The future of department stores is shaky but treasures from their past are now safe thanks to a donation to the Powerhouse Museum by David Jones.
While David Jones reduces the floor space at the Bondi Junction and Southland shopping centres, Sydney’s Powerhouse is making room for 3000 objects from the store’s 186-year history, including the menu used by Queen Elizabeth at a banquet, a 1950s hat from Christian Dior and a houndstooth-print polyester Carla Zampatti dress worn by former store ambassador Megan Gale.
“There’s a public sentiment towards David Jones that makes it more than a department store because it has been embedded in our lives and family memories for generations,” says Lisa Havilah, Powerhouse chief executive.
Former store ambassador Megan Gale at a preview of the David Jones archival collection donated to the Powerhouse, held at the Sydney flagship.Credit: Photo Ken Butti
Lives touched by serving on the store floor include Olympic swimmer Dawn Fraser, who worked as an assistant buyer, former prime minister Paul Keating, who was a salesman in the Bankstown store, which closed in 2007, and the country’s leading artists of the 1940s and 1950s.
“The archive reflects the way the store connected Australians with leaders in fashion and design, such as Dior, but was also at the cutting edge of the applied arts with photographer Max Dupain and graphic designer Douglas Annand,” Havilah says.
Catalogues, campaigns and even clothing tags were retrieved from David Jones’ warehouse in Silverwater and in some cases the rubbish tip. Former archivist Barbara Horton saved countless artefacts, including items thrown out by a more minimalist-minded chief executive.
Senior curator Roger Leong says: “A huge debt is owed to the company’s archivist Barbara Horton, who rescued records from every corner of the enterprise. Loyal customers also sent in their treasured pieces for safekeeping.
“The extent of documents that have survived is extraordinary, including a letter from the founder himself, dated May 11, 1839, writing to his London stock controller pleading for more of the goods that kept selling out so quickly.”
As part of the Powerhouse donation, David Jones and the museum will invest $300,000 into Australian designers over three years to create new work that engages with the store archive.
“We will continue encouraging local creative practice and promulgating design excellence in Australia,” Havilah says. “This new award demonstrates our shared commitment to keeping Australian design history alive and connecting it for future generations.”
Return to runway: Megan Gale walking in the David Jones Autumn Winter 2023 runway in the Rachel Gilbert dress donated to the Powerhouse.Credit: Getty
Pieces from the archive were placed on display this week in David Jones’ Sydney flagship, allowing Gale to step back in time, although her favourite donation entered the collection only a year ago.
“I love seeing the gorgeous Rachel Gilbert gown that I wore last year helping David Jones celebrate their 185th anniversary,” Gale says. “I got to return to the catwalk and wear that beautiful dress in the finale, so it’s a special dress for me and I think it’s a very special dress for David Jones.”
Being part of a museum leaves the 48-year-old unflustered.
“It’s a huge part of my history, and definitely the most successful and significant professional partnership that I’ve ever had.”
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