My Story

I had always been a creative kid, and growing up in the bush without electricity or modern conveniences meant that we had to dream up our own entertainment. My mother and Step-Father were both artists, so I had always been surrounded by various forms of creativity, but learning to knit is what sticks in my mind as the beginning of my life-long passion for the creative arts. There was just something about taking a piece of string, twisting and looping it around itself and making something… making so many things!

As I grew up I took on many new forms of creativity, Origami, Crochet, Net-Making, Spinning, Weaving, Leather Work… I would even take over and teach the arts and crafts classes in my primary school years.

I used to run my own market stalls as a young teenager, and through high school I was the only male student to do elective textile classes. I also used to attend the local monthly spinners and weavers group.

My obsession with all forms of craft continued. I would devour craft technique books from the local library, teaching myself to make everything from bobbin lace, to New Guinean Billum Bags.

After High School, I enrolled in a clothing manufacture course through TAFE NSW. I studied pattern making and clothing manufacturing techniques and from there I applied for, and was accepted into the ‘Theatre Production Crafts - Costume’ course at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), where I expanded upon my pattern making skills and studied the history of clothing and fashion, through period pattern cutting classes.

After graduating from NIDA, I started my first job on a feature film in the Star Wars franchise as a Cutters Assistant, which set me on my path as a Pattern Maker/Cutter, and I spent the next few years working on a number of full scale Musical Theatre productions in Australia and overseas, including ‘The Lion King’, ‘Mamma Mia’ and ‘Phantom of the Opera’.

In 2006 I decided that I needed a change of pace, applied for some jobs in the fashion industry and landed in the position of Couture Pattern Maker/Cutter for Alex Perry. I spent two years in this role, and was responsible for the creation of all the Bridal and Couture gowns that he designed in that time.

Throughout all this I had continued to create my own designs and began to focus on jewellery and accessories. I was intrigued by the idea of creating pieces of jewellery and wearable art using wire and traditional fibre-art techniques such as knitting, crochet, weaving, plaiting/braiding and knot work.

From 2012-2020, I worked full time for Opera Australia, the country’s premier opera company, as a Pattern Maker/Cutter for women’s wear in the costume department, creating hundreds of costumes for a huge range of productions. I created everything from historically accurate period underwear, to modern/futuristic garments and everything in between. This offered a huge variety of challenges on a daily basis and allowed me to draw on my lifetime of experience as a creative.

While 2020 was a challenging year for us all, the shutdown of the theatre industry allowed me to finally invest the time needed to make my jewellery and accessory design dreams into a reality.