Designing an Australian Italian affair with Collette Dinnigan

Collette Dinnigan has a storied history as one of Australia’s must successful fashion designers. Ever. But that’s just one chapter of her creative life. 

Her adventurous spirit and love of colour, fabric and proportion make total sense in the context of her childhood. In the mid 70s, her father built a yacht and set sail from Durbin, South Africa for the world with his young family. When they settled in New Zealand her creative mother got involved in textile design, Collette would get the remnants and patterns, piecing them together into garments. 

Her list of accolades is long. Collette became the first Australian to mount a full-scale ready-to-wear collection in Paris in October 1995, and in 1996 was invited by the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture to show on the prestigious Paris Fashion Week schedule. By the early 2000s, she was the darling of the international fashion scene. Dressing celebrities who didn’t want to wear the old houses on the red carpet, but something more youthful and new. In 2013, she was ready for change. Never afraid to take a risk, she controversially closed the doors to her business, instead of selling. When you get to know her, you’ll understand why. 

Today, her focus on collaborations and interiors satisfies her creative drive. She’s collaborated with luxury brands like Qantas, Audi and Dom Perignon, authored children’s books, designed interiors for restaurants and hotels and created wallpapers and ceramics. She’s even been on Celebrity MasterChef, a credit to her commitment to pushing herself outside her comfort zone. She’s authored two coffee table books, the second, ‘Bellissima, An Australian—Italian Affair’, designed by Vince is on shelves in all good bookstores today. 

Listen in as Vince and Collette discuss her love of interiors, gardens, food, friends, curiosities, art and travel, why she chose to shut down her business rather than sell it, and rolling down 40-foot waves in the Indian Ocean. 

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