14 December, 2023
Meet Zarfie, where style and storytelling come together. Born in the heart of Gold Coast under the creative vision of sisters Maria and Juliet, this brand is a tribute to their lifelong passion, deeply influenced by their rich family heritage.
With each collection, Zarfie brings a blend of their European roots and timeless design. The sisters aspire to reintroduce a feeling of vibrance, a touch of magic, and romance into the fashion world, challenging fast fashion with pieces designed to flatter and endure.
Each Zarfie collection tells its own story, capturing moments, emotions, and dreams.
Let's start with a trip down memory lane. How did your childhood influence your path into the world of Zarfie?
Growing up around creatives we always had a passion for design. From creative projects to sewing festival outfits, Zarfie has been in the making since we were young. Raised with European influence, we were always inspired by our Nonna and Nonno who were amazing tailors. They were so creative and designed with elegance and the goal of complementing the natural body. Our Nonna was a style icon! Her statement gold jewellery and bold, classic outfits never failed to amaze us. We have sewn and designed from a young age, always working on little projects. The idea of starting Zarfie was not a matter of if, but when!
Is there a signature element or detail that you ensure every Zarfie piece has?
We love gold assets, vintage laces and dainty trims. Our last collection we really simplified in terms of trims to create a more classic design! However this next collection you will see a lot of gold charms and dainty details coming back in, which is the signature Zarfie look!
What does ethical fashion mean to you girls?
Having a consideration for people and our planet! We work really hard to ensure all pieces produced at Zarfie come from an ethical background. We are hands-on and a part of each step of our production process. Firstly sourcing fabrics, linen and cotton are our go to. We then work alongside our Australian based Zarfie design team which consists of our talented pattern maker and seamstress.
How do you divide responsibilities when designing a new piece?
For each new collection, we start our design process with one signature piece, we design this piece together. Our designs then flow from our signature garment and create a collection around it! We will usually create design boards and designs separately and then bring them together and pick the stand out pieces. We value each other's design concepts, so this is usually the fun part getting to pick the best designs. Sourcing and production duties are then split up.
And when you both disagree on a design, how do you find common ground?
We don’t disagree on many pieces, we value each other's design ideas and usually just build and bounce concepts and ideas together until we create the perfect fit and design.
What's a non-fashion source of inspiration that constantly feeds into your work?
Our inspiration comes from so many places. Travel, art, food, architecture, our European heritage. Beauty and inspiration is everywhere. Each collection we delve into new sources, for our collection launching in January, we pulled inspiration from the idea of a Mediterranean summer party in the flower fields.
Who or what are your current muses for your designs?
We love seeing locals throughout the Mediterranean streets in the summertime, they are truly our muses. We saw so many unique and vibrant street styles this European summer. It’s not just what they are wearing but their whole presence!
What advice would you give to someone trying to find their personal style?
Take risks and have some fun! It’s all about expressing your internal vibe. One thing that always works is classic pieces, usually high-quality purchases or vintage pieces. Fast fashion is nothing but fast! It will come and go and break or shrink after a couple of wears. Classic, high-quality styles will last in your wardrobes forever and can be interchanged with trends over the years. Girl math comes into play when purchasing a statement or higher quality item, we get it! But wow that item pays itself off over the years.
How do you hope Zarfie will impact the fashion world?