Tell us about yourself. Where are you from and where do you live now?
My name is Lorna Murray and I'm a Sydney-based fashion designer, textile artist and university lecturer, with an extensive career spanning more than twenty years. I have established myself as a leading textile artist and designer, presenting textile artworks globally in solo and group exhibitions and I have undertaken several residencies and curatorial roles. I have developed a successful career as a visual arts teacher and as a university lecturer in art, fashion and textiles.
What did you do career wise before starting your brand?
I was born from decades of knowledge, expertise and experience in traditional textile techniques and traditions and contemporary art practice. Global foraging fires my imagination and compels my vibrant creative practice. My passion for color, texture, pattern, adornment, cloth embellishment, art and craft is part of my lineage. I am constantly fueling my love of textiles, design and community artistry, whether in the South Pacific Islands learning traditional weaving techniques, in Northern Australia learning from Aboriginal elders the art of dyeing natural fibers and creating dilly bags, in Malta making lace or in India studying embroidery, block- printing, miniature painting, floristry and paper-cutting. It’s not simply history and tradition that grabs my imagination. Street cultures all over the globe seduce my finely honed bowerbird instinct for beauty. Simply being open to happenstance anywhere I go nourishes my global consciousness and inspires my art and design practice.
Describe your brand. When did you launch? Where are you based? Why did you start it?
Lorna Murray™ is an ethical and sustainable Australian brand, where effortless glamour meets coastal bohemian. All apparel is handcrafted ethically by artisans in Lorna's studio in South East Asia and is sustainably made with 100% natural fibers, with minimal environmental impact. Lorna Murray is inspired by rich craft-based histories, eclectic urban environments and natural landscapes. The Lorna Murray Apparel muse is a global traveller, a wanderer, a sun-seeker, a go-getter. They are curious, open-minded individuals with a vivid imagination. With a passion for translating traditional textiles into a contemporary context, Lorna has developed a cult brand loved globally by fashion influencers and customers alike. We are stocked in Australia and globally to 220+ stockists in Italy, France, Spain, Greece, Germany, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States, The Caribbean, Kuwait, China, Japan, South Korea, Dubai and New Zealand. Our hats are stocked in notable stores such as the Four Seasons Miami, Fragonard Boutique, Cannes and Caramel, London. Our hats have featured on the runway in a collaboration with renowned Indian womenswear designer Pero, in Florence in 2019, and were invited to show at London’s Mini Mode Fashion Week. Lorna Murray's distinctive designs are perfect for both those wanting a sun-safe yet stylish addition to their attire, as a luxe fashion statement.