Wild Pansy and The Sisterhood of the Siren Suit

Get to know the newest label in bloom.

Viola Tricolour, Johnny Jump-up, or the Wild Pansy is categorised as a solitary flower that has a tendency for creeping and ramping, weaving its way into gathered growths. The tangles of the stems become dense and durable. There is, however, a dainty appeal to the Wild Pansy – the thin stem, the tricolour shape in vibrant contrasting purple, blue and yellow. In its nature, the hermaphroditic species tethers masculinity and femininity. 

The juxtaposing make of the Wild Pansy applies to the principles of its namesake Geelong based clothing brand. From the creative and conscious mind of Ruby Gallo, Wild Pansy is a made-to-order sustainable clothing label. 

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A Bachelor of Branded Fashion holder from Billy Blue College of Design, Gallo worked in design for multiple Australian brands before taking the leap to start her own line of conscious clothing. The idea grew from trying to keep stimulated during the lengthy lockdowns of the pandemic era, creating bags with her mum (who taught her to sew at twelve years old).

Now, Wild Pansy has become recognisable for their signature silhouette in their line staple, the Siren Suit. The Siren Suit is an artistic take on utility overalls, where wearable workwear meets feminine edge. This creative collaboration with Wadawurrung-based visual artist Eden Ariston takes the form and function of Hard Yakka style jumpsuits, and adds artistic expression with Ariston’s hand-painted prints tattooing the legs and sleeves.

 

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“The idea was developed from a pair of overalls that I found in the shed. I needed to wear something durable and functional in the studio, but didn’t want to lose my own style. I wanted tradie clothes that would still feel feminine because that’s how I like expressing myself,” Gallo says.

“Eden [Ariston] is a friend and I thought it would be a great collaboration. The Siren Suit turned out amazing, as well as all of the fine art prints, stickers and tote bags we developed, and it’s taken the idea of something practical but turned it into an everyday essential. I wear mine around the house all the time because it’s comfortable but it looks great. The versatility allows for you to go from the studio to the shops to meeting up with friends for a coffee.” 

It’s practical but polished with a design that allows it to be taken from a manual labour setting to a music festival ground, or stage. Gallo has her sights set on dressing Australia’s favourite front woman, Amy Taylor of Amyl and the Sniffers.

“She is the dream to dress – she embodies everything the Siren Suit represents!”

The empowerment of the garment is also shared by her uplifting community of friends and collaborators. Her friends have served as models for the designs and Gallo is keen to continue building connections to grow the sisterhood.

 

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“It’s so special to have so many friends support the brand and to see them feel empowered by the clothes. It’s a balance being femininity but also being a bit of a badass and finding that confidence. There’s a bit of a sisterhood that comes from that!”

Whilst the Siren Suit is the standout piece, the brand has a collection of sustainable wear inspired by vintage fashion and rock and roll for the modern-day muse. Adopting an ethos of using recycled vintage fabrics to develop made-to-order products, Wild Pansy ensures the extended life of a garment in this landfill-ready fast-fashion world. 

Taking it a step further, Wild Pansy offers sewing classes to transfer skills to customers to be able to mend, alter, and tailor their existing clothes for extended stay in their wardrobes.

 

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“The idea came from all of my friends coming over and saying “I’ve got 20 garments, could you just slightly adjust all of them?” and I was like “if you just sit down with me for literally one hour you would be able to do all of this yourself”. The workshop we ran was on alterations, so people brought their bags of things that didn’t fit them quite right and then we worked through them one by one and they left with five garments that fit perfectly, ready for wear.”

Once an essential skill, these workshops are a great introduction to tailoring. The workshops are for any stage of sewing skill, from never touching a needle to learning how to use an overlocker. It could be something as simple as adding darts, or the complete reconstruction of a garment. 

Wild Pansy is setting the standard on sustainable, slow fashion, whilst making a case for feeling cute, confident, comfortable and capable in your clothing.

Shop Wild Pansy here.

Words by Tammy Walters