Bella marking her mark on Fashion Week

Orange local Isabella Hoyle Davies always wanted to study fashion. 

“I always loved drawing people and then drawing clothes and cutting around them and pasting them on figures and things like that,” she said. 

So when Bella was selected to feature her collection on the 2024 Australian Fashion Week runway in Sydney, it was a dream come true. 

“I really enjoyed this whole process, I’ve had so much fun this year,” Bella said. 

Bella graduated from Kinross Wolaroi School in 2019, taking a gap year in 2020. She said her textile teacher at school took her class on an excursion to Sydney, where they did a tour of the TAFE in Ultimo. 

“I just really loved it, and I always wanted to go there during school, and it ended up happening,” Bella said.

Bella studied at the TAFE NSW Fashion Design School and graduated at the end of last year. Each year, TAFE NSW produces a show, where they pick around six students to showcase their work. 

“Teachers select students to pitch new concepts for fashion week, and then they decide from there who they actually want on show,” she explained.

Bella’s fashion design collection was featured on Tuesday (May 14) at the highly anticipated ‘The Innovators’ show at the 2024 Australian Fashion Week in Sydney, alongside some of the industry's biggest names. 

Exhibiting under her label ‘Bella Davies’, Bella will be showcasing a collection that embraces contemporary textile artistry, while also blending femininity and creative expression. 

“It’s based on the concept of personal space, and using clothing, shapes and silhouette to keep distance between the wearer in their environment around them,” she said.

While the ‘Bella Davies’ label is not currently selling anything, Bella is looking at starting to release small, limited drops of certain garments for people to enjoy. 

Grateful for the experience, Bella had time to reflect on who some of her creative influences are.

“My parents are super-creative,” she said. “They have always supported me to follow that kind of path, and I did… Mum and Dad both went to art school, so they’ve always kind of encouraged me to draw and paint, and do all those kinds of creative things just as a kid.”

From here, Bella hopes to continue her study, while also branching into expanding her label.