SUSTAINABLE Fashion By Andrea Louise Thomas
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ashion has always been forward in clothing designer Kathy Subic’s mind. As a girl growing up in Yugoslavia, she followed all the latest fashion trends. She used to fill up her school exercise books with fashion sketches. Kathy dreamt of one day working with Australian fashion icon, Norma Tullo, but it was Kathy’s grandmother who first sparked her interest in fashion. Her maternal grandmother, Maria, was an excellent dressmaker so young Kathy got to see fine design and craftsmanship first-hand.
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20 | PENINSULA
March 2020
When her family moved to Melbourne in 1969, eighteen-year-old Kathy was determined to work in the fashion industry. She went straight to Flinders Lane, the heart of the garment district, and knocked on doors until someone gave her a job. It was fortunate that she met a marvelous mentor and master patternmaker named Mr. Martin. Mr. Martin said, “Kathy darling, to call yourself a designer you need to know how to make a pretty picture, to be a better designer you need to know how to make a pattern for that picture, to be a true designer, you must know how to make the garment properly!” continued next page...