Founder of celeb fashion label VRG GRL lists Brisbane home

The founder of celebrity fashion label, VRG GRL, is selling her Brisbane dream home to build a new one in trendy New Farm. SEE THE VIDEO.

ONE half of Brisbane fashion outfitter to the stars, VRG GRL, is selling her dream home in the city’s inner south to build a new one closer to family in trendy New Farm.

Daniella Dionyssiou, who founded the celebrity brand with her sister, Natalia, has dressed the likes of Bella Hadid, Kendall Jenner, and Ariana Grande in recent years.

This property at 42 Blakeney Street, Highgate Hill, is for sale. Image supplied by NIRA Creative.

And she is hoping for the same star power when it comes to finding a buyer for her home at 42 Blakeney St, Highgate Hill.

VRG GRL has more than one million followers on Instagram and the sisters have big plans to promote the label in the US this year and possibly open a store in NSW.

Former Victoria Secret model Jasmine Tookes wearing VRG GRL to Coachella.

Ms Dionyssiou and her husband, Tim Varitomos, paid $3 million at auction last year for a rundown, three-bedder in New Farm — but only after realising it was too good an opportunity to pass up.

The couple had only just finished transforming their Highgate Hill ”dump” into a three-level, Meditterranean masterpiece, and had no intention of selling.

The outdoor area of the property at 42 Blakeney Street, Highgate Hill, is for sale. Image supplied by NIRA Creative.

“We unexpectedly found a house in New Farm two doors down from my sister that went on the market, and we went; ‘Oh my God! This is literally not ever going to happen, and my parents live around the corner too,” Ms Dionyssiou said.

“We were also trying to have a baby, so we thought it would be so amazing to live close (to family). We made a very quick decision, and so now we’ve got to sell our other house!”

VRG GRL co-founder Daniella Dionyssiou at the Highgate Hill home she is selling. Picture: David Clark.

Records show Ms Dionyssiou and Mr Varitomos bought the Highgate Hill property in June 2020 for $830,000.

“It was quite dumpy when we bought it,” Ms Dionyssiou said.

“We completely gutted it; cut half the house off and added the whole back and the whole underneath — raised it.

The kitchen in the property at 42 Blakeney St, Highgate Hill. Image supplied by NIRA Creative.

“We had a vision of what we wanted it to look like. We just wanted it to be really bright and open, with heaps of windows, French doors. The back sliding doors open out to the back yard and we always keep the doors open, and its really breezy.

“We’re both Greek so we love that Euro vibe. I guess that’s in our genes, so we incorporated that.”

The house at 42 Blakeney St, Highgate Hill, before it was renovated.

Michael Hatzifotis of Place Kangaroo Point, who is marketing the property, said there was nothing quite like the home in the Highgate Hill/West End area.

“This is next level wow for the area,” Mr Hatzifotis said. “Usually you’d see a lot of the renovated Queenslander look, but this one is like a Camp Hill home dropped in Highgate Hill.”

An aerial view of the property at 42 Blakeney St, Highgate Hill. Image supplied by NIRA Creative.

Mr Hatzifotis said the home was likely to attract strong interest because of its point of difference and being in the sought-after Brisbane State High School catchment.

“It’s going to set the benchmark for this year in the area,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ms Dionyssiou is already looking ahead to her new home.

“It’s also a dump!” she said. “We get attracted to these sad looking houses, but it’s literally the best when you see the end result.

The New Farm house Ms Dionyssiou has bought with plans to rebuild.

“You’ve really got to have a vision and imagine that transformation.”

The Dionyssiou sisters opened their first VRG GRL store in 2007, but the online part of the business quickly overtook the boutiques and they switched to a solely online business in 2013.

“We’ve got a very hectic year,” she said.

“We have a lot of initiatives happening in the US. We’re flying there in about a month — just after the auction actually.”

VRG GRL sisters and founders Natalia Suesskow and Daniella Dionyssiou.

Some boutique openings are also on the horizon this year, most likely in NSW.

“Now online is so busy, we want to have just a couple of stores to really give people that in-store experience,” she said.

The property at 42 Blakeney St, Highgate Hill, is scheduled for auction on March 16.