Mambo has become one of Australias most successful fashion labels of the last 30 years since it was founded in 1984. Started as a screenprinting company by Dare Jennings and Andrew Rich, Mambos style and comnination of art and humour has been enormoulsy successful.
Mambo basically set out to be controversial and expressive, producing t shirts with strong graphic images and artwork that dealt with politics, the environment, religion and everything in between with strong Australain humour.In doing so Mambo has helped create a fashion label that has given numerous graphic artists and artists a chance to explore australianisms and create images that have become iconic both in fashion and wider circles.
Mambo always engage people in conversation which is a testament to the companys philosophy and the designers who work with and for the company. The most recognised of these is Reg Mombassa whos work is entwined with Mambo t shirts and reinventing the everyday Australian way of life. Australian Jesus is one example among many of this.
Mambo as a company have generally done things their own way and have followed some untraditional methods of marketing, in factanyone wearing a mambo tshirt of the 80's or 90's was enough effective marketing in itself and it has only been recently that the company has become more trend and market conscious.
Mambo was an extremely innovative fashion label and company when it started and its success is testament to this and it always allowed graphic artists a medium of expression that reached many people and has allowed them the exposure of thousands of bodies across Australia.
2 comments:
did you see" golden sandals "on tv a month or so ago if not i asked the librarian to get a copy. i think you would enjoy if you like reg mombassa aka chris o'doherty. mambo was a stable of about 20 designers. it also had a moderate success in japan and us but the australian humour is quite unique.
Unique Oz humour. I had a friend who had quite a few shirts. 'Built like a brick shithouse' and 'Hung like a horse' are two that stuck out. A collection of all the meanings of each in it's picture; crude but effective visual of our aussie sayings.
Jo
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