Camilla Franks creates couture gown to celebrate 100 years of Disney

Australian fashion designer Camilla Franks has unveiled a one-of-a-kind couture gown inspired by Disney's Mickey Mouse's longtime sweetheart, Minnie Mouse, as part of the 100 years of Disney celebrations.

The gown, which has been months in the making, features 42 metres of silk, 10 metres of tulle and more than 100,000 hand-applied crystals and is part of Disney’s Create 100 initiative, where talent across fashion, music, and art are donating artworks, items and experiences to benefit Make-A-Wish inspired by their personal connection to stories and characters across Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and 20th Century.

Commenting on the gown, Franks said in a statement: “The inspiration for my Create 100 couture gown came from Minnie Mouse’s iconic bow. Part of the Camilla brand DNA that we’ve built into it is that – although it looks like a full couture gown on the outside, it’s quite unstructured underneath. It has a sense of freedom and play.”

The vibrant gown features a knot-detailed bodice, extravagant cascading bow-shaped tiers and a high-low skirt silhouette, complete with a train adorned with 400 crystalised Mickey heads made up of a total of 65,000 crystals, and a striking comic strip print.

Designed to fit a range of sizes, with ties that form a large bow at the back, the gown is crafted from signature Camilla silk taffeta and features multiple layers of tulle encased within double layers of billowy bow-shaped ruffles to create the voluminous silhouette.

On the construction of the couture gown, Franks added: “The cutting alone took two full days, putting the piece together took five weeks with a whole team working on it.”

Franks, who represents Australia and New Zealand, was also asked to elect a fellow Australian creative she believes represents the next generation of storytellers as part of the project. She chose next-generation artist Bella Bruzzese, who has created fashion and textile designs for artists, including Katy Perry and Cardi B, to design something for Create 100.

Bruzzese created a ‘By A Cheshire Chance’ leather and crystal mask inspired by the Cheshire Cat from Alice In Wonderland, which will be on display alongside the Camilla couture gown at Westfield Bondi Junction until October 18.