"I love Ōtepoti. I feel like it’s home to the gothic sensibility that has come to define New Zealand fashion (largely thanks to Margi Robertson of NOM*d) and we have a really strong following in the South Island," says Dobson, who has visited the city nearly annually (sometimes multiple times a year) for many of his label’s 21 years, and as a judge and VIP at the 2024 iD Fashion Week.
Dobson first encountered Howe’s work when his partner (artist, curator and director of Wellington’s Enjoy gallery, Daniel John Corbett Sanders) exhibited her work at Auckland’s Artspace.
"He then later showed with her at the Physics Room in Ōtautahi where Priscilla created a huge mural directly on the wall depicting a group of women in a spa pool, gorging themselves on seafood in water riddled with eels.
"This combination of sensuality and absurdity felt very Jimmy D, so I knew I wanted to work with Priscilla on a textile ASAP.
Dobson wanted to do something quite maximalist and colourful for a collection, and liked the idea of really immersing himself in the world of Priscilla’s characters and stories. .
"Priscilla is obsessed with ideas of camp, mundanity, imagining a queer utopia and food as a symbol of sensuality and horror.
"I knew these themes ... would be fun to play with from a design perspective.
Dobson was also drawn to the materials Howe works with, such as felt-tip pens and coloured pencils.
"These materials are both democratic and childlike and purely from a textural point of view felt really fresh."
To realise the project, Howe created original works that were photographed and then sent to Sydney-based textile designer Jason Gibson, Dobson says.
"He compiled the works into these large-scale repeating patterns full of oysters; characters gorging themselves on pasta and hands with talon-like nails."
They then digitally printed the design on to silk mesh, silk crepe de chine and silk satin as well as a new liquid rayon jersey, each fabric having a different finish and opacity, which brings something different to the print, he says.
"In response to the sensual and orgiastic world of Priscilla’s characters we ended up creating pieces like the Escargot dress that spirals around the body, inspired by the snail shell of the French delicacy, as well as sheer silk aprons, the Flounder dress that resembles the flat oval shape of the fish, and frilled shirts that resemble something a character on the cover of a romance novel might wear.
"There’s also sheer silk meshes and jersey tops that can be layered under printed dresses to create a print on print maximalist moment, which feels very Priscilla," Dobson says of the latest pieces, which are already being snapped up.
There are a few more styles left to drop in this collaboration, as well as the possibility of a limited-edition capsule of styles that will coincide with Howe’s show with her dealer gallery Jhana Millers in July.
Now based in Wellington after many years living on Auckland’s Karangahape Rd, Dobson is no stranger to creative collaborations, and says part of that comes from a love of discovering the ways working with an artist can expand your own creative world.
"Sometimes I’ll go to an artist with a theme that I’m designing around and they’ll create a response that I would never have dreamt of, and sometimes (as the case was with Priscilla) I’ll fall in love with an artist’s work and want to create a collection that feels like its part of their world.
While "it’s hard to pick out faves", Dobson says his collaborations with Andrew McLeod and partner Sanders "have proved super popular (and dare I say iconic?)" as well as being acquired by institutions including Te Papa and the Dowse Art Museum.
Howe moved to Dunedin from Christchurch in 2024 — "I love it here, the nature, art and music".
She says the collaboration, dubbed "Orgiastic Fantastic", came out of Dobson and Howe both "loving each other’s work for a long time".
They met in person through Dobson’s partner and hit it off talking about the films of queer American director Gregg Araki.
From there the idea of a collaboration began.
"I was really thinking about food, digestion and repulsion.
"I was also very inspired by the colours and vibe in Araki’s film Nowhere.
"From there James arranged the drawings into a print that we both agreed looked great. For the ‘Oyster Tit’ design James got me to draw it on the pattern straight away."
Howe says her favourite Jimmy D piece utilising her work "has to be the Mr Wavey dress".
"I love that you can wear it different ways and pull it up. It’s also super cosy and soft while also being very hot.
"It’s hard to pick a favourite though, it’s all so good!"
