Anna Plunkett and Luke Sales met "studying fashion together at East Sydney Technical College" and founded the house after turning down an "internship with Galliano at Dior to 'do their own thing'" "As a fashion house, they are well known for their garments, but have also designed for a number of diverse mediums, including wallpaper, furniture, art installations, fashion shoots, toys, theatre and pop performance costumes." In January 2020, they re-released a popular collection of garments and accessories based on characters from May Gibbs' popular Sugglepot and Cuddlepie books. According to their website, Romance Was Born's main ethos is to "create immersive cultural experiences that provoke an emotional response."
Collaborations
Romance Was Born has a strong emphasis on collaboration, in the hope that they can "explore a creative common ground and build an awe-inspiring relationship between fashion and art." Their first collaboration was with Archibald Prize winner Del Kathryn Bartoncollaborated with the brand. They've followed this with collaborations with other designers, the hotel chain QT Hotels, as well as major corporations such as Lego, Disney and Marvel.
Recognition
Several Romance Was Born pieces are held in Australian museums and galleries, including 13 works at the National Gallery of Victoria, and three works at the Powerhouse Museum. In 2014, Romance Was Born was featured in a group exhibition at the NGV International, called Express Yourself: Romance Was Bornfor Kids, which ran from 17 October 2014 through to 12 April 2015. According to the National Gallery Victoria, the "vision was to create a fantastical, larger-than-life environment for participation, play and creativity that blended fashion, art, music and design. The resulting exhibition featured works from RWB collections past and present, the NGV collection and collaborating artists. It highlighted Sales and Plunkett’s trademark collaborative style and creative themes that continue to underpin their practice". Notable celebrities such as Cate Blanchett, Tavi Gevinson, Karen O, MIA, Natasha Khan, Cyndi Lauper, Lily Allen, Grimes and Miley Cyrus have worn Romance Was Born on the red carpet. In 2018, Romance Was Born published a book entitled Romance Was Born: A Love Story with Fashion, detailing their rise to prominence in the Australian fashion scene.
