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Designer the jewel in Costarella�s gowns

A *urelio Costarella *has long been a staple name at fashion weeks in Australia and overseas.

But when it came to choosing a jeweller to collaborate with for his latest show, the acclaimed *WA * designer opted to partner with a fresh face coming up through the fashion ranks who, by chance, hails from the very same State.

Costarella will officially open Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia in Sydney with his spring/summer 2015 collection today and has brought *Subiaco *-raised, Sydney-based couture jewellery designer *Sally Skoufis *along for the ride. She has created a bespoke range of 1920s-inspired accessories for the showcase that complement the style guru's elegant gowns.

Skoufis told _Access All Areas _collaborating with Costarella was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity as she had followed his career since leaving *Perth * more than 15 years ago.

"I have so much respect for his design integrity," she said.

"His brand today is so avant garde and edgy and we share a similar clientele in that they are not looking necessarily for pieces that are on trend - they are looking for things that are new and different."

"From day dot it's very much been a meeting of minds and we just seem to really come together on a lot of our ideas."

Though she launched her namesake label only six months ago after two years of research, Skoufis already has a large following in Asia and her signature creations have been spotted on a long list of celebrities, from *Dannii Minogue *to *Naomi Campbell *and *Natalie Bassingthwaighte *.

The former Hollywood High School student said she hoped the star following would simply bring her one step closer to her dream of global expansion.

"It's been quite organic because a lot of the celebrities have actually come to me and asked for the pieces and it sort of snowballed from there," Skoufis explained.

"But for me, I just see it as part of the course I wanted my business to take."

Once the buzz of fashion week has died down, Skoufis said she also has plans to help mentor other young women on how to succeed with their goals and build successful businesses no matter their life circumstances.

JESSIE PAPAIN