By Sonia Isaacs
At just 14, Beerwah State High School student Sienna Grace is about to achieve what many fashion designers spend a lifetime chasing – a place on the runway at New York Fashion Week.
The Year 9 student will swap the Sunshine Coast for one of the world’s biggest fashion capitals in September after her handmade kangaroo leather earrings captured the attention of international fashion insiders, earning her a coveted invitation to showcase her work alongside 10 to 15 designers from across the globe. She is currently the only Australian designer in the show.
Still coming to terms with the opportunity, Sienna said the invitation exceeded anything she imagined when she began making jewellery as a child.
“I did not think when I started this business that it would go to New York Fashion Week,” she said.
“That is one of the biggest things. It’s really, really exciting, and even though it’s across the other side of the world, it’s a dream come true.”
Sienna’s creative journey began at the age of seven after taking sewing lessons with a local teacher in Glass House Mountains. Her love of arts and crafts quickly grew into a small business, initially selling faux leather earrings at local markets before launching her own website and building a loyal online following.
About two years ago she introduced genuine kangaroo leather into her designs after her mother, Emma, discovered leather offcuts at a Montville store.
“Mum went up to Montville one day and found some kangaroo leather scraps,” Sienna said. “I already had the cutting machine at home that I was using for faux leather, so we gave it a go. Once I started using genuine kangaroo leather, everything really took off.”
Today, all of her statement earrings are crafted from sustainably sourced kangaroo leather supplied by Queensland company Packer Leather, which is sponsoring her New York trip.
The lightweight, distinctly Australian designs have proven popular with tourists and international buyers.
“When I first started, lots of Americans and English people were really interested because it’s something from Australia that they could take home and wear,” she said.
Sienna’s earrings are now stocked in about 15 retail outlets across the Sunshine Coast, Brisbane, Melbourne and Byron Bay, with strong support from local businesses helping her brand grow.
Her breakthrough into the fashion industry came after a supporter wore a pair of her earrings to a Q Star Runway event. The creative director tracked her down through Instagram and invited her to design pieces for a Sunshine Coast runway show. That opportunity led to the Queensland Arts and Fashion Festival in Brisbane, where industry connections eventually opened the door to New York.
Now balancing Year 9 studies with the demands of preparing an international collection, Sienna is designing 10 complete runway looks featuring both garments and jewellery.
“The clothes are going to be black so the earrings really pop,” she said. “There’ll be lace, mesh, sequins and faux leather. Everything is designed to work together.”
The bold earrings she will unveil form a special New York Fashion Week capsule collection available through her website.
“They’re big, they’re bold, they’re what’s on the runway,” she said. “They’re not your everyday earrings.”
Despite the international recognition, Sienna remains focused on simply creating.
Asked how she would like to be described, her answer was refreshingly modest.
“Maybe just a young Australian emerging designer, because I want to go bigger,” she said. “I’m just the creative designer and Mum does all the background stuff.”
While her mum Emma handles sponsors, stockists and business logistics, Sienna continues doing what she loves most creating striking designs from her Beerwah bedroom, now bound for one of fashion’s most prestigious international stages.