Pom Pom Parade

“Pretty much everything can be made into something else,” says Stephanie Marks – a young and talented maker of one-off wearable pieces from hats to jewellery that are made to order.

Marks simply started off making things she wanted to wear. She attended Melbourne School of Fashion where she learned basic skills in pattern making and sewing before going on to study costume design.

Growing up in the country before moving to Collingwood where she now has a studio, the designer says relocating to Melbourne has helped her to turn what initially was a hobby into something that is (almost) becoming a full-time job. “There’s a lot more acceptance about what you wear, who you are and how you express your creativity”.

When asked to describe her creations to someone who has never seen them before “colourful” is the first word that comes to Marks’ mind. Indeed one such colourful creation of hers is a neck piece made entirely out of pom poms of varying sizes and colours.

Marks also likes to recycle things she no longer has a use for. For example, one of her hats is a glove head piece which came about because she had lost the other pair. Marks then stuffed the lone glove with wadding and wire so that it could be moulded into a natural hand shape.

Another of Marks’ hats is a black riding hat with two purple coloured pom poms on top (pictured below) that resemble ears. Marks sourced the hat from an op-shop and cut off the brim and re-shaped the crown of the hat. While the pom poms were made out of a bunch of plastic flowers she bought from a discount store. “Hand stitching, attention to detail and trial and error is very important when making one-off pieces such as hats.”

Lately Marks has been creating earrings and headwear out of hair pieces and leather. And although she is uncertain of where she wants to take all this, you will definitely be seeing more wonderful creations from this young designer. So keep both eyes peeled.