The art of reinvention

"Glamour is magic, a weapon for a girl to wield in this world" fashion designer Alannah Hill describes her role as that of "dreamweaver". Photo: Georges Antoni

Last year, Alannah Hill's world collapsed. A long-running dispute with her business partner saw her leave the iconic fashion label she created almost 20 years ago. She moved from a mansion to a bedsit, fretting about how she'd support her young son. The grief from her mother's death two years prior was still raw. Sometimes, she'd get up early, drive until she found a quiet street and sit there until dusk, seeking refuge from the chaos.

"I was utterly devastated," Hill says, breaking her silence on the split that shocked Australia's fashion industry. "I was inconsolable. I couldn't sleep. I couldn't eat. I just stayed home, too broken to venture out. I couldn't even bear to hear my name spoken."

My voice was being diluted. My wit and my personality were gone. In the end, we had to make a deal.

The reason is that she no longer owns her name - her former business partner, Factory X, does. "Leaving my brand was not my ideal outcome ... I never imagined this would happen," says Hill. "I thought I'd be there forever."

Since the partnership imploded last year, Factory X, co-founded by David Heeney, has continued the Alannah Hill label, albeit without any input from its namesake. But you have not heard the last of the woman who is one of Australia's most eccentric and loved designers.

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In an exclusive interview with Sunday Life, Hill reveals her plans for a new label, Louise Love; "Louise" being her middle name. "I just had to have a name that was linked to me," she says. "Louise Love is a brand new girl ... actually, she is a reinvention of a girl who was almost buried alive."

Hill is full of enthusiasm on the day we meet, the result of her new venture. "Get off my grass!" she screams at the birds pecking at her nature strip, chasing after them in a towering pair of ruby platform heels. "That lawn is my pride and joy."

Hill begins a tour of her inner-Melbourne beachside home, which she bought after settling with Heeney last year. "Follow me, luvvy!" she says. It's an enchanting space, practically an Alannah Hill store writ large. Enormous chandeliers fill every room, with plush scarlet carpet abutting the ivory and baby-pink walls. The furniture is French, upholstered in luxurious rose and purple velvet, complemented by ornately patterned mirrors.

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The art of reinvention