CLOTHE

"As a Patternmaker, I’m responsible for translating a designer's vision into a practical, commercially viable product. I’m the critical bridge between design and production.”

Ela Avitabile is a skilled Garment Patternmaker and owner of North Melbourne’s CLOTHE. You’ll find her studio in one of the artist spaces situated upstairs of Gallerysmith art gallery.

For Ela, the journey to becoming a Patternmaker began as a child growing up in the country.

“I spent many hours crafting and sewing, fashioning dresses for my dolls and experimenting with patterns and clothes thrifted from the local op shops,” she reminisces.

The seed had been planted, and it would eventually bloom into a flourishing career.

After high school, Ela wasted no time pursuing her passion, enrolling in the Diploma in Clothing Industry Studies at The Gordon Institute. This practical, hands-on education equipped her with a broad range of skills to thrive in the industry for the last 20 years.

Working her first job as a Design Assistant, Ela quickly discovered her love for pattern making—a unique blend of creative and technical. "It can be really creative, even though there is a framework of constraints. I love collaborating with designers and sewing machinists through the process. There’s a lot of creative problem solving involved, and its such a buzz to see the finished product sewn up.”

CLOTHE was born out of a confluence of circumstances. "While on maternity leave, I was made redundant after the company I was working for closed it’s doors. So I decided try freelance work instead, which turned out to be more flexible and easier to manage around kids," Ela recounts.

As a freelance Patternmaker Ela has worked with numerous Melbourne fashion brands. She specialises in Women's Fashion, however she has recently produced patterns for other items such as dog beds and baby carriers. Her expertise and reputation has spread through word of mouth, cementing her position as a sought-after professional in the industry.

She has also recently launched CLOTHE Sew at Home, and is hoping to build a collection of well designed PDF sewing patterns which can be downloaded for personal use. “I hope others can find joy in sewing their own handmade wardrobe, while taking their fashion footprint into their own hands.” Currently available is the Agata Top, which is perfect for beginners. It covers a wide size range and is gender neutral.

Looking to the future for CLOTHE, Ela is looking at ways to make a positive impact on the fashion industry. She has dabbled in some 3D sampling, and would like to invest more time in this area. “3D sampling reduces the need for physical prototypes and streamlines the design process. You can review it with a designer on screen and go, oh, shorter, longer, change this to fit," she explains, her eyes alight with excitement.

After that? We will have to see where Ela’s journey of creativity and entrepreneurship takes CLOTHE.

Words by Joyce Watts & Photography by Anna Encio