We respectfully acknowledge the Yugambeh and Muralag people, the traditional owners of the land where our company was founded.
My Story
Fulfilling. Amazing. Life-affirming.
I thought being a mum would be all that.
What I realised during my pregnancy with my first, Rex, was that becoming a mum was hard. I learnt that pregnancy can be rough. I had friends who sailed through, while I struggled with insomnia, reflux and hip pain. The insomnia was the worst of these. I would find myself bleary eyed in the morning, waking up with minimal time to get out the door for my day job. Then I would come home and fall asleep on the couch.. Add to this that I wasn't fitting any of my regular clothes anymore, so I was feeling a bit depleted and like I'd already lost a bit of myself. I knew something needed to change.
I needed some me time, and creative outlet was just the thing to take my mind off all the bodily changes happening outside of my control. I began sewing and designing, and realised that I could make my own dresses that could last me from maternity to nursing, and beyond. I used the most colourful fabric I could get my hands on, and wearing these pieces made me feel like me again - I could wear something colourful and super unique, and of course, with pockets. I could be pregnant and dress amazingly without resorting to beige clingy outfits that would only last me for another 2 months before I packed them away, to await the next pregnancy.
Rex & Isla came about when my friend, Jess, spotted me wearing my designs and breastfeeding Rex as a newborn. She encouraged me to share these designs with the world, and so, Rex & Isla was brought into the world in April of 2022. Now I am constantly dreaming up new prints and designs, using my own experience of looking after and feeding my babies to fuel this process. The prints are a combination of a collaboration with the amazing artist Bernadette Wallace (also my best friend since grade 5), and my own work. We both find inspiration from our natural surroundings - Bernadettes being Adelaide, and mine, the beautiful Torres Strait in Far North Queensland.
I love wearing these designs in my every day life, which now involves running around after my toddler Rex, and (what feels like) constant feeding of my second baby, Freddie. I will only ever deliver clothing that I myself find beautiful and functional.
Thank you for reading this far, and for supporting my small business - you are truly appreciated and I hope you find your little slice of you here 💕
