David Jones teams up with Carlotta to camp up iconic window displays for Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras

OXFORD Street won’t be the only iconic Sydney landmark to undergo a transformation for the 2016 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, as retail giant David Jones begins gearing up to go full rainbow for this year’s festival.

From Monday, February 29, the window display at David Jones’ flagship store on Elizabeth St will feature designs celebrating the extraordinary career of Australian performer, and one of our first public trans women, Carlotta.

For a week the windows will pay tribute to Carlotta’s successful career and the city’s spirit of diversity.

Carlotta transitioned in the early 1970s and had one of the first and definitely most high-profile gender reassignment surgeries in Australia at the time.

A larger-than-life entertainer, Carlotta’s story was one of the inspirations for The Adventures of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert and she was a fixture on the Kings Cross entertainment circuit in the 1970s.

Choosing Carlotta as their face of Mardi Gras was a logical choice for David Jones because in her teen years, Carlotta had worked at David Jones in the art department painting the scenes, backdrops and mannequin faces for the windows.

This year Carlotta returns to David Jones as a Creative Director for the Mardi Gras window display and will treat shoppers with a special performance on Thursday, March 3 at the Elizabeth St store.

David Jones chief marketing officer David Robinson said the company was “proud and excited” to be celebrating Mardi Gras.

“David Jones supports diversity and self-expression for both customers and staff, and it is important to be involved in one of Sydney’s most iconic events that epitomises these values,” he said.

“Carlotta has had a monumental impact on the LGBTIQ and wider community, and it was an honour and privilege that she would return to David Jones where she once worked, to collaborate with us on our Mardi Gras celebrations.”

Much like the annual Mardi Gras festival, the David Jones store on Elizabeth St is a Sydney institution, so it’s only fitting the company is embracing the theme of having pride in yourself.

By celebrating and embracing the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, David Jones is contributing to the cause of championing diversity for everybody within the LGBTI community.

In tradition with all culturally relevant brands, David Jones will be documenting its involvement in Mardi Gras across its social media channels including; Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and the DJs style blog. You can keep up to date with all the action by following #djspride.

David Jones is encouraging everyone to “be everything they are” for the 2016 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.