Black leather on a wedding gown? It’s the typical type of twist contemporary brides adore about Sofia Polak’s work. It’s what Sofia Polak adores about being a fashion designer. And it’s what I adore about Sofia Polak.

‘I love balancing classic garments with something bolder, braver and edgier,’ says Sofia who quickly made her major mark on the fashion industry in the ACT and across the country as a creative designer once she graduated from the Canberra Institute of Technology. ‘I love having fun and doing something different within a particular genre.’

As a fashion designer, Sofia achieved national exposure by launching her self-titled label ‘Sofia Polak’ at Fashion Exposed in Sydney 2011 and by having her ‘Addicted to love’ collection stocked by a national retail chain, numerous online boutiques and featured in consecutive editions of Cosompolitan Bride.

Most recently her work made a grand entrance in a major shoot for Hitched, a new bridal and lifestyle magazine being produced right here in Canberra. And Sofia Polak is one of the 30 designers whose new collections will be launched on the runway at FASHFEST, the upcoming inaugural four-day fashion event to be held at 3 Molonglo Drive, Brindabella Park (1 to 4 May). Sofia’s beautiful evening wear, cocktail dresses, formal wear and bridal wear will worn by local FASHFEST models on Thursday 2 May.

I asked Sofia to describe several of her designed garments, which she did with utter passion.

Her white bridal gown with the leather waste panel, made out of silk chiffon with a raw silk bodice, is called the ‘Princess Dress’ (top right). ‘I’m a “bride-to-be”,’ says Sophia. ‘When I looked at wedding dresses I saw so many of the same in retail. Part of my signature style is to add an intricate edge to each piece—perhaps a bit of leather or another type of fabric detail.’ The Princess Gown, made to order, is available in white and ivory.

Sofia’s hero dress is called the ‘Kate Gown’ (see on the home page), inspired by the first bridal gown she ever made, that happened to be for a beautiful client named Kate. ‘I custom made the designer grown for her and my bridal business took off from there’. The Kate Gown is made of raw silk and silk organza and is available in ivory for bridal.

Sofia’s signature style is chic, bold and sophisticated. She has designed a short French lace dress as part of her bridal collection, named ‘The Rose Garden’ (at right) after a bride you was married in a beautiful setting surrounded by roses.  ‘It’s one of my favorites because it offers a contemporary bride the option of wearing something short and buying a highly wearable garment that can be used over and over,’ says Sofia.

The Sofia Polak label also features a short day/night number in stunning red. Called ‘The Splice Dress’, it can be worn by night to a cocktail function or to a wedding or other special occasion by day.

Sofia is the official stylist for the Myer Face of Canberra Racing and a regular Myer Fashion on the Fields judge for Thoroughbred Park.

Stay tuned for more from Sofia. She is part of the CBR Collective, soon opening in the Canberra Centre. A group of about six permanent designers will stock their designs at the collective.