SOFT SELL
Fromsidehustletoseismicshake-up,meettheknitwearbrandmakingadifferenceSWING VOTE
Thelocaljewellerylabelcreatingalotofnoise“Awomanwithavoiceis,bydefinition,astrongwoman.”–MELINDAGATES
@linguafrancanycR
achelle Hruska MacPherson’s line of hand-
embroidered cashmere, Lingua Franca, had
simple beginnings, with the US entrepreneur
tracing hip-hop lyrics onto knits for friends.
She now employs more than 40 part-time
embroiders – women of diverse backgrounds, including
immigrants, students and a refugee – to help create her
“resistance sweaters”. Stitched with slogans like “Rise
up” and “Power to the people”, each jumper is unique.
For every one bought over email ([email protected]),
half of the purchase is donated to charity.IN OUR OFFICES THE DAY AFTER THE ELECTION,
EVERYONE WAS QUIET AND SERIOUS.You could feel
theǯ ę , I was truly able to
feel and understand political dissonance. The lives
of the people I cared about, women I saw daily,
were hanging in the balance. We started slowly
Ĵ s
for my friends and I to wear out. Then,
Trump tried to pass the most outrageous
travel ban and people were huddled in
Ĝǯ
go full-on into speaking out against this
administration. We started sewing away
and we haven’t stopped.I BELIEVE WOMEN ARE AND SHOULD BE TREATED AS
EQUALS TO MEN. I also believe all people are entitled to
freedom and liberty and that discrimination should not
be made based on gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity,
religion, culture or lifestyle. So yes, I’m a feminist. I try
to express these beliefs in any way possible.
WE ALL HAVE A DUTY TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST
INJUSTICES. For me, that’s being vocal on social
media, in real life and in my business. For others, it
may mean something else. The point is, we should all
be doing what we can.
EACH WEEK, I FAVOUR A NEW SAYING. Lately, I’ve been
wearing “Where’s the outrage?”. But I’ll always be
partial to theę stitched, which was “Booyah”.
I love the blunt nature of the word that seems to almost
be a curse word but is entirely harmless.
LINGUA FRANCA MEANS “THE COMMON LANGUAGE”.
I felt hip-hop really was the lingua franca of our times
in that a woman living on the Upper East
Side of MĴ ¢
a Drake song as a child in a Third World
country. It’s important to focus on what
connects us and makes us all human.
WOMEN ARE STRONG, THEY ARE RESILIENT
AND THEY ARE RUNNING THE WORLD.The
future looks bright.I
like to think of my earrings as conversation starters,”
says Kristy Dickinson, designer and founder of
Australian jewellery brand Haus Of Dizzy. “I think
the more we express ourselves through fashion, the
more we’re going to talk about issues that we all have
to go through on a daily basis.” Thanks to her cult (and
growing) designs featuring slogans like “Pussy Power”,
“Girl Gang” and “Boss Bitch”, Dickinson’s business
has grown out of her one-bedroom apartment into
a brand aimed at empowering women to be “bold and
ęȱȱȱȱ¢Ȅǯ
Completely self-taught, Dickinson designs, laser cuts,
hand-paints and assembles all her pieces, and while
every one is made with love, some are more personal
than others. “I’m very proud of being [an] Indigenous
Australian woman, so the Deadly range includes someof my favourite pieces at the moment,” she says of the
typographic collection featuring gold hoops and heart-
shaped earrings in black, red and yellow. “Deadly is
a word commonly used around my family and friends
when something is described as awesome.”
CǰȱĴȱȱȱȱęȱ
ȱȱ
Dizzy’s playful styles, and as far as Dickinson is
concerned, there can never be too much bling. These are
strong designs for strong women. “I met the Sistagirls
of the Tiwi Islands while they were here for the 2017
Sydney Gay And Lesbian Mardi Gras and I made them
all ‘Sista Gals’ necklaces,” she says. “I want to celebrate
women and encourage people to stand up for women’s
rights. I love collaborating with other female artists
and designers. I believe in supporting other women,
sharing ideas and being bold for change.”@hausofdizzytheELLE.COM.AU / @ELLEAUS 75
Words: Genevra Leek; Laura Collins. Photography: Sevak Babakhani (still-life); Getty Images; StockSnap; Instagram: @linguafrancanyc