Ethos

House of Lacuna literally means ‘new space’ in Latin, but to us, the translation goes so much further than just the name

it is reminiscent of the many moons of reinvention that women pass through over their lives.

Our timeless pieces are designed to take you through them all.

With a focus on slow-to-life, hand-stitched garments made by small and fully supported independent Balinese tailors, House of Lacuna pieces tell a story through colour and cut; offering women beautifully-crafted silhouettes, darling prints and lifelong quality they can take through every season of their lives, both real and spiritual.

Naomi Swalwell comes from a long line of entrepreneurs, with her great grandfather founding the nationally treasured brand, Cottees.

It was her grandmother Mae, in fact, who came up with the Aussie staple of every family’s summer, ‘Passiona’, helping her father to lovingly squeeze the fruits for each batch of cordial and jam.

Naomi’s fashion credentials are vast and impressive, with stints in design production at Zambesi and womenswear design at Bonds. It was these experiences that Naomi credits to her love for homegrown brands; ones that cultivate and celebrate the laid-back Aussie aesthetic, and snap-change seasons of the land down under.

House of Lacuna was Naomi’s third baby

With a desire to stay in the fashion industry, she added another feather to her cap with a business born out of personal need; creating elevated, inspiring pieces that represented the many moons of reinvention women passed through in their lives.

The transcendence into motherhood is often synonymous with bland, lifeless clothing, compelling Naomi to offer an alternative that would honour and elevate motherhood in its many different forms.

Today, she dreams up elegant and bright prints in darling silhouettes, with detailed linen, stitching and buttons, all from paradise found on NSW’s Central Coast. Helping bring it all to life is a small, female-led family workroom in Bali who run things from the bottom floor of their own home, safely and at rates they themselves set.

Meet your makers.

Every House of Lacuna piece is made using traditional hand-stitching and block printing methods; an age-old artform that makes for detail and quality that is rarely seen in today’s fast-fashion obsessed world.

There are no minimum order quantities, monthly collection drops, or anything that puts pressure on them. Each item is lovingly poured over for at least 18 months before it even touches the dextrous hands of our tailors, and the capacity of the workroom itself is limited to six machines and a single cutting table.

The resulting pieces are items rich in quality, detail and lifelong wearability, where the people responsible for them earn a good living, can support their families and work in conditions that are safe. Our pieces are designed to be trans-seasonal; layered for winter, paired back for summer, and loved over and over again.

WANT TO TRY US ON FOR SIZE

Or have a piece tailored to your body?

Visit us at ourshowroom on the Central Coast. Just off the Pacific Highway, 40-minutes from Sydney, with plenty of parking on-site.

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