To celebrate the 2022 Afterpay Australian Fashion Week, Sassy & Co went on the ground at Sydney Fashion Week to capture some of the most fabulous collections and notable street style photos outside the shows. We captured some of the best and most promising designers at Carriageworks – Check out our exclusive fashion show coverage featuring Torannce, Gyre the label, and Iordanes Spyridon Gogos’.
TORANNCE is an Australian elevated contemporary label dedicated to timelessness, luxury, and wear-ability. Paying homage to vintage trends and muses, TORANNCE plays on eccentricities and eye-catching details while still being completely wearable and something that can take you from day to night.
TORANNCE was established by Julia Torannce Hemingway in 2015. Having studied a Bachelor of Business and working within the fashion industry for almost a decade, Hemingway felt she needed to create her own label so that she could push the design boundaries without limitation.
With a strong emphasis on quality, all TORANNCE garments are designed using premium materials, including natural fabrications, ethically sourced leathers, and beautiful hand-embellished materials.
Check out their collection below at the 2022 Afterpay Australian Fashion Week courtesy of Dave Choo.
To celebrate the 2022 Afterpay Australian Fashion Week, Sassy & Co went on the ground at Sydney Fashion Week to capture some of the most notable street style photos outside the shows. Follow along daily as we capture some of the best street styles at Carriageworks (Photos courtesy of Dave Choo).
Kavya Prakhyati is a 27-year-old Boston-based designer focused on creating sustainable fashion rooted in femininity and romance. She draws inspiration from couture techniques, renaissance paintings, 90s movies, and her Indian heritage.
Kavya graduated with a certificate from the school of fashion design in 2019 and apprenticed for Daniel Faucher Couture, learning the craft of tailored, custom-made garments. Some of her garments have appeared on independent magazine covers, and a collection of her garments were featured in Boston Fashion Week.
Her handmade-to-order garment addresses and empowers different body types and design needs through the use of traditional sewing techniques. She believes that her customers should buy her pieces because they truly speak to them. It just so happens that she encourages sustainable production and empowers everyone along the way.
Sassy & Co magazine recently caught up with Kavya to discuss her journey in the fashion industry and here’s what went down:
How did you get into the fashion industry?
I started off studying marketing and worked as a market analyst. I wanted to pursue a career in fashion, and I was always drawn to it ever since school. For many reasons, I chose to play safe with my career choice until I realised it wasn’t for me and decided to do what I always wanted. I went back to school to study Fashion Design, which really helped me develop my technical skills. I have been doing this for five years now (I did internships with very talented and established designers in Boston and got my first job as a technical designer in New York) and have never looked back.
What do you like most about being a designer?
Seeing the ideas come to life! I spend a lot of time drafting patterns/draping, manipulating fabric, sewing the garment using intricate details, and then finally seeing it on my clients or models is a total dream come true, especially when they notice the little details and tell you how they feel in the dress.
Meeting other creatives in the industry is another thing I love. I’m always meeting new people (online & in-person), and listening to different perspectives and ideas is always refreshing!
Downside to being a fashion designer?
Someone commented on my TikTok saying, “how does it feel to live my dream?” and I wanted to respond by listing several reasons why the fashion industry is difficult. Still, the truth is that although many downsides exist, they can all be overcome with workable solutions. That being said, the fashion industry is very demanding, both financially and time-wise. Another downside is that the fashion industry is so saturated that it’s hard to stand out, so you have to work really hard to differentiate yourself and be seen. Made-to-order designers, in particular, have trouble finding success in this ‘fast-paced, inexpensive clothing’ environment because their goods don’t have a quick turnaround time and are expensive. Thankfully, the situation is one of the most talked-about topics at the moment, so it’s easier to educate consumers about the trade-off and true cost.
What has been the most memorable experience of being in the fashion industry so far?
I would have to say that one of my most (recent) memorable experiences was having Dodie (a British singer-songwriter) perform in one of my garments. A true pinch-me moment! Her initiative to support independent designers is very thoughtful. Kudos to her and her team!
Who have been the most interesting people you’ve met so far?
I’ve had an incredible opportunity to meet so many models, photographers, teachers, and other designers in the industry! (All the pictures you see are works of these incredible artists, you will find them tagged in my Instagram account.) They truly changed my perspective on competition. For me, now, it is all about supporting each other and uplifting each other as a community because I truly understand what it takes. I’m so glad I got a chance to meet some of these creatives; they are all very interesting with unique personalities and backgrounds.
What has been the most valuable lesson you’ve learned while in the fashion industry. This can be about the industry or about yourself.
#1. Quality>>>Quantity and #2. I don’t have to be a genius protege with an exuberant personality to convince people to like what I make. Just take some challenges, don’t downplay accomplishments, get hands-on experience, and invest in skill and practice. Who would have thought? Not me!
Is your family supportive of you being a fashion designer?
I am very grateful that my family and friends are always there for me and encourage me to follow my dreams. They’ve been very supportive of my new venture.
If you could go back in a time machine to the time when you were just getting started, what would you do differently?
Cliche, but I can’t say I’d do anything differently because I would definitely have valued the opportunity to learn from my mistakes more. If I could go back, I’d take some financial, sewing, and confidence tips and a few self-help books with me.
What is the best advice you have ever been given?
Do your best, and watch your best get better.
What are your future plans? Inside your career or out of it.
I am excited about my future plans! Right now, my plan is to continue working with my current company for the foreseeable future. I’m working on launching my brand ‘Aeris’ late this year or early next year, where I take custom orders and also launch mini collections twice a year which are also customisable and made-to-order. Follow me on my Instagram @kavyaprakhyati to order, see my pieces in action, or just follow along my journey. I am also very keen on learning 3D software (like clo3d and browzwear). I’m curious, could this be the answer to all my sustainable custom fashion business problems?
Photo credits: Lena Nugent, Sasha Iman, Anna Istomina, and Siobhan Beasley.
What: Afterpay Australian Fashion Week (AAFW) engages the industry alongside fashion’s most passionate consumers in one dynamic program, marrying physical and digital activations that celebrate Australia’s preeminent designers and fashion’s cultural influence.
Australia’s only international fashion event, AAFW takes place annually in Sydney and is the premier destination for Resort collections.
Where: Carriageworks – 245 Wilson Street Eveleigh NSW 2015
When: 9-13 MAY
Téa Nassi is a Parisian-based designer from Albania. She started her career in finance before quitting her day job to pursue her dream in Paris. She studied fashion design in a Parisian school and launched her brand under her own name.
She finds inspiration for her concepts in human psychology, optical illusions, and modern art. She enjoys blending classic cu4cts with a twist of fantasy, stylistically, for refined, cultivated women but with a streak of extraverted fun.
Sassy & Co magazine recently caught up with Téa to discuss her journey in the fashion industry and here’s what went down:
How did you get into the fashion industry?
I grew up in post-communist Albania when there were no fashion schools, and choosing a career was motivated first by financial security. I followed a scientific baccalaureate, studied finance, and nailed a 9 to 5 job in accountancy. Nevertheless, I’d spend hours sketching outfits in our building’s staircase from a very early age, and it never left me. So, at the age of 25, I took a huge leap of faith, quit my job, left my country, and moved to France to study fashion design. I first became an au-pair, had to follow a 6-month crash course in French, put money aside, and nine months later, I was ready to apply to a fashion school in Paris.
What do you like most about being a designer?
Where do I start? It’s a wonderful, applied art form that sublimates an everyday necessity into a means of self-expression. I love the transformation process of the industry, from a shapeless piece of fabric to an accomplished work of art.
On a personal level, I love the challenge it requires to reinvent myself in each new collection. Putting in the hours, doubting, researching, starting all over again from scratch, until finally the outfits are finished, and I can feel the pride of seeing them worn.
Downside to being a fashion designer?
Putting in the hours, doubting, researching, starting all over again from scratch! Jokes aside, we currently have the massive responsibility of reinventing one of the world’s most polluting and irresponsible industries. We must slow down, produce less and more intelligently, against everything that has been done for decades. It represents huge stress for all involved, including emerging brands such as mine. While the big brands have the teams and means to imagine new processes, new designers have to carry the burden of finding solutions alone, and at times we feel like small fish in a huge pond.
What has been the most memorable experience of being in the fashion industry so far?
My very first catwalk! The feeling of accomplishment overwhelmed me after such a long journey. I knew instantly I was in the right place and had made the right choices; it motivated me, like nothing else, to pursue the path I had chosen.
Who have been the most interesting people you’ve met so far?
I like to surround myself with many interesting people from all walks of life. But the most interesting person I’ve met is my own father! He’s a secretive but fascinating person who never complains but always finds solutions to every possible problem he encounters. He is a true inspiration for me, and even though he is not part of the industry, I strive to apply his soft skills to my own work every day.
On a professional level, I wouldn’t want to differentiate one person from another; I sincerely thank all my professors and collaborators who have taught me invaluable lessons.
What has been the most valuable lesson you’ve learned while in the fashion industry? This can be about the industry or about yourself.
I had a valuable but frustrating experience learning the following lesson. I preferred to follow other people’s advice on several occasions instead of listening to my own creative instinct. I would put enormous amounts of work into something I didn’t personally believe in. Unsurprisingly, I would have to undo everything to start all over again and follow my initial hunch! Hence the lesson would be: take in the advice but don’t let it stray away from your instinct. And don’t be reluctant to put in the hours; inspiration comes working.
Is your family supportive of you being a fashion designer?
My parents were born and grew up in Communist Albania. So naturally, their outlook on life is not risk-driven. When I told them at age 25 that I was willing to quit my safe situation in Tirana and leave to Paris to study fashion without even knowing the language, they were naturally worried about my life choices. Yet today, on the contrary, they are so supportive!
My grandmother was a dressmaker; my mother is also talented with a needle and a thread. She’s the one I call every time I need technical advice; she’s even pulled off quite a few sleepless nights to help me!
As for my partner, we work side by side every day, and he helps me with everything. He specializes in graphic/motion design and has helped me with my branding and photo edits… but we also love to discuss artistic viewpoints and regularly brainstorm on my brand. It’s a loving, virtuous circle!
If you could go back in a time machine to the time when you were just getting started, what would you do differently?
I strongly believe in the four spiritual laws of Hinduism. The second law states, “What happens is the only thing that could have happened.” And it must have been like that for us to learn that lesson and move on.
But all the while knowing it, I regret not having listened to my inner voice earlier. Instead of studying fashion straight after school, I studied finance for security. So as that spiritual law has it, finance was so unlike me that I believe it was probably exactly what I needed to find the courage to give up everything I had and study fashion design.
What is the best advice you have ever been given?
My first drawing teacher, Sylvie Fontaine, once told me that if I wanted to succeed as a designer, then all my energy must be focused on that one goal. Hence that meant for me to see the whole world through the eyes of a fashion designer. Movies, art, experiences, books, everything surrounding me should become wells of inspiration. I thank her as it has become my lifestyle ever since, and it really does produce tangible results.
What are your future plans? Inside your career or out of it.
My immediate plan is to finish and publish my next collection, but my future plan is to expand my brand and achieve my first stand-alone runway.
In the distant future, I’d like to open a fashion school in Albania and provide young Albanians with the French savoir-faire I acquired. It’s a small country with huge potential, but it suffers from a fleeing young population who relocate in the hope of finding more opportunities elsewhere (been there, done that). It would be my contribution to my beautiful country of birth and heart.
Medusa Hire is the world’s first and ONLY Versace tableware and decor hire company. It adopts the embodiment of Versace’s DNA that is defined by the emblematic Medusa head and gold tones, they each truly capture the essence of luxury.
Medusa Hire translates the Versace allure into a Versace experience by servicing the exquisite demands of high-end events and special occasions. It injects a touch of luxury Italian glamour into your event with signature Versace statement pieces.
Sassy & Co caught up with Medusa Hire and here’s what went down:
What are you currently doing to maintain/grow your business?
Given our business is word of mouth, we have poured a lot of time into social media assets to lift its awareness. We have partnered with social media influencers as well as international celebrities in the entertainment industry like The Jacksons and Boyz II Men just to name a few. We have also established partnerships with world-renowned brands such as Eighy5 Cigars based in Florida in America which has given us the opportunity to cross-promote and grow our following to overseas markets.
What social media platforms do you usually use to increase your brand’s awareness?
Instagram has been a great platform for our brand awareness as it allows our content to easily be shared by our followers. We also feel like our target demographic spends most of their time on Instagram.
What is your experience with paid advertising, like PPC or sponsored content campaigns?
It works to a certain extent but it can only take you so far. For us, what has been the most effective is creating content that can be organically shared by our followers and customer base. As mentioned in the previous question, the best form of advertising is word of mouth – and it’s free! Brand collaborations have also been effective and opened new doors.
What form of marketing has worked well for your business throughout the years?
Since upgrading our website, we have witnessed an abundance of quality leads surface. 80% spend on social media and 20% spend on editorials. Predominately, our marketing is via social media which has given us the best return. However, your social media marketing is only as strong as the content you create and what has set us apart from the rest, is our ability to create great content that is shareable by our followers.
What sort of people usually hire your venue?
People from all walks of life as Versace has no boundaries. From corporate events to birthdays, anniversaries, and everything in between.
How is your business staying afloat during this pandemic?
We have been quite resilient during the pandemic where customers are spending more time than ever online so our sales division has remained strong.
What’s the toughest decision you had to make in the past few months?
Putting our expansion plans on hold with purchasing more venues.
Where do you see Medusa Hire in the next 5 years?
The future of Medusa Hire lies with purchasing multiple venues and adopting all the Versace Home ranges.
What advice would you give to a newbie Entrepreneur setting up their first business?
Do your research! It’s all in due diligence. Continue to always persist no matter what and don’t forget to be the hardest worker in the room.
Lia Cowan is an artist and designer whose mixed Jewish and Irish heritage has opened a portal where inspiration threads are spun from folklore and mysticism. Her approach to design is like that of an artist. Diverse themes are researched, explored, and responded to. Her sculptural background informs and adds another layer to the work, through silhouette, movement, and performance. Each of her pieces embodies its own story and has at its heart its own personal textile tale – handcrafted, hand-embellished, hand-embroidered, and hand-held. Going through a transformative journey of casting, gathering, draping, stretching.
Sassy & Co magazine recently caught up with Lia to discuss her journey in the fashion industry, and here’s what went down:
How did you get into the fashion industry?
My background is actually in Sculpture and Education, having completed a BA in The National College of Art and Design in Dublin. I taught Art as a secondary school subject for a few years, and I loved it and loved all my students, but I found something was missing. I missed the buzz of designing and making.
I have always had a passion for clothes and was quite experimental with shapes and silhouettes (some good, some ATROCIOUS), so I wanted the ability to make my own clothes. It started off as a hobby, but quickly I became obsessed. It was like something had sparked inside of me, and finally, I realised this was what I needed to do. From then on, I have done everything in my power to educate myself through courses, collaborations, and internships, and it has brought me to a place where I feel I have found my own unique voice as a designer.
What do you like most about being a designer?
There is no better feeling than seeing someone wear your pieces or for them to tell you how fantastic and confident they felt in them. It truly fills my heart with joy.
Downside to being a fashion designer?
Financially, it is definitely very stressful. I am at the beginning stages of my career, so I understand this is part of the package, and I am more than happy to do so if it means I get to do something I love as a career!
What has been the most memorable experience of being in the fashion industry so far?
My first magazine feature was pretty incredible. Only a year prior to this was I credited as an intern for another Irish designer I had worked with. To see your work photographed, and your name in bold as the designer – it’s pretty magical.
Who have been the most interesting people you’ve met so far?
I have worked with some fantastic stylists and photographers, each using my pieces in completely different ways which I love! In particular, Adam Walsh and Anne O’Shea (both stylists in Dublin) have been massive supports of me and my work.
What has been the most valuable lesson you’ve learned while in the fashion industry. This can be about the industry or about yourself.
Don’t undersell yourself or your work. I think a lot of young designers come into the fashion industry assuming they are at the bottom of the food chain and so must act accordingly. It’s so important to put yourself out there, tell people about your work and who you are, be bold and be confident – the feedback may surprise you.
Is your family supportive of you being a fashion designer?
Coming from an Irish-Jewish family, it’s hard not to be showered with love and support every day. My parents are my biggest fans; my Mom is literally my Momager. I owe them both so much; they have been with me through everything – the meltdowns, the imposter syndrome, and they have celebrated with me through all the successes.
If you could go back in a time machine to the time when you were just getting started, what would you do differently?
I probably would say not to be so hard on myself in the beginning stages. I was obsessed with being the best or doing everything perfectly from the get-go. Everything is a learning experience, and I learned so much more through those mistakes than I ever would have if everything went “perfectly.”
What is the best advice you have ever been given?
Don’t sell yourself short.
What are your future plans? Inside your career or out of it.
I am hoping to move from Dublin to Holland with my Boyfriend Max over the coming months. We are both designers and have always wanted to move to Holland for its incredible design culture. Ideally, I would open a studio there and continue expanding my brand.
I will continue designing and making custom pieces while releasing two small capsule collections a year.
Erika Janavi initially came by bus from Lithuania to London to study Fashion and Textiles in 2011. She had a wild ride discovering herself and challenging her career in various fields, however, not Fashion. During the first lockdown, she realized how fascinated she is with textiles and how much creativity she can give to designing, which is why she’s now pursuing this as a full-time career. More than that, she managed to adapt her unusual lifestyle to her designing profession. The majority of her possessions are antique or vintage because she’s passionate about sustainable living and timeless everlasting designs. Therefore she makes her pieces from unique antique /vintage fabrics and materials.
Sassy & Co magazine recently caught up with Erika to discuss her journey in the fashion industry, and here’s what went down:
How did you get into the fashion industry?
I left my home country of Lithuania as soon as I graduated from school and started my BA studies in Fashion and textiles in West London. It was a spontaneous decision since I had previously prepared to study interior design.
What do you like most about being a designer?
The creative process of firstly imagining a design, then creating it, and finally seeing it materialise and worn.
Downside to being a fashion designer?
It is one of the toughest industries, especially if you are trying to make it on your own. People always tend to buy fast Fashion because of its cost rather than researching independent designers who offer unique, sustainable, and lasting quality items.
What has been the most memorable experience of being in the fashion industry so far?
I believe my big personal moments are yet to come in the near future.
Several years ago, whilst I was in my final year at university, somehow, I still managed to do a full-time internship and work in a cafe on weekends. I was an assistant for a very successful couture designer whose clients at the time were celebrities like Florence and Machines, Paloma Faith, Nicole Scherzinger, Mischa Barton.
Who have been the most interesting people you’ve met so far?
Multitasking artists with a side hustle are always the most interesting people!
What has been the most valuable lesson you’ve learned while in the fashion industry. This can be about the industry or about yourself.
Don’t be too proud to ask for help; you definitely can’t do it all by yourself.
Is your family supportive of you being a fashion designer?
I think they are doing their best even though they don’t fully understand it sometimes.
If you could go back in a time machine to the time when you were just getting started, what would you do differently?
I would have kept up the creativity even if times were hard and I was literally a starving artist (after university, I had a four-year break working full time and abandoning Fashion because I didn’t get a job in the industry right away). I’d also start building a social media presence earlier.
What is the best advice you have ever been given?
Back in university, I was very unconfident and unsure if my design ideas were good; my headteacher once told me: ‘Do you want your designs to be in a museum one day? Then you should know what to do.’ Whenever I wasn’t sure if I should hold back and choose simpler design ideas or go bigger, I always remember his advice.
What are your future plans? Inside your career or out of it.
This spring, I will finally start selling my designs with stockists; I am also focusing on opening a pop-up shop with multiple avant-garde independent designers.
While having a long career in advertising and marketing, Lindsay Nicholas traveled extensively and craved luxurious clothing that would take her between coasts and hemispheres, and travel well… all the while offering effortlessly cool style. She knew she wasn’t alone in needing some amazing modern basics that live outside of the seasons to suit my global lifestyle. This spirit, combined with an obsession for fashion, inspired her to begin Lindsay Nicholas New York in 2015.
Lindsay’s designs truly defy age and represent an attitude and confidence that can be seen in women of all ages. Her pieces are intelligent and elegant, like her clientele.
Lindsay holds certificate degrees from Parsons School of Design and the Fashion Institute of Technology. She truly understands luxury, having been the Executive Director of Retail Marketing for The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, one of the top luxury malls in the world, and Head of Global Marketing for Paspaley Pearls in Australia. She’s also a former board member of the Association of Image Consultants International.
Sassy & Co magazine recently caught up with Lindsay to discuss her journey in the fashion industry and here’s what went down:
How did you get into the fashion industry?
I have drawn women in clothing since I was a young child, but after living through 9/11 in NYC, I realised it was time to re-evaluate where my life was headed. I had a successful career in advertising on Madison Avenue but knew that being a fashion designer was my true calling. I studied at Parsons School of Design and then the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in the evenings and received certificate degrees over the course of several years. I then walked into my boss’s office and told him I was quitting to become a fashion designer, and he basically told me to go back to my desk – essentially, I did for another decade. As I rounded 50, I knew it was time to make a move. Initially, I did it as a side hustle, getting up at 4 am to work with my (what was then) NYC-based team while I was living in Singapore. In 2017 I had the courage to make it my full-time gig. In 2019 I moved the business to Australia.
What do you like most about being a designer?
I truly love the pieces I design, and like many designers, I design for myself. I had access to the best brands in my prior career and wore many European fashion houses. My wardrobe consists of mainly my pieces (and a little Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Celine), and I love wearing Lindsay Nicholas New York. My clothes are flattering, comfortable (without looking too comfortable), and infused with boldness and discreet sexiness. I have the best wardrobe I have ever had, and I get excited for what’s next, though I always pair new with one of my existing pieces. I believe a wardrobe should last season after season. I think through every detail, from the French seams to how a piece enhances a woman’s body. I am fully into every aspect.
Downside to being a fashion designer?
A friend of mine once described it as the Olympics of small details, and it is that! I am very lucky that I came in with the marketing chops right out of the gates, but there was still much more to learn, especially in the beginning. I made sure my small team was full of subject area experts. There are just so many aspects to consider, from sourcing fabrics to finding the right factory, the most appropriate channels to sell on, right down to the best accounting software and thread colours. As a designer and business owner, you really have to juggle a lot of plates at once.
What has been the most memorable experience of being in the fashion industry so far?
While I have had some “pinch me” moments showing at New York Fashion Week and being accepted into the Australian Fashion Council’s Curated program, opening my new boutique in Melbourne has been a dream come true. I love retail, and I love being with my clients. The feedback I get is invaluable, and seeing a woman walk out of the fitting room glowing because she is feeling so amazing in one of my creations makes me joyful. And when she asks if she can wear it out of the store because she doesn’t want to take it off…well, that’s just the best.
Who have been the most interesting people you’ve met so far?
Well, indeed, my clients are all so interesting. They have lived such amazing lives, and all got to where they are by not following the safe path. They take risks and put themselves out there. Just a fantastic group of ladies, though that said, recently, we’ve also been selling to men who are exploring their feminine wardrobe. It’s great for me to see how my pieces translate, and it’s very exciting for me. In terms of people I have met outside of my clients who have blown me away, I was fortunate enough to spend a little time with Michael Kors and Diane Von Furstenberg in my prior career, and I think they are the most talented and supremely lovely people I have met. So down to earth and warm.
What has been the most valuable lesson you’ve learned while in the fashion industry. This can be about the industry or about yourself.
You need to listen (and as I always like to say, “listen with your ears and not your mouth”), but you also can’t listen to all of the advice you get. Listen, take it in, but you need to apply your own filter at the end of the day. You’ll wind up with a very vanilla product if you try to please everyone. I listen and think, “that resonates with me… that’s good advice,” or “that’s interesting, but not something I am going to take on board.” We could probably make more money if we took some shortcuts, but I’d rather have fewer clients, but clients who appreciate the detail and quality we provide. We’re not for everybody, but we are for that special someone.
Is your family supportive of you being a fashion designer?
Absolutely! My sister works for me, so let’s start there. And now, her daughter is even helping out in the business. My mother, who died quite suddenly this year, was my biggest fan. She loved my pieces, and she was that bold, intelligent, and creative woman I designed for. She wore my pieces into her 80’s and looked chic as chic. Just in my family, I dress 17 to 83 year-olds. And my husband is truly my rock. He is integral to the business and knows everyone throughout my supply chain. When I was designing our leopard print pieces (which are our best sellers), I did a huge study on good leopard vs. bad leopard (because certainly there are both…and I do think ours is the best), and my husband was so involved that now he critiques every piece of leopard he sees on the street on in a store window. He’s an absolute doll.
If you could go back in a time machine to the time when you were just getting started, what would you do differently?
I would have approached an industry mentor sooner. I learned a lot by trial and error, and there are amazing people out there who are so generous with their time and expertise. Just because I don’t know how to do something doesn’t mean that there isn’t someone who does! I wound up getting paired with Christine Metcalfe, who co-founded The Ark Clothing Company through the Australian Fashion Council, and she has been a great mentor to me. There are also great resources like Fashion Equipped, which could have saved me some headaches and money if I knew they existed initially.
What is the best advice you have ever been given?
While not necessarily advice, the quote I had in my High School yearbook still rings true for me today: Enjoy your own life without comparing it with that of another. – Marquis de Condorcet
What are your future plans? Inside your career or out of it.
I love to work and create, so I am looking forward to the journey in our new boutique, the new pieces we’ll create, and the new relationships we’ll make. And while we haven’t been able to travel for a couple of years, really looking forward to spending a couple of months a year in New York City and with my family in Boston. It’s good for me creatively and spiritually.