ASHM Australasian HIV&AIDS Conference 2025

This exhibition entitled HIV Unwrapped 2.0 in Australia was an opportunity to celebrate this project that had its origins in Australia and showcase garments from both the UK and Rwanda exhibitions.

This exhibition brought together 15 unique garments seeking to reimagine, redesign and redefine the traditional lab coat informed by, and reflecting, the scientists work within their respective field of HIV.

The five new Australian garments in this exhibition reflected the exceptional HIV science being done in Western Australia as well as an opportunity to showcase the work of this year’s co-chairs of the Australasian HIV and AIDs conference 2025.

Together, these 15 unique garments invited viewers to experience HIV science through a fresh artistic lens, demonstrating how art can inspire new ways of understanding scientific research and innovation.

We asked the over 800 delegates to tell us their favourites from this exhibition and there was a tie between HARLENE DEL ROSARIO + CORIE GRAY and the garment created by the partnership between KATRINA KAN + HIRUSHA MATHANGADHEERA + SILVANA GAUDIERI

Clare was born and raised in East Gippsland and as a child learnt to sew from her mother. She is currently a year 2 Bachelor of Fashion Design student at RMIT University having previously studied Information Technology. Enjoying the change of degree, she continues to sew in her free time and occasionally fish in the high country.

A/Prof. Carole Khaw is a Senior Consultant Sexual Health Physician and Co-Head of Unit at the Adelaide Sexual Health Centre, Royal Adelaide Hospital. She is Clinical Associate Professor at the School of Medicine, University of Adelaide. She is the Co-Convenor for the ASHM 2025 HIV /AIDS conference. She is past Chair of the Advanced Training Committee in Sexual Health Medicine, RACP and examines for the AMC. She has always been passionate about medical education and health care promotion of Sexual Health and HIV medicine. She has research interests in the areas of Sexual Health, HIV prevention, epidemiology and Medical Education and has published in several scientific journals as well as presenting in national and international conferences. She remains a strong advocate for vulnerable and high - risk populations and continues to work towards ensuring that no one is left behind in the fight against HIV.

In this project I was partnered with Dr Carole Khaw it was through our conversations and researching into her previous work I wanted to bring across the individual care she brings to her patients.

This translated into certain design choices; the ¾ sleeves show the wrists, this helps to display openness and trust. The green of the main body is in reference to the calming and soothing nature of the colour, which is why it is often used in medical settings instead of a stark white which can be glaring and intimidating. I used a silk dupioni where there would be different shades woven throughout.

The wavy and puffy nature of the coat symbolizes an inflamed immune system, with the attacking virus of both symphysis and HIV shown as long chains weaving themselves throughout. Small pieces of silk on the neck and on the body are individuals starting a journey through treatment and life.

For this headpiece, I’ve taken a rather literal approach to the science. The attacking head piece is treponema pallidum (syphilis) drilling its way into the host, this made from stainless steel which was fired and hammered into shape.

I am an Australian aspiring fashion designer. I am ambitious to create my own circular couture label and explore the world of storytelling through fashion and costume design. Through my work, I intend to push ideas around making the viewer question societal structures and offer sustainable possibilities for fashion’s future.

Jeanne has extensive experience conducting research, evaluation, and training in the health field, working across academia and the Not-for-Profit sector. Jeanne’s work focuses on perceptions and understandings of HIV risk and prevention, experiences of HIV diagnosis, the social dimensions of biomedicine and stigma reduction. Jeanne is a Research Fellow at the Australian Research Centre Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University. She is the project coordinator for the Newly positive: Experiences of HIV infection and diagnosis in the contemporary era study. This study investigates the experiences of people recently diagnosed with HIV in Australia.Jeanne has held research roles at the National Centre in HIV Social Research, UNSW, and at the Kirby Institute at UNSW. She has also worked in the HIV community sector including as the Principal Advisor Research at the Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations (AFAO) between 2018-2021. Jeanne’s disciplinary background is in cultural anthropology, and she uses critical and reflexive approaches to investigate social and cultural phenomenon. Jeanne completed her PhD in the Department of Anthropology at University of Sydney. Her thesis, titled ‘Valuing diversity: the politics of place in an inner Sydney suburb’, focused on the relationship between perceptions of place and issues of social cohesion.

My designs explore ideas around the decrease and increase in HIV infections, highlighting the importance of Care cascade, PrEP and ART. Reflecting Edwina Wrights abstract I created ‘What Could Have Happened’ a lab coat-inspired garment. I focused on showcasing the potential increase in HIV infections versus the actual decrease. The potential increase in HIV infections if the uptake in PrEP, and improvements in the HIV care cascade did not happen was represented by the red fabric which highlights the urgency of this situation. Additionally, the gathered adjustable sleeves held up by the blue strands demonstrate this potential growth of HIV infections if PrEP and HIV treatment were not there to hold it back, this idea is further explored with the blue stitching holding the red back.

The cascade of blue beads and fabric reflects the decrease in incident HIV infections. The use of blue was inspired by the phrase ‘care cascade’ in combination with the colour of the PrEP pill. The three shades of blue interwind with each other represent the improvements in the HIV care cascade, which includes virological suppression and PrEP where each factor contributed to one-third to the decline in HIV.

‘The Unfolding’ expands on the ideas of potential infection growth and how it can be controlled and pulled back, which were explored briefly in my Lab coat. To showcase these ideas I created a jacket, that is adaptable, allowing for the hood to change from something that is controlled to something uncontrolled. I used the same colour symbolism as my Lab coat, which is why the red is revealed when the buttons are undone on the hood, and the sleeve can be tied back revealing the blue.

The project pairs included:

Clare Morgan + Carole Khaw

Flora Bellemo + Dr Jeanne Ellard