Magic 8 balls in cowboy hats, writhing serpents, spinning planets, jaunty poodle silhouettes. What these seemingly unrelated objects have in common is that they have all graced the clothing of designer Hayley Elsaesser. It goes without saying that girl likes a good print.
“I’ve always been into fashion starting from a really young age,” Hayley says. Growing up, Hayley hopscotched from Canada to Australia and back, returning to Oz during her university years. A shy kid, Hayley turned to clothing to express her fun-loving personality. In her motherland, the future designer would scour the racks at Value Village, hunting down pieces with just the right percentage of quirk that she couldn’t find elsewhere. In Australia, the land of sunshine and positivity, finding those fun-filled items was much easier and the upbeat aesthetic really resonated with Hayley.
“Their fashion is more in line with my style – they’re more adventurous,” Hayley says. Although she was studying psychology, all of her focus was directed towards making clothes – skills that, for the most part, were self-taught. Realizing where her talents lay, Hayley knew what she had to do.