I remember the time I went to get my very first "alt" hair cut at a hairdresser; and how scared she was to chop off my beautiful long hair, trading in my wonderful brown and gold for black. I also remember being disappointed with what I got, you could feel the hairdresser's unease and bias against what I was asking for. So from this very first disappointing experience I thought to myself "Screw this", and began teaching myself to do my own hair. It started as a small hobby, to get the style I desired, before expanding to friends and family, who remain regular clients to this day. From there my passion for hair has done nothing but grow stronger, and I found myself dipping into hair extensions, sometimes rather literally.

Hair extensions have been at the core of my business ever since I began. You'd guess that I started out with the simplest style, being solid colours, right? Wrong. I jumped straight into the coontails fad. I've always loved the look but I used to die a little inside when I saw girls walk around with messed-up, bleach-burnt strips of hair from failed coontail attempts. So I decided to cash in on that market and began to offer a hair-friendly alternative.

I love to learn and teach myself, so it was only natural that I should begin trying new, more challenging things. My leopard and zebra print extensions remain popular today and are the only ones of their calibre made in Australia. Throughout the years I have developing and refining my skills, trying different supplies and making the process more efficient in order to give my customers the best experience and quality.

This shop was officially opened as Malignant Designs in June 2010, and has grown tremendously. Naturally, with hair extensions came other accessories, including hair bows and jewellery. I have always prided myself on making unique, one-of-a-kind pieces that can't be found anywhere else. I attempt to make all parts myself, including any cabochons/cameos, etc. You won't find that ANY of my accessories are just slapped together, and I am proud of this.