ABOUT THE ARTIST

We began in 2021 as a boutique bargain op shop called The Frugal Fashion Co. I envisioned a place where customers could engage with slow fashion and find incredible brands at very low prices, targeted at those who were too time-poor to spend hours rifling through the big stores to find treasures. 

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In April of that year, I painted my first denim jacket for a family member. I'd been painting recreationally for years, but had never thought I had the skill to translate the hobby into business. After seeing the popularity of this first piece, I painted four more designs to sell, and they proceeded to sell within hours. By August, I made the decision to turn FFC into a purely hand-painted fashion boutique, giving secondhand denim pieces a second life and creating wearable art that could be passed down through generations. In 2024 I changed the business name to Second Spark Studios, better reflecting the brand's overall mission of using art and design to give recycled and neglected materials new life.

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Since then, I've worked hard to improve, refine and broaden my skills, and have expanded our range from just jackets into a huge variety of pieces for both adults and children. I've had the pleasure of painting pieces for birthdays, weddings, births and memorials. I've created dream merch for pop culture fans and rescued vintage pieces destined for landfill. I've also taken my educational background into running workshops teaching incredible people of all ages how to upcycle their own clothes and create memories to last a lifetime! 

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As our business expands into other areas like wall murals, I hope to continue to use my platform to bring a spark of joy into daily life and encourage discussion around upcycling, recycling and caring for the materials our planet gives us.

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While running this (very) small business is incredibly time consuming, it is a privilege I wouldn't trade for the world, and I'm immensely grateful for the amazing upcycling community we've built across Perth.