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Vice Blog

A YEAR OF KEN DONE

Jackie Ruddock is a social worker from Sydney, Australia, who's set herself the unparalleled challenge of wearing nothing but clothing made by

Ken Done

, an Australian artist and designer, every single day for one whole year. She's doing it for her blog

goodfashionforgood

and to help raise money for the Social Studio, a Melbourne based store and non-profit organization offering education and training to refugees in clothing design, manufacturing, and retail. She started the challenge on Ken Done's birthday this year and at just over 60 days in, we thought we'd ask Jackie about her altruistic assignment and offer to send her one of the

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collaborative T-shirts

we did with Ken Done a while back.

Vice: Jackie, this is quite the undertaking. Has wearing nothing but colorful clothing predominantly from the 80s, and knowing you have almost ten more months of doing so, had any kind of profound effect on your overall mood? Jackie Ruddock:

Well, I've always dressed pretty much like this so it hasn't been as huge of a culture shock as it might have been. I was born in South Africa so I think it's almost part of my cultural background--I really don't believe there's such a thing as wearing too many colors at once. It's kind of an African tradition I guess.

And you're helping to raise money for the Social Studio who help African and Afghani refugees to Australia, right?

Yeah, well I always knew I wanted to do this and throughout my life I've worked with a lot of marginalized communities and been involved in a lot of charity projects, so it all just made sense. When I started hearing about the Social Studio's reputation for doing great work in the community and the link with fashion, it was just too good to overlook. If I can create something that people will support by having fun then that's awesome.

Are you doing this while working a regular, full time job?

Yes, I am.

And there's been no cheating--like changing into black jeans when you get to work?

Absolutely not. I think there's a kind of unspoken pact you make when you start a blog that you won't lie. It's a code of ethics. I think that when I'm asking people to trust me and help out with a cause there's a level of responsibility on my part to do my bit.

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Have you been lucky finding Ken Done garments in op shops and vintage stores?

I've been collecting Ken Done stuff for a while, but I certainly don't have anywhere near enough gear for 365 days worth of outfits. What's been nice is hearing from people who've offered to give or lend me pieces--without them I wouldn't be able to do this. Some people have their beloved Ken Done and they're happy to lend it. As a creative project it's actually scary and exciting at the same time, because I never really know where the next piece is coming from.

You've had to get inventive?

Definitely. I'll make stuff--like the dress the Social Studio made out of the Ken Done doona (duvet) cover. I think there were a lot of those doonas produced in the 80s.

A doona dress, nice.

There's the thrill of the chase too--a lot of people have written to me before they've gone away on a road trip or whatever and promised to scour the far-flung op shops, which is awesome.

What's the craziest outfit so far?

Well, on the 19th of August I figured it was 19/8, so I made it 1980s day. It was a weekday though, so I went as far as I could considering I had to go to work.

So you tend to dress more elaborately on the weekends?

Yeah, definitely. Also, it was a friend's suggestion that Fridays be "Inspired by Ken Done" day, so I wear different Australian designers who were inspired by him like Studibaker Hawk or some of the other lesser known local 80s designers. That was a really distinctive time for Australian fashion, and I feel like a lot of the stuff I come across on eBay or wherever really owes a lot to designers like Ken Done, Jenny Kee, and Linda Jackson. They were very influential. It's funny, in the description section of a lot of the stuff I look at on eBay, in many instances it'll say "Ken Done style." It has that cachet.

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Has Koala Blue had a look in?

Hopefully it will. I've got a good friend who's trying to get me some--it still sells in the states for crazy amounts of money, which I find odd, obviously. Maybe it's some lingering Olivia Newton John love.

Is she still behind it?

No, I'm pretty sure she sold it off. Ken Done told me he did the logo though.

What a guy. Is there another outfit you've put together that should be mentioned?

Well, even though it was Jenny Kee, I did love my Princess Dianna inspired outfit. It was just homage--I thought it'd be better to pull it back and just pay my respects. I think there have been a few instances where I've felt like I haven't quite done a piece or an outfit justice yet. I know it must sound weird, but I'm finding it a bit like running a marathon. I keep thinking "pace yourself, pace yourself, take your time, don't blow all the good outfits at once."

What's your take on wearing an item twice?

I've accepted that it might have to be a possibility. If the community of people around me come through with enough items then I won't have to re-wear, but otherwise I'm OK with it. Today I'm wearing two of exactly the same scarves and I love that. I wrote to the person who gave it to me saying that I'd love to wear five of the same scarves on the same day to really see how much I could overdo it.

Where are you wearing these two scarves?

One's around my neck and the other's around my wrist.

Well, we wish you the best of luck with your journey. We're going to send you one of the T-shirts Ken Done designed for us a year or so ago. Hopefully that helps.

That would be awesome. It's funny, most Australian people have a Ken Done story--like a funny beach towel they used to own--so I think this is something that a lot of Aussies can relate to. On the other hand, people love to hate his fashion. I don't think there's anything wrong with that either--it's good that opinions are divided. It keeps it interesting. VICE STAFF AUSTRALIA