The art of beautiful nonsense.
Hokum was never meant to be sensible. It was always
meant to make you feel something — a little wonder, a
little joy, a gentle escape from the ordinary.
ABOUT
why hokum?
Hokum was chosen deliberately — a word with a wink in it. It speaks to exaggeration, to theatre, to the kind of storytelling that doesn't apologise for wanting to entertain. That spirit runs through everything we make.
"Fashion that refuses to take itself too seriously — but takes the craft, very seriously indeed."
There's a long tradition in art and theatre of using playfulness as a vehicle for something deeper. Hokum sits in that tradition: garments that are a little theatrical, a little whimsical, always considered.
Penelope Gibbs
Penelope came to fashion through illustration — and it shows, in the best possible way. Trained across illustration, textiles, and fashion design, she has an eye for the kind of detail that makes a print genuinely worth staring at.
Each collection begins on paper, with Penelope drawing by hand before anything is committed to fabric. The process is slow and intentional.
Some prints take weeks; a few have taken longer. The result is a visual language that is entirely her own — layered, curious, rooted in art history and natural forms, but unmistakably Hokum.
The Atelier - Designed in Melbourne
Our atelier in Melbourne is where it all happens — where sketches become samples, where fabric is held up to the light and argued over, where the details get obsessed about for longer than is probably reasonable.
Every garment is a homage to the act of making: hand-drawn illustrations, carefully sourced textiles, finishes that reward close attention. We believe clothes should feel like they were made for someone, because they were.
Every piece exists to evoke something — most often, joy.
MELBOURNE ATELIER · HANDCRAFTED WITH CARE · TIMELESS &
AGELESS
© HOKUM — MELBOURNE
CRAFTED WITH LOVE IN OUR ATELIER