“That was a beautiful moment,” says Jenny Kee as she recollects seeing a photograph in 1982 of Princess Diana carrying one of her jumpers.

“What a beautiful model I had. She was seven months pregnant and wearing a koala on her tummy and it captured the eyes of the world.”

Woman wearing colourful jumper with a koala motif on front talking to man in polo uniform.A pregnant Princess Diana, carrying a jumper designed by Jenny Kee, chatting with Prince Charles at a polo match at Windsor in 1982.(

Getty Images: Tim Graham

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The jumper and one other Kee design with a kangaroo motif got to the royal couple as a marriage current by Kim Wran, daughter of NSW premier Neville Wran.

The photograph made headlines around the globe, orders for Kee’s knits went “stratospheric”, as she places it, and led to an invite a yr later to a small dinner with the royal couple throughout their Australian tour.

“I actually talked a lot to her because she was real fashionista. She loved fashion, she loved Manolo Blahnik and he was a mate of mine at the time and so we just talked about shoes and clothes and she loved my knits because she loved knits.”

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and proper arrows to hunt, up and down arrows for quantity.Play Video. Duration: 45 secondsPlay Video. Duration: 45 secondsABC presents ‘Step Into Paradise’, the story of vogue designers Jenny Kee and Linda Jackson

While this was an enormous profession milestone for Jenny Kee, she and fellow pioneering Australian designer Linda Jackson had lengthy been making garments that caught the attention of the wealthy and famous.

For a decade from 1973, Kee’s store, Flamingo Park in Sydney’s Strand Arcade, the place they bought daring, distinctive items they created collectively and individually, was a frequent vacation spot for native and worldwide rock and film stars, high fashions and celebrities.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and proper arrows to hunt, up and down arrows for quantity.Play Video. Duration: 41 secondsPlay Video. Duration: 41 secondsJenny and Linda focus on their distinctive vogue designs

“We’d always get these fantastic people, whoever was in town, who would come into Flamingo Park — Sophia Loren, Joan Rivers, Lauren Bacall, Billy Joel and Christie Brinkley, Olivia Newton-John, Barry Humphries, Joni Mitchell,” says Kee.

“David Bowie came in once and fans were outside, so we just shut the door discreetly and let him be in the shop on his own. He was a sensitive, gorgeous, lovely man. We didn’t fall over many stars, but the star we did fall over for was Rudolf Nureyev. He didn’t speak very good English but he was funny and lovely. So many wonderful people wanted to come to Flamingo Park because it was just so magic.”

Challenging Australia’s ‘cultural cringe’

The magic Kee and Jackson created at Flamingo Park and past is the topic of an ABC documentary, Step Into Paradise, produced by Blackfella Films.

Two women wearing vintage clothes playing cards on a beach.Two women wearing vintage clothes playing cards on a beach.The pair had an intense inventive relationship for a decade, designing garments collectively and individually.(

Supplied: Annie Noon

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It charts an intense inventive collaboration bonded in a deep love of the Australian panorama that impressed their vivid, vibrant and flamboyant creations which referenced cockatoos and koalas, wattle and gumtrees, opals and iconic landmarks.

“People just loved our clothes, they were colourful and happy, and it was like a fever because what we were doing was so different to what else was happening at the time,” says Linda Jackson.

“But to us it was fairly apparent to look to at least one’s personal land and be impressed by the Australian bush. We have been standing in entrance of an unbelievable panorama, the gum timber and the flowers and the clear vivid colors and all of the earthy colors, and it was apparent that you’d translate that into your art work. In England and China, you had roses and chrysanthemums and in Australia we had waratahs.

Black and white photo of woman wearing a jumper with animal motif on the back.Black and white photo of woman wearing a jumper with animal motif on the back.Kee modelling one of her early knits. (

Supplied: Jenny Kee

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While Jackson was palms on, slicing the material and stitching her designs, Kee could not sew or knit and engaged individuals to grasp her visions.

They cherished to create outrageous, putting garments however there was to be no struggling for vogue’s sake.

“I all the time wished to really feel actually snug in what I used to be carrying so Jenny and I’d attempt all the pieces out on ourselves,” says Jackson.

“We needed to really feel proper and making one thing for somebody so that they felt actually attractive and  snug was a extremely vital half.”

One woman wearing blue top and pants and second woman wearing dress with white shapes like the Opera House.One woman wearing blue top and pants and second woman wearing dress with white shapes like the Opera House.Linda Jackson and Jenny Kee put on Jackson’s Bondi Blue and Opera House outfits in 1975.(

Supplied: Annie Noon

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Decades in the making, the documentary was the thought of producer and literary agent Fran Moore, who, as Linda’s accomplice on the time, noticed their brilliance up shut and was intently concerned in serving to them stage the annual Flamingo Follies vogue parades which drew large crowds and raised cash for charity.

Black and white photo of one woman sitting and another standing next to her.Black and white photo of one woman sitting and another standing next to her.Documentary co-producer Fran Moore and Linda Jackson in the 70s.

“I used to be working with Patti Mostyn and Harry M. Miller doing publicity and I had in my head that we needs to be filming these vogue exhibits,” says Moore.

“I recognised that floor was being damaged by Linda and Jenny. Australian vogue then was you went to Europe, you took an empty suitcase, you got here again with garments and you then remade them right here the place as Jenny and Linda have been completely completely different. We have been all simply inventive individuals. Jenny’s husband [artist] Michael [Ramsden] and I did all of the music for the exhibits, Michael did the units. We have been an actual household, and we simply did not query what we have been doing.”

The mild and shade

Woman wearing black gown with draping sections like feathers lying against a tree.Woman wearing black gown with draping sections like feathers lying against a tree.Jenny Kee modelling Linda Jackson’s Black Cockatoo gown in the bush in the mid-70s.(

Supplied: Linda Jackson

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Step Into Paradise isn’t just a documentary about their pair’s inventive triumphs and contribution to Australian vogue, it tracks a outstanding friendship that is endured for nearly 50 years, even after their enterprise relationship ended.

It additionally explores the occasions that formed them, together with Kee’s trauma after surviving the Granville practice catastrophe together with her child daughter whereas travelling to a psychiatric hospital to go to Jackson, who had suffered a psychological breakdown.

“I am laying on facet, choosing my child up and I saved considering ‘why is that this occurring, how dare this be occurring, I’m visiting Linda. I’ve a lot to do.'” — Jenny Kee, Step Into Paradise

“For us to have these experiences on the similar time was like, wow, that is epic,” says Jackson.

“And we have been in a position to get by way of that every one collectively as a result of we have been nonetheless sharing one thing that was utterly extraordinary.”

Later, critical unwell-well being pressured Jackson to shut her studio, each their lengthy-time period relationships ended, and Kee’s controversial love affair with the son of artwork critic Robert Hughes, Danton Hughes, 20 years her junior, ended tragically when he took his personal life.

“You do not have highs with out lows,” says Kee.

“Most individuals solely wish to speak about their highs, however I believe it is actually vital to speak about your highs, and your lows, as a result of that provides the total image of who you actually are. Huge practice crashes, suicides they’re all half of the make-up of life and not one factor do I remorse, they’re unbelievable experiences that moulded me and made me and the unbelievable ache has been a gap to me having a richer non secular life.”

A one-evening stand with John Lennon

As a younger lady, Kee was decided to dwell an attention-grabbing life.

Early in this system, she tells of a one-evening stand with John Lennon on the age of 17 after she and a bunch of buddies snuck into the resort the Beatles have been staying in throughout their Australian tour in 1964. (She additionally claims to have later had flings with Keith Richards, Eric Clapton and Roger Daltrey.)

“We have been totally blown Beatlemaniacs and one of our group stated if we wish to meet these guys we have now to jam the lifts, so up and down we went jamming the lifts and we waited in the stairwell and as quickly as they noticed us, these attractive little mod women. John stated to me ‘come up for a celebration’ and then we had our evening collectively and it was nice. He hadn’t been with Asian earlier than me!” — Jenny Kee, Step Into Paradise

Black and white photo of a woman wearing a deb gown.Black and white photo of a woman wearing a deb gown.Kee grew up in a working-class household in Bondi and says she was referred to as ‘wop chink” as a result of of her Italian/Chinese heritage.(

Supplied: Jenny Kee

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As a baby of Chinese-Italian heritage, rising up in ‘white’ Bondi in the 50s, she confronted racism that was formative and in the end motivating.

“I [developed] an ‘I’ll show you attitude because of the racism’,” she says.

“I believed I’m going to transcend all the pieces that appears to be a shortcoming and flip it into one thing good, to make it good that I used to be Asian.

“I all the time thought that my face was going to do one thing, individuals we’re not going to overlook it, I did not understand how or why however I simply knew I used to be going to make that a actually optimistic factor.

“And when I think about it now I’m Chinese, Italian, Australian and I put koalas on hand-knitted Australian wool knits. And I always think, well, wow.”

Linda Jackson grew up in a contented residence in the fuzzy, bayside Melbourne suburb of Beaumaris.

She and Kee have been each influenced by their trendy moms’ love of garments. Jackson’s mom taught her to stitch and she was making her personal garments from the age of 11 or 12.

Black and white photo of Jackson wearing blouse with big, ballooning sleeves.Black and white photo of Jackson wearing blouse with big, ballooning sleeves.Jackson was inspired to be inventive by her dad and mom and began making her personal garments as a baby.(

Supplied: Linda Jackson

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“I loved observing how people dressed everywhere and it became [a way of expressing] my view of the world,” says Jackson.

“It was still fashion but I didn’t care what the ‘latest’ thing in fashion was because I wanted to make clothes that I felt comfortable in and were inspired by what I would see. I was creative and I was encouraged by my parents to be creative, so I was really lucky in that regard.”

Both Jackson and Kee had lived and labored abroad earlier than assembly — Jackson in New Guinea, Asia and Europe, Kee in London — the place they developed their craft.

The election of the Whitlam authorities and the inventive power unleashed by its dedication to the Arts drew them again to Australia and they have been launched by mutual buddies.

“We both loved 50s fashion and when I met Linda she was doing all these 50s prints and I thought I’ve met my soul mate,” says Kee.

“It was riveting and illuminating and magical meeting Linda, we really felt we were twin souls, we created this world of beauty, we could egg each other on and were in a bubble of beauty and creativity.”

They captured worldwide consideration, exhibiting a set in Milan, Paris and New York in 1977, impressing legendary Italian vogue editor Anna Piaggi and touchdown a double-web page unfold in Vogue Italia however they have been by no means tempted to go away Australian shores.

Two women wearing flamboyant clothes sitting at a restaurant table.Two women wearing flamboyant clothes sitting at a restaurant table.Kee with Italian vogue editor Anna Piaggi.(

Supplied: Jenny Kee

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“It was important to us to be acknowledged and recognised, to have people love what we were doing and to be able to say that it was from this country and inspired by this country, that was a big deal, but it was important to be here. I wanted to be here because I love this country,” says Jackson.

Apart however nonetheless related

Woman sitting with Indigenous artists with their artwork in front of them.Woman sitting with Indigenous artists with their artwork in front of them.Linda Jackson with Warlukurlangu artists at Yuendumu in Central Australia in the1990s.(

Supplied: LInda Jackson

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After a decade, they went their separate methods, Jackson eager to do her personal factor, establishing her personal label, Bush Couture and a youngsters label, and travelling to distant elements of Australia working with Indigenous artists and designers.

Black and white egg shaped costume with mask on a mannequin.Black and white egg shaped costume with mask on a mannequin.‘Mask Goddess’, one of the material and fibreglass costumes Jenny Kee designed for the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games in Sydney, 2000. (

Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences. Photographer Marinco Kojdanovski.

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Kee continued operating her store and growing her knit-put on vary.

One of her silk prints was picked up by Karl Lagerfeld and used in his first Chanel assortment, she turned a family title on daytime TV and because the face of a washing detergent and designed costumes for the opening ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Their work is displayed in Australian museums and galleries.

Through all of it they’ve continued to assist and look after one another.

“I think at the time [of the business split] other people thought we were never going to talk again and I think we were lucky that we were able to be so creative together and then be able to branch off into our own area and still be part of a big, beautiful family tree,” says Jackson.

Colourful halter dress laid out on flat white surface.Colourful halter dress laid out on flat white surface.‘Rainbow Waratah’ gown created by Linda Jackson in 1988.(

Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences. Photographer: Marinco Kojdanovski.

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“Step Into Paradise tells a story of friendship between two women over 40 to 50 years,” says Fran Moore.

“And that was always the story that I really wanted to tell — these two incredible women, from being so young and going through all sorts of stuff, all through their lives they’ve remained true friends. And that’s pretty good to accomplish.”

Two women wearing bright jumpers scarves and hats at a mountain range lookout.Two women wearing bright jumpers scarves and hats at a mountain range lookout.‘Twin souls’, Jackson and Kee usually spent weekends collectively exploring the bush and in search of inspiration.(

Supplied: Fran Moore

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“In the end, what is achievement?” says Kee.

“You’ve done that and you’ve got this award but do you know what really matters? Love and friendship.”

Step Into Paradise airs on ABC TV and iview on Tuesday, October 12 at eight.30pm