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About Us

Mission

To positively energise our customers and collaborative partners via creativity and art, which includes wearable items and décor,
whilst mindfully doing our part towards the care and preservation of our Earth and all of its inhabitants.
 
 

Vision 

To contribute towards the evolution of a better world via artistic communication that energises, 
inspires and educates towards the conservation of this planet, and away from mass consumerism. 

Philosophy 

We operate under the knowing that the realm of creativity is limitless. We are of the mindset that if we can dream it, we can materialise it. 
This includes contributing towards the betterment of Earth and humanity 
via linking with not-for-profit organisations whose causes are significant to us.
 

Our Core Team

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Teresa Gratkowski

Founder/Director

Skills: Designer, Patternmaker, Photographer, Adobe Photoshop wiz

Super-Power: realiser of visions. Teresa is a visionary who translates ideas into real life works of art, and more often than not, they look heaps better in real life than they do in her head!

"Art is meant to be worn, lived and experienced. That is exactly what I do.  I translate visions into reality, one idea at a time."

Wayne Tikisci 

Co-Director

Skills: Artist, Graphic Designer, Adobe Illustrator wiz

Super-Power: translator of ideas. Wayne has the ability to translate ideas from words and (very) rough sketches on napkins, into the most striking artwork in any medium and scale!

"You don't have to know all the steps at once. My art evolves in stages, and I love seeing the end result - it's always a wonderful surprise."

                         Helen Sweeney 

                      Creative Consultant

Skills:  Ideas Generator, Art Educator, Image & Video Coach 

Super-Power: out-of-the-box thinker.  Helen brings another dimension, contributing and bouncing ideas, making outrageous yet valuable suggestions that others would never have thought about.  Helen is our amazing Ideas Guru!

"I have no idea where my ideas come from! I tune in to another frequency, and boom! There they are."

Production Partners:  we are privileged to work with both domestic and international teams of high calibre artisans who pride themselves in top quality fabrications and printing processes whilst embracing ethical work practices and earth-friendly methods.  Collectively, we have the skills and synergies that enable us to bring our creative visions to life, and eagerly explore unchartered innovative territories.

Background 

New Zealand roots: Growing up in a creative household in Wellington New Zealand to migrant parents from Poland, Teresa’s mother used to make all the family’s clothes, and taught her how to sew at the age of 12. She recalls from a very young age, loving to play ‘dress-ups’ with her sister, and accessorising with the jewellery their father made from Paua shells that he found strewn around the coastline of Wellington in the 1960’s through to 1970’s.  Little did she know then that she would end up merging these two past times, and start her own business creating unique clothing designs and fabric prints.

Fashion & the industry: As a graduate from Wellington’s School of Fashion, she became armed with the technical and creative abilities of thinking up designs, and bringing them to life. Valuable experience was gained working as a designer / patternmaker for fashion houses in New Zealand, and this continued after moving to Sydney, where she worked in the field of up-market women's fashion. 

Making a difference: Unhappy with the disposable nature of fashion, coupled with its detrimental effects on the environment, Teresa started her own business, Pacific Breeze Australia, designing swim cover-ups for women.  Her designs filled a gap in the marketplace for timeless and versatile garments that flatter a woman’s shape whilst giving flexibility in coverage options.  She was joined by Graphic Artist and good friend, Wayne Tikisci who assisted with website development and all things graphic art. 

The turning point: As the range of purpose-designed swim cover-ups evolved, vibrantly coloured silks were being favoured over the original stretchy fabrications.  The turning point came when a customer sent in a photo of herself wearing her ‘swimwear’ cover-up to a wedding!  She had tied it into a fitted strapless dress style, and she looked fabulous! 

Creating new possibilities: Teresa and Wayne started dabbling in the production of their own unique fabric prints in 2015.  A major catalyst for this new direction was a long-held yearning to create quality pieces that would enhance a woman's existing wardrobe and look stunning year after year, no matter what was currently 'in fashion'.  Items of timeless beauty and style that transcend fashion, enrich the life of the wearer, and end the bane of many women - a wardrobe full of clothes and 'nothing to wear'.  This new direction is under the Teresa Gratkowski label (new website pending).

Current creations: Presently, their prints on soft cottons and flowing silk lend themselves perfectly to a range of timeless pieces that embody femininity, coupled with the freshness and culture of the South Pacific. The current range of prints includes Paua Shell, Mother of Pearl, Opal, and unique art that covers a variety of themes, which are infused with uplifting symbolism.  Their prints are always changing, and the main criteria are variety coupled with a ‘wow’ factor.

Moving forward: Collaborating with individuals and organisations towards the development and realisation of new and revolutionary ideas within the realm of wearables and décor with both domestic and commercial applications, whilst contributing towards the betterment of Earth and humanity via linking with not-for-profit organisations whose causes are significant to us.

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