You can tell a lot about someone by their home. Where and how they choose to live, and the way they curate the space around them, often acts as a literal window to their soul. “Our home is minimal, I don’t like a lot of furniture and the pieces we have are vintage, art deco, mid-century,” says Lilyfield resident Jackie Galleghan.

“Everything is very neat and clean, we love natural light, and open living areas. My husband collects records and I collect vintage designer fashion. Our garden is our favourite place.”

 

 

It’s the type of response that when you meet Jackie, just makes sense. As the founder and creative director of slow fashion brand madre natura (meaning Mother Nature in Italian), they’re parallels that she carried over into her labour of love, when it was conceived in 2020. “We focus on positive changes as slow fashion concept. Transparency, durability, longevity, timeliness design and craftsmanship are incredibly important to us.”

 

 

Each garment of madre natura’s season-less collections, tell a story of care for the planet and its people, including ensuring suppliers have fair wages and safe working conditions. With a commitment to circularity that aims to close the loop, and a keenness to transform waste into new possibilities, they’re values that were paraded, quite literally, in May at Fashion Week. The brand’s inaugural entrance into this space saw the launch of “The Last Season Collection”, which is exactly, as it sounds. “We just didn’t want to talk about sustainability, we want to prove we are doing something about it. The Last Season Collection is proof of our commitment to slow fashion and the future of our planet,” she tells us. Their vow is to not create or launch any new collections until all existing stock is sold. A noble pursuit, and one of which BresicWhitney is a supporter of – having been a sponsor for the show. 

 

Working exclusively with local Inner West suppliers is of great importance to Jackie, with personal and professional significance. From the outset of her career in fashion, where she learned the intricacies of local manufacturing, she knew that keeping production local was a priority. “I grew up by the ocean and moved to the Inner West when I met my husband. I always felt at home here [the Inner West] because of the community of creatives. We love it; the people are so cool and creative – everyone is free spirit.” She also values the meaningful relationships she has cultivated with local suppliers. These relationships go beyond business, as she explains they form a family-like bond with artisans, many of whom possess over 20 years of experience. They range from cutters to pattern makers, to garment graders and machinists. “I love being hands on with my business and meeting my suppliers in person… I visit them regularly and we talk for ages, we share stories, and we support each other.” 

 

The Australian manufacturing industry is a sector that struggles to maintain its footing amidst global competition and economic pressures, says Jackie, who is passionate about doing her bit to create jobs for the workers. Supporting local manufacturing is also about sustaining a craft that is integral to the community’s identity, Jackie says – part of which the brand’s bespoke program ‘mn_Circular’ contributes to. Aimed at making madre natura a fully circular fashion house, Jackie’s vision includes reducing the 500 kilograms of textiles that end up in Australian landfills annually. Through the program, customers receive complimentary repairs, care manuals, and access to a take-back program, ensuring the longevity of their garments and as such, reducing waste.

 

 

As Jackie says, “What’s the point of being the best slow fashion house on the planet, if there is no planet?”