The Brand
Alexsis C Star creates unique, handmade luxe gowns that are a balance of tradition and innovation, elegance and modernity.
Our custom designed gowns are a fusion of creativity and connection with you and your vision and the ideas you have for your day.
All of our gowns, from custom designed to our ready to wear collection, are crafted with attention to design and detail and are of outstanding quality, fit and sophistication.
Background
Alexsis began designing from a very young age, incessantly drawing her fashion ideas on any scrap of paper that was handy (and some that weren’t (!)) and eagerly absorbing any fashion ‘news’ that came her way despite growing up on a farm in Western Australia many thousands of kilometres from the acknowledged fashion centres of the world. Her extraordinary interest in fashion and design continued throughout her childhood, possibly inherited from her grandmother and great aunt who were both accomplished needlewomen and amateur costume designers.
After travelling widely around the world, Alexsis returned to Australia to follow her first love and enrolled in a Bachelor of Arts (Fashion Design) degree course at RMIT University in Melbourne. In her final year, Alexsis won a number of awards and was an Australian finalist in the Smirnoff International Fashion Awards.
Her first fashion job as a patternmaker contributed to an invaluable understanding of the importance of excellence in cut, innovative garment construction and finish. She dedicated her time to honing her skills across the creative, commercial, and technical areas of fashion from experienced practitioners – designers, machinists, cutters, and manufacturers.
After being approached to design a friend’s wedding dress she received further requests and the label grew organically from there. Alexsis always loved the dedication and craftsmanship of the atelier and along with the creative satisfaction of designing a garment that has meaning and is a celebration, she had found her fashion niche.
Influences
Alexsis’ designs take references from her many travels, love of history, and respect for traditional techniques in construction and patternmaking. She has developed an encyclopaedic understanding of fashion and design and the greater culture that contextualises it.
Design, architecture, art, music, cinema, travel, artisanal traditions, and fashion both current and historical are all sources of details that are rich with beauty and meaning. Ideas and inspirations are quickly sketched or gathered into notebooks that she carries with her everywhere. It could be an inspirational image, an amazing fabric, a beautiful trim. Anything and everything can go into the notebooks.
Researching and designing for the collections or for a custom designed gown involves drawing on all of these influences, as well as experimenting in the studio. The best inspiration comes from meeting with you and discussing your style and the setting of your day. With the exchange of thoughts and ideas, we create together.