The other greatest source of inspiration is from the roots of home – my mother.

As a seamstress, her favourite fashion piece was the now iconic Dior “Little Black Dress”.

Knowing my mother’s journey as a post-war migrant seamstress who had left her island home in Europe, and continued her life’s work in a new country, I had always been proud of her story.

As such, I was humbled to take her to “The House of Dior: Seventy Years of Haute Couture” fashion exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria when she asked to go. Her delight in and appreciation for every detail of Dior’s work at the National Gallery brought her spirit alive.

I remember as a young woman and throughout my 20’s my mother worked hard to create beautiful fashion pieces and took such pride in making me look nice.

Meticulous in her craft, she loved to work with fabrics and thread. She sewed almost all of my dresses, skirts, shirts, and suits.

Having handpicked the material and pattern together, my mother then tailored the sleeves and hems of my outfits to perfection. I always had unique outfits, something created with love and that no one else had.

Mother knows it takes passion, time patience, effort, and skill to create a piece of art, and her artwork was her sewing!

Embroidery motifs, from my mother’s home island are well-known around the world and depict images of everyday life. Beautiful representations of these handcrafted pieces are displayed in the Museum of Folklore – a tribute to their standing as cultural art pieces.!

Through my travels and my mother, I learned the value of handmade goods of all kinds and coupled this with my passion for gemstone Jewelry and fabric to create Mara Blak.