.jpg/:/cr=t:0%25,l:2.34%25,w:95.33%25,h:100%25/rs=w:963,h:963,cg:true)
Outer, the Brand
Design by Outer brings past and future together, stitch by stich, by conserving textile heritage and craftsmanship in the now, with concerns of ethics and sustainability for the future in the fashion industry.
Outer’s mission is to produce artistic clothing and accessories which inspires people to express themselves. Outer uses innovative, experimental and sculptural approaches to fashion design and garment construction, combined with traditional textile techniques, creating her unique visual language and identity. Each garment is an artisanal, aesthetical and social statement about individuality, and society’s relationship with each other and nature.
Outer understands clothing as that layer separating the private and the public, from a personal perspective. Outer’s artwork and designs are focused on the tension between the uniqueness of the individual and the collectiveness of the society, the paradox of standing out and belonging.
Outer, the Designer
Simone Zarpelon Leao (aka Outer) is the founder and creative director of Design by Outer. Simone learned traditional embroidery, fabric texturing, tailoring and dressmaking as a child with her grandmother, who migrated to Brazil from Italy. While a teenager in the 1980s, still in Brazil, Simone developed her identity in part by designing and creating her own clothes, mostly inspired by the aesthetics and ideology of the British punk movement. While never stopping developing her art and design, Simone became a Chemical Engineer, with a PhD in Geomatics, and had a long and successful international career as a senior scientist on urban sustainability. Science took Simone to live and work across five continents, collecting experiences and developing a global sense of diversity and a better understanding of her identity and roots. Simone became a migrant herself, to Australia, in 2010. It was the context of the global pandemic that slowed down her science and provided more time, space and inspiration for her creativity. While in isolation in her new home, a four-hectare off-grid bushland in the picturesque Noosa region in Australia, Simone and her partner built an art and design studio. So, Design by Outer was born in 2022. In just a few short years, Outer achieved national and international recognition, including participation in major fashion events, such as 2023 New York week and 2024 Milan fashion week, and an award as an emergent fashion designer in Australia in 2024. Also as an accomplished textile artist,
with artworks across illustrations, sculptures, and large installations, you may also find an Outer unique piece in an art gallery exhibition around the globe.