Eustratia winter collection part 1

Sometimes as an independent brand, it’s difficult to produce enough garments for a new collection all in one go. I always struggle to find the balance between making enough money to stay afloat, preserving my artistic integrity and learning new skills, all of which I consider integral parts of running my business. This means that sometimes, I have to prioritise things that break up the flow of creativity and not create as many new items as I planned.

This happened during the creation of my winter collection and I decided to photograph and share what I had and add to it at a later date, instead of risking it looking rushed or producing items I didn’t love.

I was initially afraid there weren’t enough similar items for it to seem like a collection but ater looking at the images, I think the mood comes across, despite the fact that it is incomplete.

4w

55w

27w

50w

36w

1w

2w

13w

3w

Images by Toria Brightside

Models: Myself and Jessica @Vauhaus

Featuring the beautiful Tara

Some of the items have already been listed on my website, where you can also get 20% off or about another hour with the code: ENDOFYEAR20

Vanguard concept shoot

The Vanguard concept shoot images are here! I have been waiting for the full set to be completed before posting these as it was my favourite project so far this year and I wanted to show it off in full.

The team that help me bring this idea to life did an excellent job and they deserve every credit. Shooting on location can be challenging, especially when alternating between different settings and working with animals.

Photography, retouching, model direction: Toria Brightside

Models: Amber and Hazel @VAUHAUS and myself.

Make up: Laura Wilson

Hair and styling: me

The jewellery for the collection was made by Richard Ayres, who was also dog-handler at the shoot.

Special thanks to our driver Ben, who also looked after the dogs while we were shooting.

Extra special thanks to Eustratia and Vauhaus interns Lindsay and Lauren who facilitated and carried, set of smoke bombs and ran around holding them to get the right effect, fixed and pressed garments and helped out with the images.

We also really appreciate Barney’s owners bringing him down for the shoot.

The garments are available for sale, here.

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We shot this over three different locations and by the time we got to the last one, we only had 5 minutes of daylight left but we managed to make it work and the images in the last set are some of my favourites.

The harness cami has so far emerged as the best-seller from this range and can be purchased with 20% off till midday on Wednesday.
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Shooting for Coco and Max Melbourne

In January, I was sent a selection of wonderful garments to shoot by my friends at Coco and Max and with the weather finally starting to warm up over here, I thought it was the perfect time to share with you all.

coco 1

coco 3My first set featured the Geo pop leggings in white/pink.  I paired them with a floaty open shoulder top from my own label, Eustratia and some gemstone necklaces. Anyone who reads this blog can probably guess I don’t wear much pink and I don’t usually go for these shiny looking leggings but the quality and fit on these are amazing, they feel cool rather than sweaty and the waistband and seams are super comfortable.

coco light 1

 

For my second look, I wore the Geo skull bather. This has recently been reduced on the website as it’s now winter in Australia, giving all you northern hemisphere readers the perfect chance to snap one up. The print is so detailed and magical and despite it being white, it will not become see-though when wet due to the amazing pink lining (though it also comes in black). A close up of the print can be found on my instagram, here.

coco light 2

I paired the bathers with the dragonfly poncho in white. Beautifully draped, it provides the right amount of protection from the sun, while still keeping you cool.

coco light 3

I love dragonflies so the print is an added bonus for me and will definitely be debuting this at the beach very soon!

coco silver 1

 

For the final part of the shoot, I wore my absolute favourite piece from the range, the crystal leggings. I love knee pad details and these lightly padded, crystal heart shaped ones are so unique! The leggings are made of liquid foil effect 4 way stretch fabric and offer a comfortable fit with just the right amount of support.

odin 1For this look, I also enlisted the help of some furry friends. This is Odin, my favourite puppy from our litter. My scale headpiece is by Richard Ayres.

coco doggies 1

I also tried the leggings with a more casual look, pairing them with my limited edition crystal heart t-shirt and some large headphones.

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Charlie and I rocking our Coco crystal hearts!

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I had loads of fun shooting these and am glad to have found another great indie label with high quality, original and ethical products. Every garment is proudly 100% manufactured in Melbourne, to support fair local trade.

Supporting smaller labels is great for the economy and means more people can survive doing what they love. I always believe it’s better to have an eclectic selection of special items that you enjoy wearing than a sea of generic mass produced garments that make you feel like you have nothing to wear.

All images by Richard Ayres photography, styling and retouch by me.

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Eustratia Spring/Summer ’14

The Eustratia S/S “14 Collection is finally complete and I’m really pleased with it. It will be making its catwalk debut at Manchester fashion week on Saturday and the products will be added to the online store over the next few days.

The collection consists of 8 outfits, in varying levels of wearability and extravagance, but with a consistent embodiment of the essence of Spring.

IMG_9486blueoutfit 1 fullblue stripey top &dresspurple dress halfopen bust dress backIMG_9615 2flower playsuit fullwhite toppink stockings full2 copyflower braflower bra and skirtfloaty trans topfloaty top and shorts copyflower harness and braskirt and harness copy copyIMG_03492dress and blazer 2These images were shot in my home studio. it’s the first time I’ve shot a look book with virtually no team and I really enjoyed the comfort of being in my own home and the control I had over the images.

I also made the backdrop myself and will try and remember to post some info on its construction soon.

Thanks to Richard Ayres for shooting this for me.

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MCRFW AW 14

This season, Manchester fashion week will be introducing an independent designer showcase and I’m really excited to have been selected to take part.

Aside from a great opportunity for my label, Eustratia, and the other designers, I think it adds edge to the event, which previously showcased mainly high street fashion and draws attention city in general, giving Manchester a chance to show off the talent in its midst.

My showcase date is Saturday the 19th of April and I will be showing my A/W 14 collection, inspired by nature and the dark shadow mankind casts over the planet. Tickets are £16.20 and can be purchased here.

As part of the online promotion for the event I was featured on A-listed magazine‘s “designer talk” section and the official MCRFW blog.

You can view them on the respective sites but I have also pasted what they wrote on here.

Designer Talk

Eustratia

Sam Saeed

Dark, sultry and dangerously seductive.  There is something incredibly enchanting about ‘Eustratia’. Like something out of a fairy tale, designer Stacy Mavrou talks about her collection as a clash between fashion, fetish and art.

Beautifully handmade, with the ultimate attention to detail, Stacey works with latex amongst other fabrics to produce wearable and unique pieces.

At the age of 3, Stacey was taught to sew by her Greek Grandmother, also a seamstress. The name of her collection ‘Eustratia’ also resonates with her Greek heritage meaning  ‘good’ or ‘right’ path.

Her talent passion and ambition grew over the years – Stacey recalls how she simply had her bedroom floor as a studio and a grant from the Princess Trust which enabled her to pave her career as a reputable Manchester based designer.

Stacey added: “I enjoy trends and fashion but I prefer clothes that are versatile and can be carried forward from season to season, I therefore aim to achieve a unique but timeless quality within my work”.

This season, Stacey has been inspired by nature, contrasting textures and colours and the dark shadow cast over earth and mankind.  The much anticipated collection due to be released at this year’s Manchester Fashion Week 2014 #MCRFW14 will feature a muted base palette with contrasting textured or embellished panels, a multitude of layered appliques featuring contrasting textures and pops of colour.

You can learn more about the brand and view all previous collections at Eustratia.

Eustratia

http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/event/we-are-manchester-tickets/111839

Eustratia will be showcasing at MCRFW14 on Saturday the 19th, get tickets: (above)

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Eustratia are an upcoming fashion
boutique specializing in Latex clothing, lingerie and accessories. The creator behind the clothes;
Stacey Mavrou

Below are some images from the Lookbook! For all you fashion forward ladies!

Ticket Web MCRFW

These stunning lingerie pieces are not only very ‘out there’ and extremely cool, they look amazing on! If you want to see more of their gorgeous latex clothing they are having an event!!! On the 21st March, From 10pm onwards:

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