meet the maker
I am Laura, the woman behind a hop and a skip.
Being a Fashion Designer and Maker is not something I really ever envisioned for myself. And yet, I feel that I am exactly where I am meant to be.
When I left high school, I had no idea what to do with myself, although I did feel a pull towards something creative. But I was brought up to believe that having a creative life was a luxury afforded for kids who came from rich families, and I certainly was not one of those.
So, I put my dreams on the shelf and my head into the books. I went to uni and studied Psychology, which was a very respectable and responsible thing to do. In time I graduated and found employment. I had a job which was secure and had promising career progression on the horizon… and I was completely miserable.
Around this same time, I accidentally stumbled into my local women's circus where I began aerial and hula hoops classes. Before long, circus was infiltrating my every thought and deciding to take a risk I quit my mind-numbing job to spend my days training and rehearsing my acts. I was going to be a circus superstar! … or at least, I was going to try. Eventually gigs start trickling in and I start performing around the traps. It was a whole new experience and so enriching. It was the first time I started tapping into myself as a creative being.
By the end of my 20s, my first major relationship comes to an end and feeling the city is not big enough for the both of us, I let my heart lead me to old Melbourne town. Here, I would spend some wonder years playing and frolicking around with fantastic new friends and lovers. By this stage I am knee deep in life as an independent circus performer and a cruise ship contract takes me out to the middle of the Pacific Ocean where I meet one very charming Italian First Officer who promptly proceeds to sweep me off my feet *swoon*. Back on dry land, and two become three as we welcome our beautiful little bambino into our lives... and I start to feel a pull to steer my creative boat in a new direction.
During my circus years, I had always had a soft spot for costume, so I enrolled to study Costume Design with the intention of working in theatre. Upon graduating, I was lucky enough to get my dream job at a major elite performing arts company. But alas the workplace culture was... not so dreamy. Until this point, I had always evenly straddled between a love for costume and for fashion. But with this costume door closing, I decided to jump all in into the world of fashion. A little further study in Fashion Design and I am now living my fullest expression yet, launching a hop and a skip, my own independent fashion label with me at the helm as Business Owner, Designer and Maker.
I am grateful to have had all these opportunities to evolve, to try new things, to become better aligned with my true self. I love designing and making beautiful pieces to wear, but this not just about cute clothes. It’s about creating the life I want to live. I want to make pieces that are meaningful. Pieces that tell my story and share my values. And hopefully inspire you to let your heart lead you, into your own beautiful life.