When Wollongong fashion designer Wendi Leigh was given an opportunity to show her designs in the Big Apple in 2015 she had to forgo an opportunity to be involved in RAW.
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Wendi Leigh Designs was invited to the United States to showcase a new collection that incorporated her own art prints into the fashion.
Her distinctive Australian bird theme turned heads in New York. Demand and interest has been so great she has since continued to develop the range.
Illawarra people will get the chance to see the Wendi Leigh’s Birds of a Feather range this Friday night when RAW’s Signature event comes to the University of Wollongong Hall.
Wendi Leigh will be showcasing eight designs including a dress and two jackets that were shown in a Fashion Week in New York last August.
“But four evening gowns have been made exclusively for this show,” she said.
“They are one offs. They are extraordinary pieces utilising my Australian bird theme prints. RAW actually invited me to present last year but I was going to be in New York at the time. So then they waited until they had another event here.”
Doing the Wollongong event could open up many more opportunities for the Illawarra designer.
‘’RAW is an international group that showcases designers and artisans work all over the world,” Mrs Leigh said.
“Once and artist has showcased their work in their home town they can then showcase anywhere else in the world at any RAW event.”
The outfits feature designs that depict baby bird feathers, magpie wings and tails and abstracted kookaburra birds and tail feathers in Australian colours such as aqua, coral and earthy burnt oranges, tans and eucalyptus greys.
The styles were co-ordinated to dress-up or dress-down foundation pieces that are Wendi Leigh's brand focus for non crush travel wear.
Other styles in the original range were expressly created for garden and beach wedding attire.
The outfits on show this Friday will be for sale. The fashion show will be themed with the sounds of kookaburras and magpies helping to create the atmosphere.
Not only does Wendi Leigh Designs promote eco-sustainability by all being made in Australia they were also printed locally. The models on Friday Catherine Andrews, Suzanne Haddon, Natalie Cross and Mrs Leigh’s daughter Katrina Rautenberg. Wendi Leigh Designs has been asked to do a number of fundraisers recently. The Auburn Street businesses recently put on a fashion show at Murphy’s Bar and Grill in Unanderra for Kyros and is doing another one for Inner Wheel.
