BELINDA

Profile

Located in the GPO building, F7 Level 1, Melbourne.

How Women dress in an age of formula-less fashion, how they are influenced by trends and how they navigate new season looks: it's a subject that has always fascinated Belinda Seper. Above all, she understands what customers want for their wardrobes: a sartorial solutions that is less about textbook chic and more about refinement, imagination and personal statements.

Having opened her eponymous boutique in Double Bay in 1992, Seper's business quickly grew to become a 10 store oasis for the fashion cognoscenti. Her multi-brand boutiques combining must have labels from big international players such as Marni, Lanvin and Dries Van Noten, with the more niche collections of up and coming Australian designers.

Take a look back, though, and Seper's trajectory has been anything but predictable. In 1976, she immersed herself in Bachelor of Commerce Degree at the University of NSW, began a successful six-year stint in modeling, and joined the Army Reserves where she rose through the ranks to become a captain and skilled aerial photographer.

On her return to Sydney, she was then appointed personal fashion consultant for Grace Bros department store. ‘it was a fabulous time-a dream job,’ she says. From there, Seper teamed up with the Sydney based designer Robert Burton a role that introduced her to a whole new world of beautiful clothes. It was after the birth of her daughter Sophie in 1991, however, that she decided to take the plunge and establish her own business in Double Bay. The Belinda Boutique was an immediate success.

Seper's influence within the Australian fashion industry is also impressive. A member of the Australian Fashion Week board, she is dedicated to championing young designers, mentoring the likes of Tsubi, Michelle Jank, Sass and Bide and Sandra Thorn.

Without a doubt, she is a business woman with endless passion and enthusiasm for her profession.