Melbourne fashion industry in mourning over death of respected designer
A beloved quiet achiever of the Melbourne fashion scene has tragically died at the age of 49, following a private three-year battle against a rare illness.
Lifestyle
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Melbourne fashion designer Anna Thomas has died at the age of 49, following a three-year illness.
Well-known and loved for her beautiful, timeless collections, Thomas was a quiet achiever in the fashion industry with a loyal customer base. She passed away peacefully surrounded by her family at home on Friday.
“With much sadness we share the loss of our beloved founder Anna Thomas. Anna privately battled a rare illness for over three years while still designing her beautiful collections. She is at peace,” said a statement from the company today.
“Anna was our leader and our guiding light, her vision inspired us everyday and we shared her infectious joy in creating beautiful clothes.”
Her husband David Barrington is managing director of the brand and the couple shares three children, Lilla, Angus and Oscar.
“A rare individual, her attitude to life, the loves she shared, and her creativity were unique and inspiring. She was a true professional, a designer with her own vision, aesthetic, and ethics,” her family shared in an obituary in The Weekly Times.
Thomas had several senior roles with fashion companies, most notably as Design Director in Italy for luxury fashion house Max Mara’s Weekend brand, before starting her own label 17 years ago.
She collaborated with textiles designers in Italy directly and with her knowledge of fluent Italian she was able to source fabrics through a network of exclusive high-end mills who shared similar design and quality values.
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