Deborah Mckendrick has a prestigious history as a designer of men and women’s clothing in the West Australian Fashion Industry spanning over a 40 year period.

In the 1980’s after studying Graphic Design at Perth Tech, Deborah found a natural transition into the world of fashion. She started her own label Detekt, a fabulously experimental clothing range which she designed, during which period she also taught herself to make patterns, cut, sew, handprint and dye natural fabrics into functional works of art. Detekt was stocked in iconic stores Crème Soda, Detour, Dogs Issue, View Factory, Red Parrot Nightclub and appeared in Stilletto Magazine.

In 1986-96 Deborah teamed up with artist/designer Brett Pollock and together they created the clothing label Eldorado, which was to gain cult status over the next decade. Their King Street shop was a fantastical world with a never-ending supply of originality, not only in clothing but in all aspects of design, attracting international stars and local fashionistas. Their trademark was hand printed fabrics and humorous T-shirt print designs. These were the halcyon days of fashion in Perth and the birth of big theatrical fashion shows.

Following this Deborah began designing costumes for dance and theatre, an area in which she excelled. (ref: Costume portfolio). Traveling through Europe also enriched her vision of the world and released untold inspiration.

2000-2006 Deborah set up and worked from Velvet Sushi Design Studio in Mt Lawley. During this period she created capsule collections, focusing on hand printed fabrics as well as developing a reputation for designing hand finished couture garments for private clients. She also continued to design Costumes for Festivals and smaller independent companies.

2007- 2020 saw the birth of her signature label Velvet Sushi, Luxury Loungewear and Travel Clothing for women. Deborah created a formula of sophisticated and practical clothing styles that could be worn individually or layered together to make a complete outfit. Allowing the wearer to travel in style and lounge in luxury, this collection allowed Deborah an endless source of inspiration for her creative evolution for well over a decade. The Velvet Sushi collections were housed in a Parisian style boudoir boutique in the historic West End of Fremantle. Deborah designed a rich and enticing environment for which to receive her clients and further explore her talents in design of interiors and window display.

In 2021 Deborah closed her fashion boutique to pursue her  lifelong dream to become an artist. She is now painting portraits of inspirational local characters, as well as large scale figurative works in her home studio. (ref: Art portfolio)