LOVE HER HERITAGE…. LOVE KANINDA

Over the last eighteen months I’ve spoken to many designers about what inspires them to create the most beautiful collections and more than not, most draw their inspiration from nature, music, artwork, architecture and life. What warms my heart the most is when a designer draws inspiration from their heritage. The designer has so much love for the life they were born into that they pay their respect by creating beautiful masterpieces inspired by that life and the history surrounding it.

One Western Australian designer who’s label is completely inspired by heritage from the name of the label, to the prints, to the name of the garments, is Lilla Gagliano. Lilla is the designer behind label Kaninda – meaning “beautiful place” in the Marthudunia language. Kaninda was established in 2004 and was named after the designers daughter Kaninda, ‘who gets her name from the waterhole.’

Lilla, who is of Australian Aboriginal and Italian decent, streams all her creative talent into designing collections that blend modern Aboriginal art with todays fashion. Her collections are created with luxurious hand painted silks, with the prints designed by Lilla herself. The textile is then developed into a gorgeous array of one shoulder dresses, fitted dresses, t-shirt dresses and maxi dresses. The print of Lilla’s 2013 collection, named Yinda (meaning river), was inspired by the natural beauty of the river itself. The print is made up of the most gorgeous hues of blues, browns, greys, oranges and teals in traditional Aboriginal print.

With plans to release her next collection at Australian Indigenous Fashion Week Sydney in April 2014, Lilla kindly took time out to talk to me about her label…..

Question. You launched your label in 2004, what inspired you to be a designer and create your own label?

Answer. Designing is just something I’ve always done, it comes so naturally, I couldn’t picture myself doing anything else and creating my own label was my dream.

Question. Who is the Kaninda woman?

Answer. She is a down to earth, easy-going , care free, free-spirited woman.

Question. If you could see any woman in the world wearing your designs, who would that be?

Answer. Rihanna, I’m so in love with Rihanna at the moment, but would also love to see Jessica Mauboy.

Question. What inspires you the most to create a new collection?

Answer. My culture my heritage, my life style in the Pilbara and the beautiful Pilbara county.

Question. You’ve used traditional Aboriginal words to name each piece in your collection. Why is it important to you to incorporate your heritage into your label?

Answer. It is important to use my language because it best explains my prints and it just feels right that if I’m doing traditional aboriginal art to use the traditional names and words.

Question. Are you able to share any details about your next collection?

Answer. Lots of red, my inspiration for the next collection is Sturt desert peas and hand painted silks.

To see Lilla’s full current collection and shop some heritage online, visit Kaninda at www.kaninda.com.au

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