About Us

Listen to Opal Merino's Founder Pavarn at the Bendigo Wool Show. 
Starts at 5:15
 

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself, Pavarn Bhardwaj as the founder and designer of ‘Opal Merino’, OM is an established business that has been designing & supplying high fashion, premium boutique style Wraps & Scarves in Australia & overseas. ‘Opal Merino’ has been proudly supporting the Australian Iconic Merino Wool industry & its long term sustainability & supply chain, from the wool growers, manufacturers to the consumers for over 15 years, with its usage of Australian Merino wool.

My background in fashion all started while I was travelling during a gap year from my goal to further my education in Business Management. A close friend wanted to open a fashion shop in London & I encouraged her to follow her dreams. I helped her name the shop & also give my assistance to customers with making their choice of purchases. That is when I realised that I had a natural panache to combine colour & envisage style which I then pursued once I got back to Sydney.

The start of my journey materialised by attending a couple of local markets, this gave me a chance to test my ideas & concepts of design. Sydney’s markets gave me the opportunity to formulate & plan my next step. Moving forward I succeeded to operate six boutiques in Sydney’s foremost shopping destinations. The range I achieved to produce had presented me an opening into the wholesale market place where my range at one time was retailed from 180 boutiques including brand names.

Colour & texture has been recognised as one of the key features in fashion & successful designing. Colour combination has been my strength from where I launched & gained success in the Australian fashion market. Texture has lately been a concept I have been creating as an integral part of my latest designs.

I have a great admiration & esteem for natural fibres & have always used natural textile & yarns to produce women’s apparel & fashion accessories. This has progressively evolved & enabled me to construct & design unique features that support the techniques & inspirations I employ to augment a beautifully hand crafted Australian Merino wool wrap.

I personally have drawn my own colour palate from the floral world & nature ‘As it is’. The patterns & colours have been inspired by nature, landscape, architecture, abstract, geometric, vintage, classics & paisley, which I have integrated extensively over the years to create fashionable design to suit existing individual requirements.

I am constantly developing my collection of Pashmina’s & strive to develop not only sensational colour combinations but also practical classics which we all need as an essential shade to suite our wardrobe. I have been involved in producing my own exclusive designs making fashionable boutique style wraps & scarves designed into stylish & functional apparel.

A genuine green message is becoming increasingly more relevant to the consumer, a concept which is being embraced by contemporary cultures with a consciousness to create smart living with our future environment & generations in mind. Wearing Nature’s Own Natural Fibres is also part of the ‘Environmentally Friendly’ option expressed by the modern consumer. All production of my range is handcrafted with chemical free natural dyes, there is next to no carbon footprint with all its production.

I have successfully been approved to use & endorse the Wool Mark Logo on all my woollen items & now carry REACh certification tag to certify the environmentally sustainable methods used for production of my range.

I have recently joined the CWF, The Campaign for Wool. The Campaign for Wool (CFW) is a cross sector initiative, led by its global patron, His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales, Now The King

Established in 2010, The Campaign’s mission is to promote wool as a natural, renewable and biodegradable alternative to synthetic fibres.

Upon your visit & viewing of my collection, I hope to create & convey an affable impression by means of my latest designs & concepts incorporated in a kaleidoscope of colours & textures using natural materials, whilst upholding its Green environmental credentials.

In essence, I endeavour to create a high end quality product that is pure & rare in its artistic value & also a luxury that is available at affordable price points for those special occasions.

Cheers,

Pavarn Bhardwaj

Designer/Director

Opal Merino