Fashion

16.01.2023

Melbourne label Aletheia & Phos crafts thoughtful jewellery inspired by nostalgia and heritage

WORDS BY IZZY WIGHT

“Aletheia & Phos is a wearable biography. A marker of a moment in time. I create jewellery through the stories that live inside me.”

Naarm designer Alicia Millan started her jewellery label, Aletheia & Phos, somewhat by accident. A creative by nature, she started making crystal bracelets in her free time, posting about their healing properties on Instagram. It was there Alicia’s work was spotted by Australian influencer and model, Mimi Elashiry. The pair dreamt up a collaborative collection and “within three weeks [of launching it], almost everything sold out”.

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In the 10 years since Aletheia & Phos’ debut, the brand has become synonymous with sustainably-made, delicate, demi-fine jewellery. Inspired by astrology, travel and Alicia’s Greek-Italian heritage, Alicia’s pieces are made to symbolise life’s big moments. Below, she speaks on the label’s journey so far.

Tell us about you. What’s your fashion background?

I’m a first-gen Australian. I was born in Fitzroy. My grandparents came to Aus from Greece (mum’s side in the mid-’60s, settling in North Melbourne) and Italy (dad’s side settling in Carlton North [in the] mid-’50s).

I’m an extroverted introvert, a highly sensitive person. I love storytelling, and I’m obsessed with all facets of design. From jewellery, architecture and patternmaking, to glass blowing, furniture design, ceramic glazes and so much more. I love creating and sourcing pieces that have a rich history. My home is filled with things I’ve sourced from around the world: Greco-roman pottery, art created by friends and vintage Murano lighting.

I want to get home after work and feel like I’m walking right into a giant hug when I open the front door. I want it to feel that way for people that visit too. I have a fierce obsession with detail, and I often annoy people by seeing tiny details they don’t [see].

As a designer and product developer, I think this is my biggest strength – making sure the product I create is compliant with the market it’s… sold in. I worked for a few big Australian brands [for] over 10 years before I started Aletheia & Phos. I studied fashion at RMIT and got my first job as a junior account assistant for Calvin Klein Underwear. Also, very important – I’m aqua/aqua/taurus.

How did the label get started? Talk us through the process and the challenges.

I always lol when I’m asked this. I absolutely did not have a business plan. It was random, I was bored, and I was travelling to Geelong for work every day. I needed a silly little hobby, so I started making crystal bracelets at my kitchen table in May 2013. It was a combination of timing, a little bit of luck and Instagram blowing up when I started.

I created an Instagram page posting crystals I’d bought, including a photo of a crystal bracelet I’d made. Something weird happened. Someone asked if they could buy the bracelet I’d posted. I was just having fun – I already had a full-time job in fashion, but I said yes. And I made more.

Then, I started importing crystals from Brazil to make a bit of extra money. I posted on Insta about their energetic and healing properties – trying to do it in a way that was accessible and didn’t feel super woo-woo. I built a website in Wix (the cringe I have writing this is making me squeeze my butt cheeks together, it was so bad)…

A message from Mimi Elashiry landed in my DMs in December 2013. We struck up a friendship, I sent her a few pieces she liked and then, she posted them on Insta. My Instagram blew up. I couldn’t keep up. I was hand-making bracelets after work five days a week and spending all weekend making them. My fingers were bleeding.

My supplier in Brazil couldn’t send things fast enough. This went on for about four to five months. Aside from having no fingers, I wasn’t 100 per cent happy with the quality of product arriving from Brazil. I wanted to make things a little more special. I decided to ask Mimi if she’d like to create a collection together. She said yes, and I made a couple of trips to Byron and Noosa to meet her and design a small capsule together.

Mimi and I launched our collection at the end of November 2014. The week before, I had just registered Aletheia & Phos as a company. Within three weeks, almost everything sold out. I had no idea what I was doing, but the collaboration gave me the confidence to move to Bali (where I produced our collection) to be closer to production, and an excuse to leave Australia and travel. I was excited but mostly shit scared, it was a huge risk.

I decided to try it out for nine months. I quit a job I absolutely loved (I was the Womenswear Product Developer for Lee Jeans at the time) and left Australia three days into the new year to move to Bali.

Where did the name come from?

Aletheia & Phos means ‘truth and light’ in Greek. I remember calling my yiayia to talk about the brand name with her. Aletheia & Phos is indicative of where I was at, at that point in my life, trying to figure out who I was and where I came from, delving into my roots and Greek and Italian heritage and culture. Throughout primary and high school, I was never Greek enough, never Italian enough, and never Australian enough. I didn’t really fit in.

I never talked about feelings – I didn’t know how to. School was my least favourite place to be. Now, as an adult, I feel proud that I can embrace it all and feel confident in myself. I feel comfortable being the giant goober I am, feeling all the feelings, and being obsessed with creating meaningful connections until the day I die.

How would you describe Aletheia & Phos to someone who’s never seen it before?

I’d explain it in two ways. My creativity is born from the most simple pleasures: the sky, good olive oil, storytelling, kindness and sensitivity – my heart expands when I think of these things. Personal growth, my friends, an energetic connection, a perfectly sweet tomato, and passionate and fiery people. Real unconditional love. Adventuring to new places. The most al dente pasta.

Aletheia & Phos is a wearable biography. A marker of a moment in time. I create jewellery through the stories that live inside me. When a piece is selected by the wearer and finds a new home, that piece of jewellery morphs into something different. It becomes an amulet the wearer attaches their story and values to. It’s an intentional purchase to celebrate or commemorate or be worn as a reminder. A way to rest your dreams next to your heart and stay connected to people, places and stories that mean the most to us.

What are you most proud of in your work on your label?

A few things. That I can fully be myself, 100 per cent authentic, and people actually connect with that. It’s wild, and it still blows my mind every day. I feel so much gratitude for making things I’m so fucking passionate about and that I get to share that with the world.

I’m proud of how I manufacture and what I produce. I create premium demi-fine jewellery that people connect with; they come to us when they’re looking for a considered piece to express everything they’re feeling for themselves or another person. What an honour it is to be able to commemorate such a sacred connection in someone’s life.

And, this year has been a big one for me – over the last 12 months, I’ve been sourcing a new maker and moving my entire catalogue over to them. This incredible family-owned business is certified by the Responsible Jewellery Council. They are a signatory member of the UN Compact.

They are REACH compliant (this means that all my jewellery is certified free of nickel, lead and cadmium). All of my jewellery is made with certified recycled gold and silver metals. I produce only what I need, made by hand in small batches and I’m so proud to partner with such a phenomenal maker.

What do you wish you knew when you started?

That imposter syndrome is real, and everyone feels it. Asking for help doesn’t mean I don’t know what I’m doing; it just means I’m asking for help. There is absolutely nothing glamorous about the fashion industry, except for a few events/trips a year – other than that, it’s about margin, budgets, hitting delivery dates, spreadsheets, forecasting and making money without having to markdown. You need to be confident working with numbers.

Who do you think is most exciting in Australian fashion right now?

Christopher Esber for sure. And Van Der Kooj.

What about the Australian fashion industry needs to change?

The holier-than-thou personalities. Brands that let bullies run the show. Brands that don’t care about their staff, their wellbeing, or the bullshit hours you’re expected to work unpaid. In my experience, there’s a lot of gatekeeping in the fashion industry.

It’s never made sense to me – share your knowledge, upskill those around you, allow your team to grow, nurture them and you end up with a better support network around yourself too. It’s a win/win. There are two people in the industry that I have so much respect for… Elle Roseby (Sportsgirl) and Rob Brown (True Alliance). I admire them so much still today.

Who is in your wardrobe right now?

Marni, Prada, Levi’s, Patagonia, Acne.

How can we buy one of your pieces?

Find us online here.

Anything else to add?

Solid gold coming in a big way very soon. A new collection [is] dropping in Feb, and a flagship store in 2023. I’m so excited to share more of myself and my feelings and things that inspire me in-store. Chatting with customers in person has been a dream for a long time.

Browse the Aletheia & Phos collection here.