Everyone is welcome!
Whatever
your challenge,
i’ll enjoy
working on it
with you.
Who I am
For as long as I can remember I’ve been fascinated by the way people choose to express themselves through clothing and I’ve advised people on presentation and style for their personal and professional needs for over 15 years. I’ve worked in creative, community and corporate roles and have experience advising clients and facilitating workshops in both Australia and London.
I began in London in 2008 where I worked with people experiencing all kinds of challenges on refining their professional presentation; this is when my passion grew. When I returned to Australia I did similar work in the corporate sphere while also running sessions on professional presentation in the juvenile justice system. In early 2012 I established my business and began to work with clients on personal style beyond the workplace.
In 2015-17 I was President of the Association of Image Consultants International (AICI) Melbourne Chapter and was Associate Editor of AICI GLOBAL magazine for three years. I was a guest speaker at The Art of Getting Dressed event for The School of Life in both Melbourne and Sydney in 2017.
Carly Findlay OAM asked me to be lead stylist of Access to Fashion in 2018, her groundbreaking runway event for Melbourne Fashion Week, featuring models with disabilities exclusively. I also choreographed the event and managed the hair and makeup crew.
In 2019 the NGV invited me to speak about wearing colour at their Colour: Educator Enrichment Program and in 2021 I launched my book ‘COLOUR: the Secret to Creating a Sustainable Wardrobe’ as part of the NGV’s Melbourne Design Week.
I co-founded Fashion by Foot ethical fashion walking tours in 2017. However I am no stranger to sustainability issues; I won a United Nations Award for producing River of Dreams, a documentary about the proposal to flood Aboriginal land to grow unsustainable cotton crops. The late Ningali Lawford, a Walmadjari woman, narrated it and John Hughes directed it. The film won Best TV Environmental Reporting in 2000. I am also a Climate Champion for Better Futures Australia.
Ningali Lawford and I receiving our United Nations Award in 2000
My philosophy
I love colour and good design and I have a keen interest in twentieth-century fashion history. Social justice is important to me, and that is one reason I’m drawn to ethical fashion. It’s important to me that the people who make our clothes are treated respectfully and receive a living wage.
Taking a positive, empowering and supportive approach, I enjoy working with a broad range of people. To date, my clients have ranged from 9 to 90 years of age – and each has their own story to tell (one I believe their unique style should reflect).
Every client I encounter is different in terms of their priorities and personal attributes and everything I do is based on encouraging self expression and re/discovering enjoyment in clothing. I’m just as interested in what’s going on for you internally as I am in your physical features.
I introduce you to tools, not rules, that you can use to inform and define your own personal style. I make no assumptions about how you like to present yourself or what features you’d like to highlight or hide. I believe style should express our values and preferences and be lifestyle appropriate. Aesthetics is only one aspect of personal style.
Conscious of the fast fashion industry’s contribution to environmental degradation and socio-economic inequality, I encourage mindful purchasing, based on well informed choices. I’m also an advocate for quality, locally made fashion. If this interests you, you’ll be rewarded with finding unique items that are made to last, and you’ll be supporting independent designers during what is still a difficult period.
Although I specialise in introducing ethical, local and independent designers to clients, I believe the most sustainable approach to fashion comes from understanding why you’re comfortable in some clothes and not others and learning how to construct outfits you like without compulsive and excessive purchasing. I enjoy sharing these concepts to empower you into the future. Once you master it, you’ll be able to buy just things you’re guaranteed to enjoy wearing.
A few of the models I styled for Melbourne Fashion Week’s groundbreaking runway event, Access to Fashion;
Melody Shotade, Rosie Nash and Melissa Schubert.
“Donna is very talented at demystifying the world of what colours, fabrics and styles of clothing to wear to help with developing my own personal style for work and casual attire. Her professionalism and lovely nature allowed me to feel comfortable with her instantly.”
Donna Cameron
Dress is a Buluuy Mirrii design called ‘Campfire’ by Colleen Tighe Johnson, Aboriginal fashion designer and proud Gomeroi woman
Portrait by Rachel Mackenzie of Peony Lane Studio
Check out my range of in person style services
