Melbourne jewellery designer Alicia Millan recently sat down with Australian Fashion Journal to talk about the success and inspiration of her label Altheia & Phos.
Having debuted the label 10 years ago after being spotted by Australian influencer and model, Mimi Elashiry, Millan’s jewellery company has become known for its sustainability and Greek-Italian symbolism.
In an interview with Fashion Journal, Millan talks about the spontaneity of the business and how at first it was a “silly little hobby.”
“I created an Instagram page posting crystals I’d bought, including a photo of a crystal bracelet I’d made. Something weird happened. Someone asked if they could buy the bracelet I’d posted. I was just having fun – I already had a full-time job in fashion, but I said yes. And I made more,” she says.
After creating a website and making more hand-made jewellery, Millan says she received a message from leading Australian influencer and model, Mimi Elashiry, where she soon “struck a friendship” and sent her a few pieces.
By 2014 the pair had launched a collection together and within three weeks almost all the jewellery was sold out.
Millan’s label name Altheia & Phos means ‘truth and light’ in Greek. She says it was “indicative” of where she was at in that point of her life: trying to figure out who she was and where she came from.
“I remember calling my yiayia to talk about the brand name with her,” she said. “[I wanted to delve] into my roots and Greek and Italian heritage and culture. Throughout primary and high school, I was never Greek enough, never Italian enough, and never Australian enough. I didn’t really fit in.”
“Now, as an adult, I feel proud that I can embrace it all and feel confident in myself.”
Altheia & Phos is demi-fined jewellery that Millan says “people connect with” because it draws toward the Greek and Italian elements of, “the sky, good olive oil, storytelling, kindness and sensitivity”.
Source: Fashion Journal
