Wendy Maniatis, Founder of Sleeve-ons

My husband and I operate a family business in the food industry with our two sons. I always wear my best clothes and stilettos when I am cooking at work. I believe that when you look good, you feel confident and shine!

I have always had a passion for beautiful fabrics and fashion, strongly influenced by the generations of women in my family. In her full life, my Grandmother was an extremely accomplished seamstress, sewing men’s suits and shirts, ladies’ clothes, lingerie, drapery, napery, and even costumes for theatre companies. She taught me how to sew from a very young age, and I also learnt from my Mother who used to sew all of our clothes.

I discovered an opportunity to follow my love for fashion one morning when I was having my usual daily dilemma of what to wear. I had a favourite little sleeveless dress that I wanted to wear, but it was a cool morning that would undoubtedly turn into a warm day, given the unpredictable weather in Brisbane where I live. I found myself wishing that I could simply put on a pair of short sleeves to make the dress more suitable to the day’s climate ahead. I went to my computer to search the internet for such a thing, but to my utter surprise, no such product existed. With that, I sat down at my sewing machine, cut a pattern and made sleeves to help transform my sleeveless dress into a short-sleeved dress.

In the days following, I made sleeves in a variety of colours, prints and lengths to suit the sleeveless garments in my wardrobe and then decided that every woman should have Sleeve-ons in their wardrobe. So I embarked on my unfulfilled desire to dabble in the fashion industry and bring the simple concept of Sleeve-ons into the wardrobes of women around the world, made to order in our Australian factory based in Melbourne. Not only do Sleeve-ons transform a sleeveless garment into one with sleeves, but they can also be worn over garments as a shrug for a different look again. They are non-crush, compact and easy care, so are great for travelling or keeping in your handbag for those times when you want sleeves. They are very versatile and will complement the wardrobe of any woman, at an affordable price.

I am very excited to offer every woman the option of sleeves whenever and for whatever reason.

Seasonalise your sleeveless clothes!