Scars of Cupid

Valentine’s Day in 2013 took an unexpected turn. What was meant to be a fun day - taking my goddaughter to the park, catching up with a friend for dinner - became the day my melanoma was discovered. By that afternoon, I was on the operating table.

I wasn’t prepared. I had driven myself to the doctor for what I thought was a routine check. The first surgery happened immediately. When the results came back worse than expected, a second operation followed the next week - one that left my arm muscles affected. I couldn’t drive. I couldn’t open a bottle of wine. I couldn’t even brush my teeth, let alone create millinery.

But even in the most testing moments, there was gold. My awesome friends - driving me home, leaving notes by my bed so I’d remember which painkillers to take, even spending an entire day clearing my overgrown wet season garden. My community wrapped me in love. And from this story came another: the journey that led me to New York, to the runway, to a chapter I never saw coming.

“Scars of Cupid” tells this story.

💘 The heart-shaped South Sea keshi pearl symbolises the love that surrounded me - my friends, my Broome community.
🏹 The three black arrowhead feathers represent the three blows - the discovery and the two surgeries. Their gold tips remind us that there is always something precious to be found.
❤️ The large heart represents the full story - love, resilience, and the path that led me forward, all the way to the runway of New York Fashion Week 🙌.

This headpiece is more than an artwork - it’s a reminder that scars tell our stories, and this one tells mine.