Blacktown fashionistas are celebrating local access to couture evening wear after the launch of a new Western Sydney-based label by an up-and-coming Prospect fashion designer.  

TAFE NSW Macquarie Fields graduate Olivia Liros comes from a family who all work in the wedding industry and is determined to bring a new and edgy spin to the range fashion choices available to locals, without having to travel to the city.  

Spending her teenage years undertaking work experience at her extended family’s bridal store, Olivia had a desire to bring the couture scene to the West and made her dream career a reality by studying a Diploma of Applied Fashion Design and Merchandising (Design and Product Development), which is offered at TAFE NSW Macquaire Fields and TAFE NSW Lidcombe. 

Olivia has launched her label L.I.V and is now designing eveningwear for clients across Western Sydney. With an eye for comfortable and edgy elegance, her work highlights sleek, neutral designs for women. She is also now looking at expanding her work to include resort wear. 

“There are so many beautiful eveningwear dresses out there for women but it’s rare to find something that is elegant and comfortable, which is the point of difference in my designs,” Olivia said. 

“My teachers at TAFE NSW have been a big help in equipping me with the hands-on skills that I need to design and make garments and learn how to shape fabrics to suit different body types.” 

Olivia’s hand-made her own clothing range, which was modelled at the TAFE NSW end of year fashion show in 2019. Her clothing range is inspired by her fashion muse, Australian designer Toni Maticevski.  

It’s an ideal time for Olivia to be working in the fashion industry, with arts and design on the rise in Western Sydney, strengthened by the relocation of the Museum of Applied Arts and Science’s Powerhouse Museum to Parramatta. 

TAFE NSW Head Teacher of Fashion, Fiona Lloyd, said Olivia was a shining example of the opportunities available to TAFE NSW students. 

“The Diploma of Applied Fashion Design and Merchandising is the perfect blend of creative and business, giving students the outcomes in design and product development, operations, marketing and consumer behavior to be able to succeed in the fashion industry.” 

“Thanks to the practical, real-world skills she has developed by studying at TAFE NSW, Olivia is ready to take her fashion label to the next level and work side-by-side with industry.” 

If you are ready to enrol in a fashion course at TAFE NSW, visit www.tafensw.edu.au/courses/fashion-and-textiles-courses, or call 131 601. 

Media Contact: Jessica Cortis, TAFE NSW Media and Communications Business Partner, 0456 170 211.