INTERVIEW with Melinda Wallace || Flora Fascinata
SD: Hi Mel, can you please introduce yourself to my readers who don’t know you yet?
ML: My name is Melinda Wallace and I own accessories label ‘Flora Fascinata’. The name came from a friend who lives in Mexico City, who just said to me, quite casually ‘oh, you must call your label Flora Fascinata’. The name stuck!
SD: Who would you really like to wear your designs?
ML: My mantra is ‘wear millinery everyday’ and I love seeing a client’s face light up when they put on a headpiece. So, I am going to say ‘those who least expect to be delighted by wearing a headpiece …or those who say ‘I could never wear that!’. Also, how fabulous would it be to see Lady Gaga or the sensationally styled posse from ‘Advanced Style’ resplendent in a ‘Flora Fascinata’. I also enjoy making bridal pieces or wedding guest accessories and seeing the client on their special day.
SD: Who would you say has influenced you the most?
ML: Monsieur Bruno Legeron - a third generation flower maker established in Paris, who has since sold his atelier to Lesage and Chanel. I discovered Bruno’s atelier some years ago via a pop-up in Paris central displaying beading and hand-crafted flowers. It was closed at the time and I sleuthed out where it came from. I then ventured to his studio, pushing an old Parisian style door open and calling it with my Aussie twang, ‘Bonjour!’. Thankfully he let me in. His studio was a treasure trove laden with huge antique drawers full of hand-made flowers, not to forget the orders he was producing for the likes of YSL, Balenciaga and Chanel. Each time I visited his studio I would then leaf through French Vogue and see one or two of his creations! I own some of his corsages. They are a treasure.
SD: What are your successes, and how did you achieve them?
ML: I love collaborating with Brisbane local and interstate designers: including Anannasa, Sarah Hickey Apparel, CHAMANI, Elaurante, Czarina, SFH Designs and Ossom. Some of these collaborations have included Flora Fascinata showing at Brisbane Fashion Month, Noosa Fashion Weekend and Toowoomba Fashion Festival. I also appreciate my retail outlets Miss Opulence boutique in Bulimba and Roselle store in Paddington, both in Brisbane.
SD: What helps you get in the zone when you’re designing?
ML: Preparation work is essential. Once the design is determined, I get all textiles and embellishments ready including pre-dyeing and sizing or stiffening the fabrics. I collect everything I need and then I begin. Music and a clean work station is also important!
If it is a client brief I delight in sending a sketch of the proposed design and I always have this nearby when I am crafting the piece. Drawing skills are important in millinery and corsage making. I often send my client a ‘work in progress’ image. Organisation is key.
SD: What is your favourite part of being a designer?
ML: I get to exercise my creativity and my conscience. In clothing and textile sectors we have reach critical and dire thresholds with fair trade and authenticity. Making a product that is unique and sustainable in terms of its footprint (ethical and economic) is the only way forward. It is so rewarding to see a product created from your own hands and fabulous to see it worn!
However, I do concede that ‘choice’ is a privilege and not accessible for many consumers.
My studio is open by appointment - Saturdays 10am to 3pm.
Please message for further details: 0403 376 598
Melinda’s Links:
Website: https://florafascinata.bigcartel.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/florafascinatamillinery
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/florafascinata/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flora_fascinata_millinery/
Photo Credits:
First photo: Model Tahlia Cherie in Anannasa and Flora Fascinata - Taken by Dave Fox Photography
Second photo: Model Chloe Yaya in Flora Fascinata