'How You Make It' brings together - for the first time - 25 works by leading-edge artisan fashion designers from across Australia.

Through their work, each designer explores how traditional, highly-crafted tailoring techniques can continue to form contemporary clothing in often radically new ways.

Their approach to cutting, marking, joining, and sizing - the cornerstones of garment production - creates a language from which their individual design philosophies grow.

"These professional and highly-regarded conceptual Australian fashion designers and artists open a dialogue between craft and design that places the focus back on how and why objects are made,'' said exhibition curator Kate Rhodes.

Participating designers are behind the labels Anthea van Kopplen, Ess. Laboratory (Hoshika Oshimi and Tatsuyoshi Kawabata), formallyknownas (Toby Whittington), materialbyproduct (Susan Dimasi and Chantal McDonald), Paula Dunlop, Project (Kara Baker and Shelley Lasica), Simon Cooper, and S!X (Denise Sprynskyj and Peter Boyd).

Gallery Director Anthony Camm said given Ararat's specialist textile art focus, it was important to bring this significant exhibition to Western Victorian audiences.

"How you Make It is designed to encourage engagement and interaction,'' said Mr Camm.

"It makes the intriguing world of contemporary artisan fashion accessible, which is rarely experienced outside of exclusive metropolitan design circles.''

'How You Make It' is a Craft Victoria and National Exhibitions Touring Support (NETS) Victoria touring exhibition. NETS Victoria is the peak body for visual arts touring the state and provides opportunities for regional areas to access the best contemporary art, craft and design. The Victorian leg of the tour is supported by the Victorian Government through Arts Victoria and the Community Support Fund.