Philosophy

Introduction

Cristina’s love for beautiful design began early when she indulged in collecting paper note sets, cards and stickers with pretty patterns. Her artistic talent emerged when she began drawing all over her school diaries at a young age. She enjoyed making treasures out of everyday objects and creating unique handmade gifts for friends and loved ones, which ignited her passion for craft. Born in Rome, her encouraging and insightful parents soon embraced her creative abilities and sent her to art school in Northern Italy at 13, where the classical art and timeless romance of the culture influenced and formed her love for rich, decorative and ornamental patterns steeped in history and tradition.

She pursued her artistic interests throughout her studies, graduating with a Bachelor of Art with Honours in Design at the prestigious Swinburne University in 1994.

During her time at University she also studied photography and worked at a wedding and portrait photography studio. Cristina then started her own studio immediately upon graduating. She became one of the first female photographers in Australia to create a successful business with a unique creative edge, winning numerous prestigious photography awards.

The Original Founder of DIY

Combining her photographic skills with illustration and design, she tailored unique wedding packages for her clients, customising the couple’s stationery from the invitations through to the wedding album. It was then that Cristina discovered a niche in the marketplace for quality designer invitations and supporting stationery items.

With an avenue to express and showcase her artwork to the retail market, Cristina began to produce do-it-yourself stationery featuring her hand-illustrated patterns. Using her highly decorative style and keen eye for colour, the designs evolved into the largest range of mix-and-match fashionable themes available in the world, which could be tailored for special events and endless creative projects. Furthermore, the papers could be coordinated with an array of envelopes, wallets and sparkling embellishments to create stunning and original layered effects with a fashionable twist. 

Cristina was the original founder of the DIY stationery concept, and to this day she continues to lead the way with the most sought after brand in the craft industry. She has sold millions of sheets of paper around the world and her work has provided budding artists and professionals alike, the canvas and inspiration to create their own unique creative masterpieces. Furthermore, Cristina’s product has also created the opportunity for hundreds of women to run home businesses offering tailored invitation services, providing the platform to build successful creative careers.

Licensing & Custom Design

It is no surprise that Cristina has been offered numerous licensing and collaborative deals with leading stationery and craft companies in the trade who recognize the true value of her brand. Cristina Re Designs has also established itself as a design house producing design services for private labeling. From fashion stationery, home office, to scrapbooking, Cristina’s signature products can be found at every major retailer from Officeworks, Target, Lincraft to boutique specialty bridal & art stores around the country.

Traveling extensively around the world, Cristina’s inspired to capture the visual beauty that she sees in different cultures. From the flora and fauna of Asia to the high fashions of Europe and New York, she’s constantly inspired to create new patterns. A fusion of East meets West; a blend of European vintage, Hollywood glamour and Asian chic, Cristina’s designs are forever evolving and setting trends.

Expanding to Lifestyle

Over the last couple of years, Cristina has been driven by the desire to translate her fashionable patterns on to lifestyle products. Challenging herself to transform the ordinary into extraordinary, her ambition has led her to expand her offering beyond the stationery realm. Cristina’s unified creative vision is now represented across a diverse product range from stationery and home decor, to bath & body and food collections. Each product carries Cristina’s signature feminine style and elegant packaging, and tells a story providing the ultimate sensory experience.

Where A Girl Goes

After 15 years of building the brand, Cristina had a wish to open a special concept store that would showcase her products and provide a unique and beautiful shopping destination to take women on a journey of the senses, from fashion to food.

She launched her Where A Girl Goes in the artistic district of Collingwood in 2009. The beautiful store features a retail area with her branded products alongside a French-style cafe and tea salon that is both stylish and pretty and designed to complement the Cristina Re product range.

Driven by the desire to bring a little bit of Europe to Australia, Cristina decided to offer gourmet tea blends and an array of sweet treats that were as visually and artistically beautiful as those you might find in a little gourmet patisserie in Paris or Rome. She also wanted to provide a special place that would bring women together to celebrate life, love and friendship. Known for its exquisite French style macarons and delicious delicate pastel cupcakes, the store has evolved into a popular High Tea destination with a growing reputation for excellence in good food, customer service, and beautiful atmosphere. The store has attracted a large following of fans and has now become a popular international tourist destination.

Summary

The Cristina Re range now boasts over 600 products of the highest quality which are sold to over 1000 stores around Australia and the world.

Cristina Re is an impressive combination of artist, author, TV presenter and entrepreneur. Cristina has appeared on a variety of TV shows presenting her products and showcasing her store. Her strong business acumen has enabled her to successfully grow her company from its small beginnings to market leader for fifteen  years. Her unique and beautiful designs are sought after by ldesign aficionados, stylists, an established celebrity clientele and lovers of all things beautiful.