HER motto is “dare to be noticed,” and whether her creations are starring in fashions on the field events or adorning the news feeds of social media darlings, Pegi Lea’s eye-catching custom designs tend to be a talking point.
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Niki Lea Williams, the Lake Macquarie woman behind the Pegi Lea brand, has been busy filling orders for her “outrageous” head wear as spring racing events kick off across the country.
It has been that way since her Australian native mohawk captured the media’s attention at the 2014 Melbourne Cup at Flemington.
“I was just at the right place at the right time, meeting the right people,” Ms Williams said.
“It was a big eye-opener. It launched me into racing fashion.”
Her business began after Ms Williams was involved in a car accident in 2002, which resulted in her becoming a below-knee amputee.
Pegi Lea was the pet name she had bestowed on her prosthetic leg.
“Before I had my car accident, I’d never broken a bone, never had stitch, never had to have a blood test,” she said. “I did a good job of it.
“I’d always been fairly creative, was always doing something a bit arty or crafty, or putting things together – but about six months after my accident, I was staying with my dad in Foster, and he showed me the ropes of screen printing.”
Pegi Lea began with Ms Williams creating screen-printed artworks and clothing, but soon morphed and expanded to include flower crowns, coloured hair extensions, costume attire, and her now signature headpieces. She is self-taught, which is why she baulks at being called a milliner.
Her work has taken her to racing events including the Magic Millions on the Gold Coast and the Darwin Cup Carnival, as well as Melbourne Cup. It has featured in the Newcastle Jockey Club’s promotions for the past three years.
The eye-catching designs regularly wind up in the fashion pages.
“Last year for Melbourne Cup I made metallic silver wings for me to wear, and I made a gold mohawk –which my brother decided to wear, with a great blue suit,” she said. “Usually it’s me or some of the women I make headpieces for that get into the paper, but he outdid us all. He was everywhere.”
Instagram “influencers,” such as model Imogen Anthony, have been sporting Pegi Lea creations.
Anthony, who is the girlfriend of radio host Kyle Sandilands, posted pictures of herself wearing a Pegi Lea headpiece at the recent Burning Man festival in the US.
Ms Williams would love to work with superstars like Lady Gaga next.
“I don’t have any rules, except to make sure you can fit under a doorway,” she said.
