Chinese-Malaysian sisters Angela, Juliana and Rowena Foong are the design collaboration behind High Tea With Mrs Woo. Fascinated with weaving memory into clothing, they explore the ability of fashion to unfold great stories. Chew had a little chat with the sisters…

High Tea With Mrs Woo’s garments and objects are charming, thoughtful and everlasting as the sisters explore nostalgia, romantic escape and old travels, trans-lating these tales into contem-porary wearable inventions. Using colour, texture and pattern to spin their stories, they create new fabrics by piecing together antiquated prints and natural materials. Traditional tailoring techniques are used indeveloping their unique shapes from conventional dress forms. And they are no small package to reckon with, mind you. In 2005 they won the NSW Mercedes Start-Up Awards and the Austrade-Powerhouse Market Development Award in 2006. This led to the opportunity to showcase their work on the runways of Shanghai Fashion Week (China) and Australian Fashion Week (Sydney and Melbourne). Their unique craft and style also afforded them an invitation to exhibit in the V&A Museum in London, Anne & Gordon Samstag Museum of Art in Adelaide and Object Gallery in Sydney.

What was the childhood dream?
Angela There were so many possibilities! I don’t think I ever settled on one childhood dream. Rowena I wanted to be an artist or a writer, but I also dreamt of living in the clouds like air stewards. Juliana I always wanted to run my own shop. Now I run two stores, and I make clothes too which I love – I am living my dream!

Who would you most like to invite over for high tea?
Gosh, there are so many people we’d love to have a yarn with! Katharine Hepburn, David Attenborough and Haruki Murakami would be on the list.

Who is Mrs. Woo?
Mrs Woo is a memory and a muse. High Tea with Mrs Woo is our collective memory of a time growing up in Malaysia, when we had a wonderfully rich experience of having ‘high tea’ with some great women in our lives – our mother, grandmothers, aunts… High Tea with Mrs Woo is what we draw from and create with.

What is your favourite thing to wear?
Juliana At the moment, the ‘Let’s be Frank’ tailored linen jacket-collared dress from our recent collection because it has a strong quality about it and makes me feel elegant, capable and comfortable. Angela I have worn to death my old curved crop pants that we made, like seven or eight years ago. I love it because the tomboyish style is quirky and comfy which suits my active daily life. Rowena My favourite dress is a vintage ‘70s grass-green thick corduroy smocked dress printed with tiny flowers. It has such a nostalgic feeling. The dress suits my body shape and makes me feel carefree and relaxed when I wear it.

You were recently awarded the $50 000 AusIndustry TCF Grant to ‘Untangle the threads’. What is the first priority or thread to tackle?
The first thread we need to free is the tangle of work we three have ourselves in. We desperately need to find creative time, headspace and personal space. We are a small practice but there is always too much to do. Our largest impediment is the inefficiency of our general operating system. This grant pays for business mentoring and a much-needed comprehensive computer system to improve our working culture.

How difficult (or easy) is it to work with your siblings?
Trust and honesty is easy amongst us sisters. Difficulty is in everything else!

If you could be an animated character or a character from a children’s book, who would it be and why?
Angela: Totoro! Best friend to everyone!
Rowena: Ponyo! She’s so great! A wonderfully positive, active bundle of energy

**Both by Hayao Miyazaki – Studio Gibhli.

We say GIRL!, you say?
GO HARD OR GO HOME.

Your favourite comfort food?
Rowena: I make Miso Soup whenever I come home after being away.
Juliana: I am comforted by Capsicum Soup or mum’s steamed pork and preserved vegetable dish, served with steamed rice.
Angela: Fresh dates… better than chocolate! ❤ Have a look at their fashion