Ube Love – The Birth of Ube Love, by Elisa Marigold. Ube – pronounced “oohbay” – is an intensely purple, yam like, root vegetable found commonly in the Philippines. It is so popular it has been recognised by Philippine based American food franchises and placed on their menus! Imagin ube -flavoured doughnuts with richly coloured purple fillings, deeply purple ube cakes, and ube ice creams!

(Though who knows how much of the actual ube was present in the fast food recipes?)

Many years ago, I had the pleasure of discovering this unique ube product in several marketplaces of the Philippines. Seeking out various ways different villages would prepare their favourite ube recipes became a mild obsession.

At the time, I was working with a few friends on a Kung-Fu movie (which shall at this point remain nameless.) I played a scientist named Ume Boshi, who was kidnapped by the evil “Big Boss” and blackmailed into sharing her knowledge about harnessing the energy of the erupting volcano! Luckily Ume – bearing a name eerily similar to that of the actors growing obsession – was spotted the day before her disappearance by an Australian surfer on holiday. As a man in love ‘this surfer dude’ stopped at nothing to track Ume down, facing kung-fu villains at every turn and surfing the molten flow of a volcanic eruption to save the day! YaY!

“Would you mind,” I politely asked the producer, ” instead of putting my name in the credits, could you present me as “Ube Love?”

He refused. But the Ube Love story had begun, and I decided to put the name to the garments I’d been making whilst studying Visual Arts at RMIT in Melbourne.

At first I struggled with the thought that everything had to be purple! One night, after asking various people “how would you pronounce this? ” and showing them the words Ube Love, the following response was made:

“You be Love”

By then I was truly hooked, and continued on to design it’s logo – which currently is hand screen printed and stitched onto finished garments. Another symbol – a shell more or less- used to also appear on garments, along with wistful phrases, and lines of poetry plucked from the air, like rich ripe fruit. (Well that’s how it feels to have a good idea, and to later hold the results in your hands.)

For a while I made raver type clothes and jackets and leg warmers, and sold them in a St Kilda store in Melbourne called “Jezabelle’s”

-Check out the “old school ube” photo gallery at flikR, and read the story:
http://www.agentcostume.com/2009/01/ube-love-in-the-beginning/ -

Then, one fateful day, I walked into a costume Hire Store in Melbourne’s CBD, and the costuming industry miraculously began to make itself apparent.

It was time to get some training in costume construction, and learn to create theatrically inspired clothing!

After studying costume at “Swinburne” in Melbourne, and -by the mysterious machinations of this ever expanding, unwinding universe- finding work in the same costume store that provided the initial defining inspiration (that’s a whole other story), I travelled around Australia for a year, resettled in Sydney, and took up working with costume in various forms, including basic party costume hire, window dressing for Womens wear in Myers, costume making for Opera Australia, Sydney Theatre Company, Melbourne Theatre Company, major theatrical productions, movies and the odd commercial and music video film clip, including prop making and sets, forsaking the ube obsession. Only recently, with the kind generosity of various dear friends, the Ube bug has bitten again. Suddenly, I’m making ube products again.

Soon to be uploaded and purchasable from these pages.

enjoy!

I’ve taken a step back in time, and rediscovered a small album of past work.

Back in the late 1990s, I was studying Visual Arts at RMIT. It was torturous. All I ever wanted to do was paint, and the tutors kept encouraging me to practice sculpture, or photography once I dumped sculpture in favour of painting… It was difficult because I didn’t have the courage to speak about where it was going, or the developed skill to demonstrate it.

Sewing began as a hobby because I couldn’t afford to buy the clothes I liked. Sometimes other students would commission me to make them bags or leg warmers or hats. It encouraged me to make more things on the side, and put them into a store called Jezabelles, which was open at the time in St Kilda on Carlisle St, right next to the library, and then, into another little store on Church St Richmond.
It must have been a cold winter because everything seemed to be made out of faux fur!

I also put a heap of stuff in another shop on Brunswick St Fitzroy. They put all their own tags on my stuff, failed to pay me for stock sold, and disappeared out of trace, with all the stock I’d personally hand made, and left with them on consignment – Not Cool.

Fake fur was cheap back then, and believe it, people noticed these furry legwarmers. No body else was making them at the time and I prided myself on being daring and original. – I had made a tiger costume for my up coming 21st birthday, and the leg parts were so warm, I wore them nearly everyday to the lead up. The fact that they didn’t really suit my hand made orange track suit pants teamed with purple/blue massive woolly Tibetan jumper didn’t really matter (despite stunned glances), it was so comfortable! Anyway, the weekends were for dressing up and playing the part of “cool, fashionable and with it” what ever that means!

The idea of doing a fashion course was out of the question. I needed training to learn short cuts, real pattern making and tailoring skills. Who -in their naive youth- wants to spend time learning about factory production lines, and dulling designs to appeal to a mass market?

One day, while accompanying a friend to shop for a skiing trip, I came across a costume shop in the city, quite by accident, and my direction took a more defined turn. After researching costume discovered that there were courses one could do, and that costuming was in a fact a viable and recognized way of making a living!

I got into Swinburne TAFE, started learning the costume trade there, and began working in the very store that inspired this direction. “J.C.Westend Costume hire!” My all time favourite costume hire store to work in ever! They truly know their stuff, from so many angles. Constructively, historically, while also keeping abreast of changing trends and with a healthy dose of fun. Every day with them was a pure pleasure. It was a wonderful learning experience, and I still visit every time I drop into Melbourne. Even though the venue has changed, the costumes and some of the people (for good reason) are the same, the institution remains, and – though more commonly known as “Costume Capers” these days- holds so many great memories.

The following album is a small selection of things made before any formal tuition.
It’s surprising to realise how inventive a person can be with little to no training.
Each piece was professionally finished, and fully lined. That was most likely due to the guidance of my mother – her mother did after all have the first sewing machine in the Village, but that’s another story.

The funny thing is, once I started the costuming course, the Ube Love pursuits fell to the side. It’s only been revived in the last year, the muse has returned!

The only disappointment is that there weren’t more photos taken.
Often, for some reason, we don’t tend to value out own talents at the time. Looking back, I wonder how I managed to be so freely creative. A healthy creative family background helps, and nurturing relationships with other people.
House mates and friends used to drop over and have a great old time in the lounge room, chatting, and laughing, and playing cards, and all I wanted to do was sew! Those were the days. It was a party house, and in many ways, the constant flow of people possibly provided  some element of motivating energy.

enjoy!

I have been busy working hard at my Botany studio.
Here is a small selection of designs Marta and I have decided to develop further.
We were all packed and ready to go to Manly markets on the weekend. But, it rained!

So instead we paid an unexpected visit to an old neighbour of mine. He kindly took snap shots of our work and here is a selection. Not bad for an unexpected turn of events.
It wasn’t a wasted day after all!

All these items are for sale. Please feel free to comment, or ask about them.

www.ubelove.etsy.com