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Fashion & BeautyPatreece BotherasIN MOSMAN WITH,CREATIVE DIRECTOR AND FOUNDER OF DUSKII ACTIVEWe had a great catch-up with local,Patreece Botheras at her lovely Mosman home. Patreece is the Creative Director and founder of Duskii Active, the luxury Australian swimwear label. She is also a wife and mum to two beautiful girls!Did you ever see yourself as a designer growing up?I was always conservative. I was into Stussy and surf brands. It wasn’t until I was 19 or 20 that I started to really explore and love fashion. But that’s why I can visualise and see colours together. I never really thought about it until this ping went off in my brain.What inspired yourdesign and colours?For colours I definitely look at what is on trend coming off the runway. We are about to inject an orange/tangelo colour. Design is a combination of research and what our customers are looking for.Before you started Duskii,you were living in Hong Kong? Yes and when we had our girls it was timeto come home, mainly because my little one had her diagnosis (a combination ofcerebral palsy and profound global delay).I wanted her to be home for medical treat- ment. When I came back to Australia, I couldn’t wait to get into the ocean at Manly or Balmoral. Having been an expat for four years I started trying to find things I wanted to wear that I loved and couldn’t as a mum.I could not find something that ticked allthe boxes, was fashionable, and held you in. Something you can wear when you want to be active without yourself falling out. It all went from there.PHOTOS BY MAREE TURKThis all happened in a year,what were the challenges?Balancing my family; they are always going to be my number one. I had to go to Asia and the UK so was calling in great help from my husband. I was learning on the go. We got our first set of samples and they were terrible. We spoke to other factories and got more patterns made up from a local lady in Manly and we physically had to go over and hand-draw. It was challenging but super exciting.Can you describe a normal day for you?I get my girls ready for school – I walk Darcy and my other daughter goes to school in Wahroonga so she gets transport. I am at work by 8:15. I speak with factories, look at colours, mock things up, speak with our freelance24 LIVING LOCAL SUMMER 2016/17 “Dream, Inspire, Grow” www.livinglocalguide.com.au