Fancynators is an Accessories Designing business which was started by Sima Mala to raise money to help set up homes for the victims of DV in Queensland.
Sima, who was appointed Mrs Asia Pacific Universal 2019, says her business designing and selling headpieces was initiated for this sole purpose. “The year 2020 was a very challenging one for everyone and small business like mine suffered a lot which meant that I had to work harder and smarter to reach the people and device new ways of selling my designs to still be able to contribute towards DV support as cases had escalated during Covid,” she said.
“I turned to Social Media platforms to promote and sell the Accessories as events were cancelled and where ever possible I collaborated with local boutiques to display my designs in their shops to get more exposure. All these techniques worked wonderfully and Fancynators was successful in reaching the milestone of contributing towards the setup of over 50 homes since it was established.
“The appreciation for this initiative came in forms of nominations for several awards in 2020 and Fancynators won an international award for Best Accessories Designer 2020, Finalist for Standout Designer 2020 by Women in Fashion Brisbane Awards and nominated for the Community Hero Award at the Qld Community Achievement Awards. The highlight of 2020 was most definitely Fancynators getting inducted in the Honour Roll for DV Prevention by Queensland Government,” Sima said.
“It is a privilege to serve the people of Queensland ,both through my day job at Queensland Health and through the Designing that has now become a huge part of my life. In 2021 I started looking at and incorporating sustainable ways of designing as well as venturing onto different accessories like Earrings and Lapel pins to match the Headpieces for a unique custom made look. Using old, broken accessories, feathers and beads donated by friends and families and reusing those to create new designs will be the main aim this year and I urge all my fellow local designers to also choose sustainable raw materials.
“Please buy from local artists and invest into our own economy, go for quality rather then quantity as I truly believe that fast fashion is not only destroying the art of designing but is a also a huge contributor towards landfills and we cannot continue on this track anymore.Reuse, Reduce and Recycle in every possible way for a more sustainable world in future.”
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