The Beauty Curse - Frock Paper Scissors

Faith in Fashion
fleur
wood...
Q & A
If you could redesign a religious uniform what
would it be?
I really like the flowing robes of Tibetan Buddhism but I’d have to
change the colour palette. I love this season’s fascination with the
shade of nude.
Where do you develop new fashion ideas
from?
I do definitely have intense moments of inspiration.
Sometimes it’s a pair of shoes walking down the street,
other times it’s a movie. Recently I’ve been inspired by the
photographer Vee Speers. She’s a beautiful photographer
with a really crazy, crooked view of the world.
What is the most important lesson you’ve had
to learn?
When you make a mistake you have to make it quickly! Don’t
stay there trying to fix it or just thinking that it will change:
recognize it and change it quickly.
What trend are you loving at the moment?
I’m really loving the whole 80s revival. What I love most
about it is how we are doing it – with a much more eclectic
and twisted view.
WE know Fleur Wood for her flowy
dresses in BRIGHT colours, but what we
didn’t know is how time in a Tibetan
monastery steered her career...
WORDS Rhianna Bull
PHOTOGRAPHY Courtesy of Fleur Wood
AS an aspiring designer at age 23, Wood travelled for two
years through the Indian Himalayas; living in a nunnery
and designing for a culture preservation project for the Tibetan
Exile Government. “I was really lost and I didn’t know what I
wanted to do with my life,” she says.
Working in public relations and specialising in retail sales and
merchandising, Wood admitted to having no qualifications in
manufacturing or design experience when accepting the job.
She worked for an Institute called Norbulinka, a division of
the Tibetan Exile Government dedicated to the preservation
of Tibetan culture. Wood liaised with traditional artists and
craftspeople, helping design projects and products which could
then be exported overseas to help raise funds.
Wood watched as the daily influx of Tibetan refugees, who
had walked across the Indian Himalayas to Nepal and on to the
Dharamsala refugee centre, steadily increased.
Living in a nunnery for a short time, Wood was inspired by the
strong, spiritual energy of the Tibetan people. Having little to
no contact with the women of the monastery, due to their daily
spiritual practices, Wood was left to meditate and study Eastern
religion and philosophy. Her experiences helped her discover
herself and develop moral standards which were then carried
into her business. “I don’t want to make money from having
animals killed,” she says.
Wood’s morals also influenced her decision to donate to
charity. “I think it’s about corporate responsibility. We do a lot
of manufacturing in India and I feel like I have a responsibility
to give back to the community which supports my business,”
she says.
Returning to Sydney at 25, Wood originally set up her
business as an import company; bringing fabrics, scarves
and shawls from India into Australia. From there she started
developing products for other Australian companies and
manufacturing them in India. After steadily building her
reputation, Wood went on to launch her own self-named label
initially consisting of four slip dresses in four different colours.
Wood never thought she would achieve what she has.
“I was only 25, never had a business before and had very
limited work experience. I think a lot of the reasons for my
success have been a combination of my naivety and hard work,”
she says.
With amazing life experience behind her, she leaves us with
these words of wisdom: “It is important to do what you love,
what you’re passionate about and the rest kind of just falls into
place”.
WX
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