Get To Know… Billie Davies
A deep dive into all things ‘arts and ents’.
Words Indigo James // Image supplied
Local designer and creator of the label Midheaven, Billie Davies, sees fashion as confession. Her debut runway collection, Fortune’s Fool, emerged from a private reckoning and unfolded across three acts: descent, death and return. The gothic collection wove milky whites, deep reds, feathers, ribbons, hearts and crucifixes into garments carrying intimate details only Davies knows, each piece a ritualistic gesture of devotion and catharsis
How would you describe your practice?
I’m one of those freaks that loves a repetitive, time-consuming task, even if it means ending up with bleeding fingers and severe neck pain. So, for me, the act of hand-sewing or beading for hours is as much a part of the story of each piece as the finished garments are. I work in solitude, deep into the night. I love getting lost in the small tactile details and textures and adding in secret messages that only I will notice or understand. It’s ritualistic, meditative and symbolic. It’s also very, very messy.
What first drew you to making clothes?
My aunt taught me to sew when I was 7, but I think my love for the craft really bloomed when I was 9 and she took me to a Valentino exhibition in Brisbane.
Can you tell us about how Midheaven emerged?
A few years ago, a heartbroken friend told me she didn’t know where to put all of her love, which led me to the thought: why don’t I just make somewhere for her to keep it? I like to think of Midheaven as a physical place, far away in some other dimension. A place to store feelings, memories and stories; somewhere you can visit whenever you need. A secret world just for us.
What was the process of bringing Fortune’s Fool together, and where did the ideas for the pieces come from?
It was a very long and slow journey to bring this collection together. After the disintegration of a long-term relationship four years ago, the only way I felt able to express my anger and grief was through creating, which slowly developed into the story that became Fortune’s Fool. Creating the collection felt like a daunting and impossible task, and for a long time, I had no idea where to even begin. I ended up writing down every event I could think of since the age of 16, and by the end of 2024, I had written a book documenting ten years of my life. From there, I broke the story up into parts, gave each part a name, and then began the task of figuring out how to translate the story and emotion of each part into a wearable garment. For some pieces, such as ‘Midnight Worship’ and ‘Fontanelle’, I had a clear vision of what I wanted them to look like, but for others, it was a much more intuitive process where it was only through hours of draping and experimenting that their final forms emerged.
Are there any symbols or materials you keep returning to? What draws you to them?
Crucifixes were a repeating motif throughout the collection. I don’t identify as a religious person, but it is a part of my past and I am fascinated by religion as a concept. The omnipresent being, an unshakable devotion, the ritual and worship. I didn’t initially intend on the crucifix featuring so heavily in the collection, but I found that the more I explored the themes and ideas, the more links I discovered between faith and love and the idea of a lover becoming a god, and then ultimately being betrayed and abandoned by said god. My crucifixes symbolise that bond; they are a representation of love, sacrifice and protection, as well as guilt, shame and self-punishment.
What music were you listening to when creating Fortune’s Fool?
Ethel Cain, Nicole Dollanganger and Chelsea Wolfe have been my holy trinity over the past 18 months.
Stay up to date with Billie Davies @m.idheaven.
