield will be running its first ever Art and Design Week. A variety of activities and workshops will be running throughout the week
to try and showcase the creative and inspiring talent on offer at the University, to the
wider community. In the lead up to Art and Design Week, I sat down to have a talk with local
artist Joseph Fonti, who will be unveiling his 2010 Winter Collection of t-shirts at the event.

Matthew: For those unacquainted with your work, what is your background in fashion and
where have you come from?
Joseph: After three years of uncontrollable crying, hunched over in the foetal position in the
corner of my bedroom, I decided that Commerce/Law wasn’t for me. I thought I’d turn over a
new leaf and pursue a new career in design, something that I’d always wanted to do.
 
M: How long have you been designing t-shirts for?
J: I printed my first batch of designs about a year ago, the Deadmau5 range. They ended
up selling pretty well, mainly through word of mouth, so I thought to myself, “Why not expand
the range with new artwork and new inspirations?”
 
M: What sources do you draw inspiration from for your designs?
J: Cankles, babies whose heads are unexplainably too big for their bodies, guitars
and music, overweight people with teeny tiny feet, perfectly drawn ellipses, animation,
claymation, frustration, elation and constipation, sentences that rhyme, relationships where
one partner is inexplicably too good looking in comparison, that feeling you get when you’ve
been waiting ages to pee and you finally get to go, and let’s not forget partially humorous
answers to serious questions.
 
M: What process do you undertake when designing your shirts?
J: Like our nocturnal friend the fruit bat, I find I work best at night. My first step is to put on
some tunes because that helps me get the creative juices flowing. When I do start a design,
I never really know where it is going to end up. It’s a creative journey. Quite often by the
time I have finished a design, I will have surprised myself with how it has turned out.
 
M: What does Bad, Meet Evil... mean to you and why did you pick this name to represent
your brand? Are there continuities across the entire collection?
J: The way I see it, modern fashion is all about highlighting the supposedly “beautiful”
facets of life, while at the same time brushing over anything that is considered “ugly”. In my
work, I feel I have been drawn more to the darker side of things. I think Bad, Meet Evil... 
tries to satirise the industry with caricatures of how I see life, and attempts to invite a new
perspective on the “glamorous” world of fashion. The designs are influenced heavily by the
underground graffiti scene; there is an undefinable sincerity and beauty that accompanies
the works of those who choose to use art as an “escape” from the harsh reality of our
everyday lives. Bad, Meet Evil... tries to encapsulate both of these feelings.

M: What do you hope to achieve in the future? Where do you see Bad, Meet Evil... going in
the next couple of years?
J: It all really depends upon how successful the Winter Collection is (fingers crossed). Over
the summer I’m looking at developing an online store, approaching boutique shops about
holding stock as well as really pushing the brand name. The ultimate goal however is
obviously world domination (strokes cat while laughing menacingly).
 
M: Finally, where can people view and purchase items from your fashion line?
J: I will be selling the Winter Collection at Monash Caulfield (Building G) from the 2nd to
the 6th of August, from 11am to 3pm daily. For those who can’t wait however, the designs
can be purchased from either Claxton Kustom Design (located at 104b Warrigal Road in
Camberwell) or by adding me on Facebook. They are currently priced at $30 each or two for
$50.
 
With activities aimed at prospective secondary school students, career advisors, mature
age students, local business professionals and of course those interested in Art and Design
in general, there should be plenty to see and do for everyone. For those interested, more
information can be found on the event’s official website, facebook and twitter pages.

Photos by: Nikita Vaz