Linda Jackson established herself as a top Australian designer when she worked with Jenny Kee at the Flamingo Park boutique in Sydney during the 1970s.

Kee and Jackson’s work will be showcased as part of the NGV exhibition “200 Years of Australian Fashion” which opens on March 5.

The pair met just as Kee was opening her shop in 1973.

“We worked closely together for 10 years,” Jackson said.

“We're in the ‘70s parts of the exhibition because of the really unusual creative, Australian-inspired, colourful work we did at the time. 

“It’s going to be amazing to see how they curated it and what's there from the early days. It's going to be fascinating.

“It’s the first time there has been an exhibition (of Australian fashion) like this. It takes a lot of planning to show 200 years of fashion.”

Jackson, who grew up in the Melbourne suburb of Beaumaris, is tied to Bendigo through her family who moved here 30 years ago.

During her time in Bendigo, Jackson has been an eager visitor to the Bendigo Art Gallery for its series of fashion exhibitions.

“I've seen them all and looking forward to Marilyn. It's amazing,” she said. 

Jackson recently discovered her grandmother lived in Bendigo before her marriage.

“My days of coming to Bendigo were really important. My family moved here about 30 years ago. They had a lovely property in Lockwood,” she said.

“My brother opened a printing business in Bendigo that he eventually moved to Maryborough to work with McPhersons.

“There’s a long history there, I discovered not long ago my grandmother lived in Bendigo before she married. It’s a connection I didn't know about.”

Jackson still visits Bendigo regularly to spend time with her mother, who is now 91.

“I'm there quite a bit, I've been volunteering at the Great Stupa while I've been working on an art project,” she said.

“In 2013, I was an artist in residence at La Trobe University and did work for an event with Bendigo Art Gallery for Bendigo Fashion Week.

“I wanted to spend more time with Mum and making these things work has been a great benefit. It’s such a great community.”

An interest in sewing and creativity was prominent in Jackson’s house growing up.

Her mother, like many mothers during the 1950s, made Jackson’s clothes.

“My mother made all my clothes and I made clothes, that’s how the interest started,” she said.

“I also remember going to Georges at the Paris End of Collins Street, which was amazing. I remember seeing all these elegant things like that.

“Creativity was always in our family. Mum and Dad were ballroom dancers, so the dressing up and costume thing was helped along by that.” 

Jackson went on to study fashion design and photography as well as working in a bridal salon.

“I combined all those things together and travelled to New Guinea, Asia, London and Paris before coming back,” 

“Jenny and I meeting when we did was perfect timing and because we were interested in art as well, it was a big part of what we were doing together.”

Jackson and Kee’s work was unique to most other things being designed in Australia at the time.

It was a combination of art and fashion.

“We were in our own world, we wanted to be in Australia, we wanted to be inspired by what was around us and put on a show every year,” Jackson said.

“We weren't in the fashion industry with a real commercial range like people have now. It was art based.

“We didn't want to be influenced by or copy anyone. We had all this beautiful imagery, landscape and colours unique to Australia. 

“It was easy to be inspired and make it work like that. I didn't want to work any other way. If you're an artist and you can combine that with being a fashion designer, you can be as creative as anything.”

The two fashion pioneers will be alongside a number of Australian fashion highlights at the NGV exhibition.

“It’s going to be interesting to see the really early days (of Australian fashion), the 20s, 30s and 40s,” Jackson said.

NGV curator of fashion and textiles Paola Di Trocchio put together the “200 Years of Australian Fashion” exhibition.

Since the 1970s the NGV has organised and curated close to 50 fashion and textile exhibitions.

“We have been thinking about (this exhibition) for a little while,” she said.

“There is definitely a thirst (for fashion exhibitions). We have been exhibiting in both NGV buildings since 2002 and there is an audience that has been building and increasing for these type of exhibitions.”

Highlights for the “200 Years of Australian Fashion” exhibition include the earliest known dress made in Australia, a blue ball gown from the 1960s that features a skirt of ostrich feathers and a commission from designer Dion Lee.

The ball gown was designed by by husband and wife duo, La Petite, who ran one of the first French-style salons in the “Paris end” of Collins Street.

A newly commissioned work by Dion Lee will also impress.

The design is a four metre-tall, Swarovski crystal-encrusted gown lit from within and radiating a constellation of light.

 The “200 Years of Australian Fashion” exhibition opens at the National Gallery of Victoria on March 5 and runs until July 31.

For more information or to book tickets head to www.ngv.vic.gov.au