The cotton and wheat farmer turned fashion stylist – who has degrees in both agribusiness and professional styling – moved back to her home state of Tasmania three years ago, after having spent many years living and working interstate.

Ellis has fond memories of growing up on a grazing property on the West Tamar, and has now settled at Windermere, on the opposite side of Launceston’s Tamar River, with her husband and their three children.

Ellis has continued to run her S & I Styling business, which she launched interstate 10 years ago.

And one of the things she quickly realised when returning to the state, was that Tasmania needed its very own fashion festival.

Ellis discovered Tasmania had lots of fantastic local designers, but many were not being showcased in the same way as their mainland counterparts.

She found that many emerging designers were struggling to get their designs seen. She also saw that Tasmania was home to a number of ethically and sustainably-sourced fashion brands which deserved attention on a national – and international – stage. And she also wanted to showcase Tasmanian farmers who produce some of Australia’s finest merino wool.

So, Ellis decided to bring together local designers, manufacturers, retailers and suppliers for a fashion event in Launceston in 2021.

It was such a great success that she and about a dozen others from different parts of the fashion industry across Tasmania came together to form an incorporated body and presented a larger statewide fashion event in Hobart in 2022 – the inaugural Tasmanian Fashion Festival – which has now become a yearly event.

The second annual Tasmanian Fashion Festival will be held in Hobart and Launceston from September 5-9, showcasing a raft of local and interstate designers and other exhibitors, from emerging talent to established fashion brands.

Among the Tasmanian designs on show will be ethically and sustainably handcrafted menswear from Thirty Four Dukes, clothing from Hobart-based brands Vivi Al Ago and Marilena Di Florio, upcycled plus-sized fashion from August & Eve, streetwear from recently-launched brand Lost Edge, along with flower crowns from Queen of Crowns and fashion photography from Launceston studio Photographique. Other local businesses in the spotlight will include The Spotted Quoll Studio, Ziolkowski Evening & Bridal, Stewarts Sewing Machine Centre, Wuggs Tasmania, Timeless Elegance formalwear, Elegance Designs and The Sewing Centre.

Fear no Evil, Fiona Wilson Designs and Morgan Hayes are among the emerging Tasmanian designers who are showcasing their collections, while the festival will also include Cotton Australia, Dazzel Studios, TJZ Art, State Zak and Lalita Lowe.

Tasmanian fashion influencer and plus-sized designer Katie Parrott also returns as an ambassador for the festival this year, with her newly-launched clothing label Ecclestone.

Ellis says last year’s event was run on minimal funding over two days and included an opening night event on September 30, followed by a main event on October 1 – both at Wrest Point – which included fashion displays across three runways along with exhibitor booths and workshops.

However, this year’s festival has a bigger budget and will run across additional days. It has also moved to multiple venues, including the showcase event at Princes Wharf 1, to cater for larger crowds and to hopefully capture the attention of passing foot traffic.

The festival is considered “a celebration of Tasmanian owned, designed and produced fashion” and “an opportunity for established and emerging businesses to showcase their collections’’.

The 2023 festivities will kick off with an opening night celebration at Launceston’s Star Theatre on Tuesday, September 5, followed by a Hobart launch party at Princes Wharf 1 on Friday, September 8. Ellis says this event is designed to be a networking event, with a “fun, party atmosphere” and includes a virtual, pre-recorded runway fashion show, as well as live music performances.

Saturday, September 9, is the main event at Princes Wharf 1 – The Porsche Centre Hobart Tasmanian Fashion Festival – and from 10.30am-4pm there will be fashion displays across three runways, including a “Day wear” runway, an “After five” runway and an “Up and coming designer” runway, including awards for the best new talent.

There will also be art exhibitions, guest presenters, workshops, live music and plenty of other fashion-related fun.

All events are open to the wider public, with discounts available to fashionistas who purchase tickets to more than one event.

Ellis is encouraging anyone who has an interest in fashion to head along and enjoy Tasmania’s very own fashion festival.

“We’ve got so many wonderful designers here in Tasmania, it’s just a great chance to be able to showcase that talent to a live audience on runways,’’ she says.

“We really want to grow (what we created at last year’s inaugural event) and bring more designers on-board, and bring more of that brand exposure to the labels.’’

She says including interstate designers in the mix, along with plenty of Tasmanian designers, helped showcase Tasmanian talent on a national stage.

Ellis says the up-and-coming designer runway is targeted at emerging designers, and students who want to establish and grow a brand, or perhaps showcase what they’ve made during their fashion studies.

One of the mantras of the event is “from field, to fibre, to fashion” and Ellis is passionate about promoting Tasmanian producers, including our top-quality superfine merino growers, with workshops to educate patrons on the origins of the fibres used to make clothing and the processes involved to create the clothing they wear.

“It’s not just what people see on the racks, there’s a lot that comes before that,’’ Ellis explains.

“I really want to promote the wool industry here, we produce some of the finest merino wool in the country.

“People in this day and age really want to know where and how their clothing is made; sustainability is really important. They want to see natural fibres that are grown organically, they want to know that people are paid in ethical ways.’’

It’s a topic close to the heart of Ellis, who left Tasmania at the age of 18 to study agribusiness interstate.

It was while studying that she met her husband, Steve, and they later purchased property and ran an agricultural business, farming cotton and wheat in the tiny township of Hillston in central western NSW.

Ellis says the town had a population of 1000 people, and it was 110km from the nearest Woolworths store, so shopping for food – or clothing – wasn’t easy.

“Even though I had a background in agribusiness, I’d always been someone who loved dressing up, and I put a lot of importance on self confidence and self pride,’’ Ellis says.

She says living in a small outback town, it would have been easy to exist solely in wardrobe staples like jeans, shirts and muddy boots.

And while these were definitely part of Ellis’ daily wardrobe, she also made an effort to remain true to her own personal style, something which continued to evolve after she had her three children.

She inadvertently became the town stylist, with more and more locals coming to her for fashion advice, particularly in the lead-up to functions and events. And this led her to study a masters degree in personal styling and launch her own personal styling business 10 years ago.

“Yes, I can drive a tractor, I can drive a truck and I can shear a sheep, but I can also be someone who is really confident in a pair of heels and a sequin dress,’’ Ellis says.

“You don’t need to pigeonhole yourself with your style and that’s a really important thing that I teach clients as well.

“I strongly believe that your personal style and the clothes you choose reflect and affect your mood, health and overall confidence. I believe that a person’s fashion choices should not be limited because of their location. I believe that whatever your location, budget, body shape or age, everyone deserves to feel their best and most confident.’’

Ellis has worked with some of the biggest names in fashion, including as a stylist for Myer in Sydney, where she dressed celebrity ambassadors including Jennifer Hawkins, Kris Smith and Elyse Knowles. She has also styled magazine and retail shoots nationally, and since moving back to Tasmania has helped with styling and promotion for local brands wanting to expand into new markets.

Ellis also works as a personal stylist, spending time one-on-one with Tasmanian clients who want to give their wardrobes a makeover or are looking for styling advice for a special event.

Others call on Ellis to help rediscover their personal style after having children or experiencing a major life change, like a relationship breakdown or a change in weight, and Ellis says body confidence and body positivity forms a big part of the work she does.

She has a styling suite at her home, but mostly works with clients in their own homes. Since moving back to Tasmania, Ellis has also become heavily involved in bridal styling. She also runs a luxury handbag hire service and a fashion styling subscription service from her website (sandistyling.com.au).

And, of course, she’s currently busy organising the Tasmanian Fashion Festival.

“It’s so exciting, I absolutely love it,’’ Ellis says of the many facets of her fashion business.

“And I get a great deal of joy bringing something new to the state.

“I’ve just watched the way Tasmania has evolved as well. There used to be this stigma because Tasmania was a small place, and the jokes about two-headed people. But as time went on, when I’d say I was from Tasmania, people would say ‘oh my gosh, why did you ever leave that place, it has the best food and the best culture’.

“The reputation has changed, with our tourism, food, fashion and culture. The decision to move back here was made for family reasons but I could still see so many opportunities and room for growth. It’s great that people (working in fashion) can build a career here, in this great state, instead of having to move away.’’

The Tasmanian Fashion Festival runs from September 5-9. An opening night event will be held at Launceston’s Star Theatre on September 5, from 6.30pm-9pm, followed by a Hobart launch party at Princes Wharf 1 on Friday, September 8, from 6.30pm. The main event, also at Princes Wharf 1, on Saturday, September 9, runs from 10.30am-4pm. Tickets are $30 per event, with discounts available for those attending multiple events. Details: tasmanianfashionfestival.com.au