“Romantic witch fairy godmother”: Meet the eclectic Melbourne-based label, DGianna Vintage
IMAGE VIA DGIANNA STUDIOS
WORDS BY IZZY WIGHT
“I don’t bother with sketches. I drape, cut, and let the fabric tell me where to go next.”
After discovering a treasure trove of vintage jewellery amongst her mum’s garage storage, Melbourne creative Danni Carbone was inspired. Her mum had a label of her own back in the ’90s, and the sea of one-of-a-kind jewels reignited Danni’s love of fashion and ornate design. Under the name DGianna Vintage, she began reworking the long-forgotten pieces, transforming them into intricate chain chokers, chandelier earrings and gothic-style pendant necklaces.
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Since launching DGianna Vintage in late 2022, Danni says the process has been “incredibly organic”. Later, in her nonna’s home, Danni found a stash of doilies, tablecloths, secondhand lace and fabrics – from here, she started making upcycled corsets, dresses and bralettes. “It all fell into place at the right time and [has] flourished naturally,” she says. Below, Danni tells the story of DGianna Vintage so far.
Tell us about you. What’s your fashion background?
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I’m Danni, an artist and designer specialising in upcycling. My work is divided into two ventures: DGianna Studio and DGianna Vintage. At DGianna Studio, I transform textiles into wearable art, fine art and furniture. DGianna Vintage features vintage brass jewellery from the ’90s and 2000s, which I found in my mum’s garage, along with unique, one-of-a-kind upcycled crochet pieces made from secondhand laces, doilies and fabrics.
After high school, during the Covid pandemic, I completed a diploma in styling and then transitioned into studying fashion design and technology at RMIT. This experience shifted my focus from traditional fashion to repurposing textiles through a more artistic lens. Discovering my mum’s jewellery reignited my love for fashion, leading to the creation of DGianna Vintage.
How did the label get started? Talk us through the process and the challenges.
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I had always known my mum owned a brand called Pierina Designs in the early 2000s, but I was a bit too young to ever see all her earlier stuff. About a year or two ago, we moved out of our family home, and I decided to sift through all the boxes of jewellery hidden away in the garage.
My mum’s ‘old trash’ boxes were just a sea of vintage jewels, necklaces, earrings, beads and every girl’s dream in every colourway you could imagine, so naturally I fell in love with everything I found and was inspired to revive the brand because I hadn’t seen anything like it anywhere. I knew people would adore these unique pieces that my mum thought she’d never be able to sell again. So I had an insane amount of one-of-a-kind jewels that hadn’t been touched in 20 years just waiting for me to give them new life.
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Honestly, the hardest part is knowing that once I sell out of everything, it’s gone forever. Some pieces are so hard to let go of because they hold so much sentimental value to me. After my parents separated, I moved into my nonna’s house and became obsessed with scavenging through my family homes. That’s where I discovered a treasure trove of fabrics, table cloths and doilies.
The jewellery already sparked my creativity, and new ideas started flowing. Collections began to take shape from these found materials, including fabrics, doilies, and gems. The process has been incredibly organic; it all fell into place at the right time and flourished naturally. My biggest challenge now is balancing my time between all my passion projects. I have countless ideas, designs, and events I want to pursue, but managing it all while working as an artist is tough. Finding the time to bring everything to life is a constant struggle.
What were you trying to achieve from the project at the time? How has this evolved and what are you trying to communicate through the brand now?
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When I first started I was honestly just in a state of shock from all the stunning jewellery I had unknowingly lived with my entire life. I was just so excited to get creative with these pieces and breathe new life into the designs my mum now considered ‘trash’. I wanted to show her that people still value and love the jewellery she designed over 20 years ago.
Initially, my goal was to highlight the beauty and uniqueness of these forgotten pieces, but this has since evolved. My passion for transforming ‘trash’ into treasures has flourished, especially through my upcycled tablecloth designs and the wearable art fabric corsets at DGianna Studio.
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Now, I aim to convey a message about the importance of sustainability and creativity in fashion. I’m not planning to source new materials once I sell out of my mum’s pieces. Instead, I want to inspire others to find beauty in what already exists and create something new and meaningful from it.
How would you describe your label to someone who’s never seen it before?
Your dramatic, romantic witch fairy godmother.
What are you most proud of in your work on your label?
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I’m loving where my upcycled lace designs are heading. Finding new fabric always sends me off in new, thrilling directions. I don’t bother with sketches. I drape, cut, and let the fabric tell me where to go next. Always letting my scissors take the lead and embracing the unexpected.
What do you wish you knew when you started?
I wouldn’t change a thing about what I knew when I started. That’s the essence of art – learning and evolving alongside your own journey. It’s not about having all the answers but creating and finding meaning through the process.
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The only advice I’d give myself is to remember that you might not love your current collection a year from now, so keep pushing forward and consistently creating. There were times when I felt my skills weren’t quite matching my vision, and I’d end up disliking what I’d made. But that’s what pushed me to improve and elevate my designs.
Who do you think is most exciting in Australian fashion right now?
Design students always have my heart and I adore avant-garde design so my eyes are on Wackie Ju, Youkhana, Catholic Guilt, Helena Buchegger, Blair Will and especially Nicola and Ford and Matea Gluscevic.
What about the Australian fashion industry needs to change?
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The fashion industry is already incredibly saturated and overconsumption is next level. Australia has the second highest textile waste in the world… we need to shift our focus to repurposing existing materials rather than constantly seeking out or manufacturing new ones. Shop secondhand, upcycle [and] buy handmade.
Style your existing clothes, flip clothes upside down or backward and buy safety pins. I genuinely believe that basic sewing skills and creative styling should be a staple in school curriculums to foster a more sustainable approach to fashion growing up.
Dream Australian collaborators?
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Would love to collaborate with some sort of metalwork artist. Been looking to get into the world of welding for a while now.
Go-to dinner party playlist?
I’m a nostalgic ’80s to 2000s girl anything I can sing too!
Who is in your wardrobe right now?
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All thrifted usually, [with] lots of recycled leather pieces… always vintage Westwood and dreaming of a Solitude studios piece.
How can we buy one of your pieces?
For custom pieces just email or DM me, but all my available pieces are online via dgianna.com
Browse the DGianna Vintage collection here.
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