We’ve just launched our fashion brand and you should come along for the ride

What happens when an Australian childhood collides with Samoan heritage?

Run To Paradise is named after The Choirboys’ classic song that we all grew up listening to. My vision for this project is to pay tribute to my childhood, growing up in Melbourne and Brisbane as an Australian girl with Samoan heritage – sometimes awkwardly – and learning to love being a little bit different to the other kids.

My Mum Faye is originally from the village of Fa’ala on the island of Savai’i, She is a high chief with the title ‘Papali’i Tele’, passed on from her grandmother’s family, the Malietoa.

During my early years, Mum and her sisters had pretty flamboyant style. They would teach us how to dance like little Samoan girls while they disco danced their way through the 1980s, seemingly without a care. At least that’s how they made it seem, and how they made me feel. So, of course they were my first style icons.

On the other hand, my sister and I tortured Dad endlessly listening to 3XY in the car. Our Sunday nights were spent watching Countdown at Nanna and Pa’s, entrenching a deep love for Aussie music, Molly Meldrum and glam rock costumes. Music was, and always has been my anchor. Why wouldn’t I name the brand after one of my favourite songs?