Eliza Piro is bringing her wearable art to Adelaide's hottest lifestyle precinct

There's no mistaking the work of local artist Eliza Piro, whose intricate botanic motifs are so filled with colour they seem to leap off the canvas. In fact, her signature style is so recognisable that when flamboyant cricket writer Bharat Sundaresan appeared on a recent episode of Australian Story wearing one of her jumpers, she was instantly flooded with messages from friends asking if she'd seen it.

“People have always told me that they can pick my artwork immediately,” Eliza says, “and now I know that's true of both the paintings and my fashion line.” Since a hugely successful debut exhibition at Norwood's Art Images Gallery 18 years ago, the self-taught painter has branched out into cards and accessories. “And in the last three years I've also gone into fashion, which is when it started to burst out of my house,” she laughs. “That's where the idea to open a shop came from - I didn't have the space at home!”

Piro was as meticulous in her search for a suitable location as she is when producing a new painting. But as soon as she saw the site at 155 Magill Road in Stepney, she knew it was perfect. “Twopairs is amazing and I'm really happy to be near Flourish. We're all in a very close-knit group so it's a great little hub,” she says. “The only challenge is that I have to resist the smells from Prove next door... I bought three danishes today and I'm hoping they'll all make it home to my three boys!”

Since opening at the start of February, Piro's colourful displays have enticed plenty of visitors, “and when people walk through the doors I can see they're just so happy to be in this space. They tell me they feel uplifted by all the colour around them,” she says with a smile. “Some of the customers know me already, but if they don't I explain my background and they're flabbergasted that I've created all of this. I get a lot of joy from seeing how much they love it.”

Piro's preference for natural textures like linen, silk and cotton helps to soften the space, and she has already filled the store with a huge range of scarves, kimonos, pants, dresses and shorts. Scattered around these are collections of homewares and around 20 of her full-size prints. “It means the shop has a real gallery vibe,” she says. “And some of the art just happens to be wearable.”

Visit: Eliza Piro