Sea Gypsy Clothing

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Posted 2014-11-24 by Jen ⇒ follow

"Those who live by the sea can hardly form a single thought of which the sea would not be part." - a quote by Austrian writer Hermann Broch (1886-1951)

The heart and soul behind Sea Gypsy Clothing, Daniela is as fabulous as her clothing and just as natural. A child of the 60s when going on a road trip in a kombi van was synonymous with an adventurous spirit, she's been buying and selling ever since she was 13 years old. She would sell second hand clothes usually taken from her mother's wardrobe to make a bit of money. Things didn't change much when she grew up and became a sole parent. Selling second-hand bits and pieces as well as hand-made Steiner Dolls to supplement her income in the name of survival, she's tread the grounds of the markets for 20 years and gave birth to Sea Gypsy five years ago.

Loving the beach, she visited one in Thailand while on holidays called the Sea Gypsy Village and fell in love with the name. Since then Sea Gypsy's clothing line has evolved and it's still being fine-tuned to its culmination. One thing has always remained staple. It's always soft, pastel, feminine, with a 60's kind of vibe going on and always using only natural fibres. Obsessed with 'Little House on the Prairie' , Daniela loved the pretty layered clothing and was fascinated by the way the kids would play in the mud in these gorgeous clothes. Her obsession led her to play 'Little House on the Prairie' in the back yard with an old canvas cover that served as her little house.

Sea Gypsy clothing comes from Thailand and India where Daniela works one on one with the suppliers in every aspect down to overseeing and fine-tuning the cutting of the pattern. By now she's a familiar sight and greeted with great hospitality and affection by the people she works with. Always hands on in the process she designs 80% of the clothing. The range is slowly evolving but has always had lace in its clothing designs which has slowly grown over the last three or four years. We are seeing more lace now, but this is the first year of the inclusion of hemp, linen and more sustainable fabrics and dyes.

Her creative side likes playing with dyes and she'd be happy to buy everything in cream and dye it all herself using vegetable dyes. She usually has a strong sense and feeling of a 'colour' coming 'on' and dyes her clothing line accordingly. This is a lady of innate style and taste and whatever she 'feels' coming 'on' obviously suits her customers who can't get enough of her beautiful clothing. I myself salivate over the pictures of her clothing online for hours. The long-term aim of is to have a smaller more manageable range of 'fantastic stuff' she tells me. I have actually met Daniela and visited her stall at a couple of markets before, the last one being The Somers Winter Market when I featured her stall in the article.

Aside from the philosophy of using sustainable natural fibres and giving the customer a quality service, she wants women to feel good about themselves when they wear her clothing. The message clearly states that you don't have to grow old on the inside and lose the fire within you or wear black all the time. Inspire your inner gypsy and have fun in these ethically sourced, personally designed all natural fibres clothing and let the child in you come outside and play. Laura Ingles anyone ?

There are no sizes in Sea Gypsy's clothing range. They're all one size, always in cotton, and always lovely, flowing and feminine. You'll find soft, sun-bleached hand-dyed colours, romantic florals, bohemian trims and hand-embroidered details that create a whimsical, wearable Australian Beach Fashion and let's face it, there's nothing like wearing cotton to keep cool on a hot summer's day. I found that even though most of the clothes cater for sizes up to size 16, there are still quite a few styles that can accommodate up to a size 18-20.

Clothing is not all Sea Gypsy does. You will also find vintage Indian bedspreads, beautiful beaded sari fabric in sarong/large scarf lengths (and can be worn as both), bags, cushions, footwear, leather (hill tribe) wallets, jewellery and more, including lots of other accessories and knick-knacks i.e bells etc.

Check out the webpage and do 'like' the Facebook Page where you will find out first hand when Daniela has a pop-up shop event. Other than that you will find her at various markets , details of which you will find on her website. You'll also get to know this lovely lady who is still reminiscent of the beautiful young blonde beach babe she was in her youth and still is in her heart, mind, appearance and personality. Catch Daniela at the next market (at time of writing) on the Fri and Saturday, 28th and 29th November - Christmas at the Studio markets at Bulldog Creek Road, Merricks North.

I leave you with an apt excerpt from the Sea Gypsy website and a couple of videos to give you an insight about the Sea Gypsies.
"Sea Gypsy emboldens you to remember the joy of playfulness, to tune into the sounds of laughter echoing through your soul. Rediscover the freedom of your inner gypsy and reclaim the magic that has always been yours.

We invite you to float away on a bejewelled caravan to far-flung destinations where the gypsy fire is still burning. Bedazzle your soul with soft, sultry fabrics and richly crafted garments. Free your inhibitions and find yourself renewed by the spirit of the Sea Gypsy.