Powerhouse has revealed details of Zampatti Powerhouse, the major survey exhibition which will celebrate the life and legacy of the iconic Australian, Carla Zampatti opening 24 November 2022.

The first internationally exclusive retrospective of Carla Zampatti AC, OMRI will present the life and work of the inimitable Italian-born designer, beloved as an Australian fashion icon. The breadth of her extraordinary private, professional and public life will be rendered in exquisite detail, anchored by Zampatti’s signature designs and brought to life with first person reflections on the designer’s clients, family, staff and friends.

Zampatti Powerhouse will encompass 100 designs from over 50 lenders and over five decades of material, surveying a trailblazing career from the establishment of her business in 1965 to her most recent work. Iconic pieces worn by high-profile Australian women in defining life moments include former Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s jacket worn when she addressed US Congress in 2011; the white jacket worn by Christine Holgate when speaking at the Australia Post Inquiry in April 2021; the red pantsuit worn by Linda Burney for her official parliamentary portrait in 2019; Tina Arena’s jumpsuit, personally fitted for her ARIA Hall of Fame induction in 2015; and Allegra Spender’s blue jacket which belonged to her mother, frequently worn while campaigning for the federal seat of Wentworth. Following a public call-out, the exhibition will also present around 30 loaned garments from Zampatti’s rarely seen early design work from the 60s and 70s, alongside the stories of the Australian women who wore them.