About Us
Mission:
To energise and delight our customers via our unique, timeless cover-up garments and wearable art scarves. Our digital courses are designed to inspire and empower the viewer in various scenarios & capacities: from personal to business to corporate.
Vision:
To contribute towards the evolution of a better world via creative garments that energise and inspire people towards the conservation of this planet, and away from mass consumerism. Our digital courses are crafted to educate and enlighten people.
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.
Background
New Zealand roots: Growing up in a creative household in Wellington New Zealand to migrant parents from Poland, Teresa Gratkowski’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’, 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 Polytechnic’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 and men’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.
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.