About Lisa

Lisa Carney Design collections have been charming their way around the globe for over 20 years.   Lisa’s first brand Mamo Jo (Caribbean for Mermaid) was sold through 180 stores, including their prestigious Champs Elysee store, in partnership with Quiksilver Europe.  In New York her collection was showcased to fashion buyers at the Australian Embassy.  In Australia, Lisa’s brand has graced the runway for Mercedes Australian Fashion Week.

During Lisa’s annual business visits to Biarritz, much like her muse Coco Channel, ignited a passion for stylistic resort wear and this inaugural collection attracted attention from the prestigious department store “Au Printemp” and was selected to be sold on the tableau deluxe (luxury table).

Lisa’s fashion pieces have featured in more than 50 magazines internationally, with articles in Harpers Bazaar and Australian Vogue. Kirstin Dunst and Nichole Kidman have been styled wearing Lisa Carney Design.

Lisa’s story…

"Connecting to nature in my coastal home, and travelling to exotic locations, feeds my soul and keeps me passionate about my creativity and my design process.  After a long coastal lockdown, my return from the “sand to the city” has been inspiring.  Like all of us, I am revelling in dressing up and going out!  My “let it be” collection is inspired by once again enjoying the arts and music.  The lines are simple, understated and elegant with a Urban feel."

"Like nature, a spirit reveals itself in my jewellery. I create pieces so that the wearer can feel empowered by nature every time they feel the piece of jewellery or fabric against their skin.  Be it through the mystical magic of stones, or natures textures on broken shells that have been tumbled by the waves, smashed on rocks and sanded by the oceans floor for years.  Then washed up on the beach for me to find..and cast into silver and gold and create jewels. My pieces are all infused with the spirit of nature and this connects the wearer to their own strength and potential.”

"My new collection "Heart" is inspired by natures perfectly imperfect state of flux.  Just like the 500 year old Zen philosophy "Wabi-Sabi".  That is, to find beauty in the broken or old things.  A celebration of the perfectly imperfect.  The lovely symmetric pieces I found on the beach are brought to life in silver and gold. The "heart' of the shell is the tough inner workings that we all naturally possess.  The symmetry and the symbolism of this ocean treasure couldn't be more perfect."

“Working with my hands and expressing my creativity has always been a part of my daily life. My Mum and her 6 sisters were always sewing or painting or crafting.  My Grandpa was an Industrial Designer and Inventor who encouraged ideas and creation.  Grandma had a magnificent crystal collection that completely captivated me – the light shining into the glass display case created rainbows across the room. 

I created my first piece of jewellery at the age of four– a shell necklace made with treasured finds from a summer holiday by the sea. Many years later I created a necklace using shells from a broken vintage shell lei that my great-aunt had bought me back from a holiday in Tahiti. This shell flower necklace went on be the signature piece of my brand “Mamo Jo” (Caribbean for Mermaid).

The Story

Originally a Travel Agent, Lisa’s eternal free spirit and wanderlust took her on many global adventures. Including the French Surf Coast and Biarritz where the Merchandise Manager for Quiksilver Europe stopped her on the beach to ask about the jewellery she was wearing. She went on to secure her brand Mamo Jo in partnership across 120 Quiksilver Boardrider Stores in Europe. With this meant moving to Bali and establishing and training a team of artisans.  Her global business grew to supply 240 retail stores including her own stores in Bondi Beach and in The Rocks in Sydney.  After 10 years of endless summers, Lisa moved to the UK, started a family and opened a store in Warwick.  Lisa is now based in Avoca Beach, North of Sydney and continues to roam the globe and design.

With an ethical sensitivity and respect for the environment, Lisa’s pieces are imbued with a child-like curiosity that she continues to cherish. 

“I love that my creative energy can help so many people to make a living.  And over the years, my incredibly talented artisan staff are like a second family in Bali.  If I can dream it, they can make it.  Global consciousness has always been an ethos of my work, and I am proud to say that my production facility in Bali “Rumah Bunga” or “Flower House” has always operated in a way that not only  benefits the local community,  the workers and their families, but also the world.  We recycled glass, silver and many other materials too.”

 We hope you love these pieces as much as we do. And we thank you for choosing to support this brand and the makers too.”