For 25 years, Bettina McILwraith has woven her career through slow design, ethical fashion, and artisan craftsmanship across Australia, the UK, and Africa. What began in 2000 ~ as a fashion buyer, blossomed into a lifelong mission: using creativity as a force for social and environmental justice.

A sought-after thought leader, she crafts ecological narratives that intersect slow design, sustainability, and eco-tourism, always through a socially conscious lens. Her work elevates the voices of makers, most notably the Ghanaian and Kenyan artisans she lived and worked alongside, revealing how tradition and innovation thrive in tandem. Through editorial storytelling, art basketry, branded content, and curated creative journeys, Bettina reimagines more equitable ways of living ~ one stitch, one story, one connection at a time.

At the heart of it all lies her storytelling studio Appetite for Decoration, where every project is rooted in impact.

HELLO THERE! MY STORY WEAVING & VISION CRAFTING DRAWS FROM A 25 YEAR DEVOTION TO SLOW DESIGN AND ARTISAN MADE. OFTEN USING SYMBOLISM, A REVERENCE FOR NATURE AND COLOUR PSYCHOLOGY AS TOOLS FOR REFLECTION ON OUR INNER AND OUTER WORLDS. I CRAFT LAYERED VISCERAL NARRATIVES AND PERSONAL MYTHOLOGIES THAT REFLECT LIVED VALUES OF CARE, CONNECTIVITY AND RESOURCEFULNESS. 

AT THE HEART OF MY PRACTICE IS A BELIEF IN THE POWER OF STORIES TO ENLIVEN, HEAL AND SHAPE OUR LIVES AND THAT JOY AND COMMUNITY ARE RADICAL FORCES FOR IMAGINING COLLECTIVE FUTURES. BETTINA X