Behind the scenes....
Creative Director, Megan is an accomplished designer, seamstress, dancer, coach and mother all rolled into one. With a diverse dance background spanning more than 30 years Megan understands the exact requirements a costume needs to meet.
She started her calisthenics career when she was 3 years old and competed for more than 20 years at club level and also represented South Australia at the Royal South Street Competition in Ballarat as a Junior, Intermediate & Senior.
In 2008 Megan was the Assistant Coach of the Intermediate National Team and was awarded the prestigious Brighton Best Club Girl Award the same year. Megan is a very passionate coach and has assisted teams from Sub Juniors through to Seniors and coached Junior & Intermediate Teams over the years along with many graceful girls, solos and duos with numerous Championship Finalists and various winners/place getters. In 2021 she was proud to coach and also create the costume for the Junior 11 Years Calisthenics Solo Championship Winner, Ava Somerfield.
One of Megan's greatest dance achievements was representing Australia as a member of the Australian Drill Dance team that toured the USA in 1999. She also studied a Bachelor of Dance and was an integral part in her school winning the 2000 Rock'n'Roll Eisteddfod.
Megan has performed several Graceful Girls over the years winning her division in 2008 and thoroughly enjoys developing a dancers skills and technique in both a solo and team environment. With her varied dance experience behind her Megan's strengths are her attention to detail and instilling correct technique along with inspiring dancers to dance from the heart.
Her love of design has been ingrained from a young age and as a self taught sewer she has seen many accomplishments over her business career.
gemibaby originally began in 2009 as a boutique handmade children's clothing and accessories label run from Megan's garage in Bordertown. Since its launch the range has grown and developed but has continued to keep the essence that is handmade – unique, stylish and made with love.
gemibaby burst onto the Adelaide market scene in late 2010 with a unique range of handmade reversible bucket hats for boys and girls and Megan has continued to visit Adelaide markets regularly to sell her wares. In 2014 Megan introduced a bespoke range of dresses perfect for weddings/flowergirls and special birthdays called the 'Enchanted Garden' Collection which was a massive hit with weddings being booked upto 18months in advance. An exclusive design was even stocked at Adelaide based Fashion & Wedding Dress Designer, Liza Emanuele Boutique.
Megan returned to Adelaide in 2015 and fell back into coaching immediately which of course included designing her teams costumes. It wasn’t until 2018 that Megan finally decided to take a leap of faith and mix her passion for dance and design together by starting a dance branch of her business and so gemibaby glitz & glamour was created. After a busy 12 months of business and a change in her club committments, Megan decided to expand her range even more by offering private dance /calisthenics lessons and including dance apparel as well as her in demand costumes. A rebrand to encompass all facets of the business was undertaken, with gemibaby dance & design being the name we know and love today.
With 3 young children, being able to work from home around her families commitments and her full time role in HR has allowed Megan to flourish and bring her passion to life. Megan prides herself on being a perfectionist and her attention to detail on each and every piece she makes in her home sewing studio is testament to her commitment to create a brand that is unique, creative and inspiring. With dreams to make gemibaby a nationally recognised dance brand, Megan certainly has her hands full, her expectations high and her heart bulging at the seams. Quite simply, gemibaby dance & design is a dream come true for her.
Find out more about our bespoke costume experience here