Perth-based label Bellasera takes its cues from Sofia Coppola’s ‘Marie Antoinette’
“It’s a frivolous, idealistic and romanticised aesthetic of contemporary femininity.”
Isabella Marchese’s love affair with fashion began in a high school classroom.”I’d always been a very creative kid and would forcefully bring stacks of pens and pencils along with me wherever I went,” she says. But as she got older, like many of us, she started to lack confidence in her creative ideas.
She eventually found her way back to herself by reconnecting with a sewing machine. “Once I could pick up sewing classes voluntarily… that solidified my love affair with designing and creating clothes, and the idea that I could express creativity through physical labours of love and passion.”
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Realising that making clothes was what really excited her led Isabella to studying fashion design and eventually, starting her own label. “It felt like the next conceivable step,” she says, “although convincing myself that anyone would be interested in what I was making was probably the hardest part about shifting from being more of a blogger to building a brand.”
Knowing that if she didn’t commit to starting, she’d put it off forever, Isabella officially launched her label, Bellasera, late last year – a nod to her own name and her Italian heritage (‘bellasera’ roughly translates to ‘beautiful evening’ in Italian). She’s a one-woman show, hand-making every one-of-one piece from her small studio at home in Perth.
Offering a unique take on modern femininity, Bellasera’s signature romantic ruffled tops captured our attention. Think Rococo-era flounce with an undone quality – those iconic behind-the-scenes photos of Kirsten Dunst in Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette come to mind. “Everything’s quite playful, maximalist, colourful and not too serious, but my design aesthetic still has a certain unrefined edginess,” she says. Here, Isabella tells us about the journey to launching her brand and where she hopes to take it in the near future.
Fashion Journal: Hi Bella! Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your fashion background?
Bella: Hi! I’m a fashion designer currently based in Perth, with plans to move to Melbourne sometime in the next year. I studied a Bachelor of Design, majoring in fashion at university and that gave me an all-around understanding of different roles in the industry. But my main affection lies in the practice of sewing and construction – the escapism that comes with working physically and mentally, as I find inspiration in new things, conceptualise ideas and get to create interesting garments.
How did your label get started? Talk us through the process and the challenges.
Bellasera formally started in late 2024, when I moved a lot of my sewing and design work from my former Instagram blog (where I posted a lot during my time at uni) over to the @bellasera66 brand page. Convincing myself that anyone would be interested in what I was making was probably the hardest part about shifting from being more of a blogger to building a brand. But it felt like the next conceivable step in putting myself out there, and further developing my passion and skills for making clothes, which is what excites me about being a creative.
Tell us the story behind your brand name?
My full name is Isabella Sarah Marchese, so it came from wanting to personify my brand but not so formally. I see my identity as a designer evolving and growing parallel to myself as a person, so the playfulness to stay in that abstract frame of personalisation was the perfect balance I felt I needed at this early stage of my career.
My family’s Italian heritage is very apparent in my name, so playing off pieces of that, ‘bellasera’ roughly translates to ‘beautiful evening’, which is a sweet little afterthought. The 66 is a reference to my parents’ birth year – they’ve always been so supportive of my dreams, it’s a nice way I get to honour them.
What were you trying to achieve from the project when you launched and how do you see it evolving?
When I first thought about starting my brand, I was so hesitant and sceptical of my abilities to the point where I had to jump in and do it. Bellasera is still very much in its infancy but there was more of an urgency behind the fact that if I didn’t just commit to starting it, I’d put it off forever.
I saw this quote not that long ago that said, ‘make it exist first, you can make it good later’ and that has been one of my main drives at the moment. Remembering that and thinking fondly about all the ideas I’ve yet to explore and all the new things I get to learn as I grow as a designer and as a business now.
Can you tell me a bit about how you source your materials and your supply chain?
Everything that’s being sampled, produced and sold is all currently handmade by me, in my small studio space at home. It’s important to me that I have control over the quality of pieces and it’s the best way for me to work, especially with making the one-off, unique pieces I’ve started the brand off producing. I make sure to buy materials with intention, from independent wholesalers if I can, and I put a lot of effort into sourcing high-quality fabrics, while only buying in necessary quantities.
I love being so hands-on with the production process – I get to have that extra rein on the uniqueness of each piece, while minimising textile waste and being as sustainable as possible. It also allows me to experiment with patternmaking and designing, as I’m creating products to sell, so the creative process is very circular and materials I have left over from one project, can cycle into the next.
How would you describe your label to someone who’s never seen it before?
At the moment, I feel like the Ruffled collections are giving Marie Antoinette vibes but specifically the 2006 movie by Sofia Coppola. Everything’s quite playful, maximalist, colourful, not too serious, but my design aesthetic still has a certain unrefined edginess. If you’ve seen the behind-the-scenes photos of Kirsten Dunst in her Rococo-era outfits, kicking her shoes off, drinking from a plastic water bottle, chain-smoking and playing on a MacBook. It’s a frivolous, idealistic and romanticised aesthetic of contemporary femininity.
I love to work conceptually and create a visual narrative, even if the pieces are incredibly simple. I think that’s why I love film references and find cinema to be a driving force in my inspiration, as I love to get lost in creating the persona of idealised characters in another world.
What are you most proud of in your work on your label?
I’ve had the chance recently to work with some beautiful and talented creatives in Melbourne on different editorial projects, simply through connecting on social media. The concepts they worked off were completely different and the results from both shoots were so gorgeous, independent from one another but both using my pieces to convey these two completely unique stories.
I felt very proud and honoured to be part of other people’s creative processes and the idea that making things I love could spark inspiration in my peers is one of the most rewarding feelings. I’m proud anytime I make a sale on things I’ve spent so much time on, and seeing people wearing my creations out in the world. But the monetary factor is the crutch to being able to have these deeper, more emotional moments of pride.
Who do you think is most exciting in Australian fashion right now?
I think the most exciting designers now would have to be Nicol and Ford. I genuinely adore everything they put out and think they’re so refreshing and rebellious. On the surface, their pieces and displays are, of course, beautiful and interesting, but so full of depth, inquisition and connection to underlying social and political values important to the people behind the brand.
I hope I can see and experience the atmosphere of their shows in person one day because they truly are reinvigorating the lost art of fashion being a performance, with runway and displays having the ability to be a living, breathing statement in themselves.
What about the local fashion industry needs to change?
I think exclusivity is a big issue, at least in Perth’s industry, where the already small number of opportunities is only made accessible to a certain group of people to satisfy certain agendas. The fashion industry in Perth is incredibly small and feels like a very closed book – even if you’re willing to work your ass off to gain experience, or have the education, knowledge or passion behind you to be an asset, unless you can offer some organisations exposure or status, they have little to no interest in giving you a chance.
There are so many creative people here with such interesting ideas, unique perspectives and distinct voices, and there are wonderful people pushing to change that, but they’re few and far between amongst those only interested in profit or reputation.
Who would be your dream Australian collaborators?
At the moment, it would have to be All is a Gentle Spring. I worked back of house at the Melbourne Fashion Festival this year and got to see some of their signature pieces up close at the National Designer Awards x David Jones show – the amount of detail, the quality of their fabrics and the fine tailoring techniques they use, especially in their wool bodices, is insane. I think their brand identity is very different to mine but I adore their sophisticated, refined aesthetic and think a collab could be an interesting meeting of the minds.
There are so many brilliant designers gaining traction in Australia and New Zealand, so it’s hard to narrow it down to one. I’m such a massive fan of Maroske Peech, Emily Watson and Mode Mischief, any chance to collaborate with these local labels would be such a dream.
Who is in your wardrobe right now?
As a designer, I get to frame shopping as research (at least that’s what I tell myself), and I find so much inspiration looking through listings on Depop, Vestiaire Collective and The Real Real. If you’re committed to looking, you realise there are so many beautiful vintage pieces that can make high fashion designer brands accessible, and many pieces have so much life left to live.
As both a fashion enthusiast and a designer, shopping secondhand opens up your creativity in the way you see clothes and how they inspire you, the way you style things and problem-solving around the uniqueness of what you find.
How can we buy one of your pieces?
You can buy my pieces online at bellasera.com.au. At the moment, I only produce very limited amounts of stock in unique one-of-one variations of our staple top designs, but I’m working on a made-to-order option that will be more customisable. My Instagram DMs are always open to custom or collaboration opportunities, so if you see something you fancy, I’m always down to have a chat about how I can make your dream, unique Bellasera pieces.
I’m working on new kinds of garments to trail off the Ruffled collections, with some very cute pants that I’ve already teased samples of on our socials. Bellasera is still a baby and every day is one of learning and growth on how to exist in this industry. With the amount of love and passion I have for this venture, and all the overwhelming support I’ve received so far, things are only going to get better and better.
Keep up with Bellasera here.
