Sarah-Jane 'Sass' Clarke AM (right) (b. 1974) and Heidi 'Bide' Middleton AM (b. 1971) founded the fashion label Sass & Bide. The women met in Brisbane and began selling customised jeans at Portobello Road markets while living in London in the mid-1990s. Returning to Australia in 1999, they established a tiny Sass & Bide outlet with a $70,000 loan. With the launch of their super-low-slung jeans, their business skyrocketed and in 2001 they showed at Australian Fashion Week. After meeting Sarah Jessica Parker, who wore their clothes on Sex and the City, they made their international debut at London Fashion Week in 2002, followed by New York Fashion Week in 2003. They went on to position their label in about 200 stores around the world and secure a place on the BRW Young Rich list. Myer bought out Sass & Bide in 2013, and Clarke and Middleton severed ties with the brand in 2014. Clarke established her own label, Sarah-Jane Clarke, in 2018, while Middleton launched Artclub in 2019, combining her own paintings with eco-friendly fashion.
Deborah Paauwe is known for her beguiling, sometimes unsettling images exploring themes such as innocence and vulnerability, often featuring women in vivid, vintage or ultra-feminine garments. This commissioned portrait shows the designers wearing Sass & Bide's iconic blend of prints, colour, metallics and sequins.
Commissioned with funds provided by Marilyn Darling AC 2008
© Deborah Paauwe
Deborah Paauwe (age 36 in 2008)
Sarah-Jane Clarke AM (age 34 in 2008)
Heidi Middleton (age 37 in 2008)
Marilyn Darling AC (33 portraits supported)
On one level The Companion talks about the most famous and frontline Australians, but on another it tells us about ourselves.
Well behaved women seldom make history, as the saying goes, and the National Portrait Gallery, consequently, is full of awesome Australian women who refused to conform to narrow ideas about their place and their worth.
This exhibition showcases portraits acquired through the generosity of the National Portrait Gallery’s Founding Patrons, L Gordon Darling AC CMG and Marilyn Darling AC.
