It's been a little over a year of doing Obelia's full time and it's strange to think about how much it's changed me.
I've always had a 'appreciation for beauty' bone but since taking on designing as an endeavour I've found myself taking note of everything around me. Colour combinations made by cars driving past each other, silhouettes of buildings, the way that blinds fall as they're quickly tied up, my towel lazily draped over a chair and creating pleats and sharp lines makes me want to run to the sewing room and work out a pattern.
The women in my life are also a big point of inspiration for me. Growing up my mum and I would shop together, usually ending up with me locked in the change room while she ran around finding things she wanted to dress me up in. If i protested 'I don't like that' she would plead, 'just try it on... for me'.
She has an incredible eye and ability to articulate why something works. The exact point a hem hits on the leg can be make or break for the garment. Balance with proportions and the visual weight of the outfit. Always knowing what to add or takeaway to get something to feel just right.
My friends are also very stylish and nights out often get my ears pricked with off handed comments through bathroom stalls and bar lines serving as seeds for ideas. Which tops they 'must borrow' from each other because it 'holds them up just right' and 'what are you wearing with that skirt on Friday night?'.
My time at markets and in the retail shop are valuable for the same reason. The umming and ahhing from the change-room when trying to decide if they should go ahead with a purchase are some of my favorite conversations to eaves drop in on. There's the standard checklist, 'what would you wear it with?', 'how often would you wear it?', 'can you wear it to work?', 'would you wear it out?', 'is it easy to wash?'
These have become the core of my design philosophy. My target market is me, it's girls in West End bathroom lines, at the Saturday markets, in their first cooperate job looking for something appropriate to wear that still feels like themselves.
Introducing Autumn '26, 11.04.26
Hope you like it,
Julia xx