To celebrate her 15 year-anniversary as an iconic Australian fashion designer, Camilla Franks – the Founder and Creative Director of Camilla – looked to her childhood memories and Australia’s hidden gems for inspiration, but found so much more: a commitment to repairing and protecting Australian reefs.
Camilla’s ‘MOTHER’ Anniversary Collection celebrates mother nature and the local art, people, weather, flora, fauna, and love that have shaped her designs; “It’s truly a playful collection with nods to my childhood in Australia,” says Franks.
The Great Barrier Reef inspired its own standalone design – the Reef Capsule Collection which Franks launched this week at the iconic Bondi Icebergs – where she acknowledged that she knew she had to do something. “It wasn’t until my head was underwater that I understood the full effect … I want to create awareness for this incredible natural beauty that is slipping away from us” she says.
Franks announced CAMILLA’s $20,000 donation to Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef. The organisation combines research, tourism, industry and conservation, to create awareness and educate Australian about the threat to our reefs.
The Reef Capsule Collection pays homage to Australian connections to land and sea, and the fragility of the Great Barrier Reef and features a special print created in collaboration with Indigenous artists.
In marie claire’s November 2019 issue, young activists, fashion designers and scientists came together in the Save Our Seas campaign to fight the pollution, overfishing and coral bleaching that’s almost-irreversibly changing the seascape. Like generations of Australians, Camilla Frank cherishes memories of snorkelling through the reef off the coast of Fraser Island; “It was a technicoloured rainbow that coated delicate bodies of coral, and schools of fish that harmoniously floated between”.
marie claire’s Editor, Nicky Briger, says everyone needs to take responsibility; “We can’t just leave it to the hardline activists, we all need to be part of the change. With that in mind, we’re launching our #StartSomewhere campaign, which offers everyday hacks to help us all lessen our environmental footprint.”
After witnessing the devastation of climate change with her own eyes, Camilla Franks warns; “We are well and truly facing the devastating impacts of global warming, reef bleaching and coal mining – our Mother Australia needs us more than ever”.
The MOTHER collection includes CAMILLA’s signature kaftans, and resortwear dresses, skirts and playsuits, available in boutiques and online from October 2019.
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