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Sara Leonardi-McGrath launches her own tie-dye wearable art line

What started as an experiment led to a flourishing business

Sara Leonardi-McGrath has a secret design passion. For Sara, wife of retired cricketer Glenn McGrath, what started as an experiment with tie-dying in her kitchen at a pivotal moment in her life has led to a flourishing business, It’s a Fad.

“You know when you just know you can do something?” says Sara, reflecting on what led her to try tie-dying. “I just knew I could do it.”

And so, her “wearable art” label was born in April 2019. “What I love about tie-dye is it’s kind of free,” says Sara, whose stunning family home in Sydney features in Home Beautiful’s special Celebrity Homes January edition.

“You think of people who are wearing tie-dye to be kind of hippy, easygoing, and I think that somehow, especially now, in this current culture, we need to get back to that.”

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In the age of mass-market fashion, It’s a Fad sits apart. “The maximum I’d ever make of anything would be ten, that’s it,” says Sara, mum of Madison, 4, and stepmum to James, 19, and Holly, 18. “Everyone who buys from me is buying a unique piece. I guess it’s part of that slow-fashion movement. I have to physically make stuff, and I also connect with every person who buys from me.”

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On Sundays, Sara sells designs including hoodies, T-shirts and dresses from a stall at Bondi Markets, often with the family in tow. “Business and life are not separate,” notes Glenn. “Sara doesn’t make anything she wouldn’t wear herself, so basically, we’re living it.” Adds Sara, with a laugh, “He wears what I tell him, so we’re happy!”

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