Imagine a fishing tackle box, each compartment filled with detritus from a lifetime of loving: the shiny, the lost, the forgotten, the odd and discarded… a twisted key, the head of a tiny doll, chipped plastic alphabet beads, a rusty pin from a school long since closed… from such an unlikely think tank PWEKY was born…
PWEKY is an evolving trash couture concept based in Melbourne, Australi
a. The lovechild of Jessielea Skillicorn and a lifetime of hoarded treasure, PWEKY utilises found objects and upcycled textiles to create one-off items of clothing and millinery that blur the boundaries between fashion, couture, and art. In moving through a number of urban subcultures as a performer, participant and spectator, Jessielea has thrifted styles and motifs from the fetish, circus, psytrance and steampunk scenes, lending a dynamic and elusive element to the whole pieces produced. Each piece is embellished and ornamented by hand, often with trinkets and treasures from her personal collection of memorabilia. A broken watch face, a scrap of school blazer, a tail of lace from a bridesmaids dress… This is fashion that is cared for, invested in – each piece is a story that is part found, part remembered, part imagined. PWEKY is an entirely sustainable and eco friendly brand. All materials are recycled, either thrifted by Jessielea or donated to the label. Each donation is reinvented into several new pieces, one going to the person who provided the donation. This is not only an ethical and community minded business practice, but an essential tenet of the philosophy behind PWEKY – a symbiotic relationship with community and with community members as supporters and ambassadors of locally sourced original fashion and design.