Queensland off-the-grid designer Leah Kelly performs at Fashion Week London

A Far North Queensland clothing designer who sews and designs her clothes completely off the grid recently appeared on the London catwalk.

Leah Kelly lives outside Myola near Cairns and runs her international fashion brand without electricity, water or sewers.

She also uses only natural materials for her designs, which have been featured on European runways and magazines.

In September, Leah Kelly by Design took to the runway as part of London Fashion Week but due to COVID Ms Kelly was unable to attend to see her work displayed to the world.

“We put the projector on a piece of paper in my backyard and watched it with some friends,” he said.

“It was a surreal experience watching it online in the middle of the night.”

Kelly has been living off-grid for the past 20 years and says she initially moved to rainforest retreats as a challenge to sustainable living.

“I moved here because of the challenges, and I wanted to move to a place where my family could live cheaply and sustainably,” she said.

“I’ve always been an outsider who loves nature and camping.”

Not only does Ms Kelly live completely off-grid, she also prefers to buy second hand with solar panels, sewing machines and even her doors and windows that come from thrift stores and garage sales.

Although she prefers to live and work off the grid, she admits that it does have its challenges.

“You have gray days, where the sun doesn’t hit the panels enough so during that time I’ll be doing my hand sewing,” Kelly says.

“I’m minimalist, I don’t have a TV, or a toaster or a microwave and the fridge and stove are both gas.

“I think a lot of people go to extremes in what they think they need to live from day to day.

“I also have an old wood stove I can use for cooking, so when I’m stuck here in the rainy season and I can’t get gas, I can use it to cook and dry food.”

While her fashion is now seen all over the world, Leah Kelly by Design started out as a market stall at the local Kuranda market.

“I’ve been sewing and designing clothes for over 40 years,” she says.

“I had a market stall at Kuranda market, which wasn’t worth it to me so I decided to do it from home.

“I only work with natural fibers like bamboo, hemp, pineapple silk and banana peels.

“Then three years ago I was invited by Eco Fashion Week to show my work in Port Douglas and Western Australia.”

From that initial show, Ms Kelly was later invited to exhibit at Paris Fashion Week 2020 but was cancelled.

She was then invited to exhibit at London Fashion Week in September this year, although she was unable to attend.

“I made every piece of hand tissue,” said Ms Kelly.

“I also compose the music that accompanies the performance, I compose it on my piano and record it with the didgeridoo, cello and the sound of the local birds and the sound of thunder from here.

Some of Ms Kelly’s international customers include Darryl Hannah and Eliza Pearson.

“I also design wedding dresses for brides around the world and I just sent a piece of underwear to Germany,” she said.

“I’ve been told I’m a bit of an enigma in the fashion world, because people have seen my work but never met or seen me.”