An honours graduate from Monash University, Daniel Barbera is an industrial designer, who fuses old-fashioned industrial techniques, skilled craftsmanship and advanced manufacturing technologies to create his bespoke and commercial products,

Born in Melbourne Australia in 1976, Daniel Barbera first started experimenting with design as a child in his father’s workshop, and developed an ongoing interest creating, art, furniture, and objects.

His ethos is harnessed by ‘logical-design outcomes’ which nevertheless allow for timeless quality in all his work. Drawing upon a minimalist aesthetic that perfectly balances the delicate and the sturdy, Barbera holds a strong environmental approach to his work.

Daniel works with many high-profile architects and interior designers, from across the globe, working on a variety of type of projects from high-end residential to commercial.

A silhouette of style, this bronze mannequin, stands as a tribute to Hotel Chadstone’s timeless building, based on the female figure, and references Chadstone’s influence on Australian fashion.

The fabrication of the bust is reminiscent of artistic techniques from the beginning of the twentieth century, during the golden era of craftsmanship and trade.

It embodies the spirit of the hands that shaped the nation’s workmanship and reflects the presence of skilled migrants and manual craftsmanship that defined Australia's fashion industry.

Barbera’s bronze bust was created specifically to mark the opening of Hotel Chadstone and the significance of the evolution of Chadstone as the heart of an emerging city.