Darlene Ladio knows how to make something out of almost nothing. It’s a skill learned early, shaped by memories of the probinsya in Pangasinan – a farming village in the Philippines where fruit was plucked straight from trees, afternoons were spent napping beneath mango branches, and resourcefulness was a way of living. At eleven, she migrated to Australia, carrying those memories with her.

Now based in West Footscray on Naarm (Melbourne), Darlene sees Australia as a place of freedom and possibility – a buffet of cultures, ideas and opportunities. That freedom took shape through Green Empire St, the jungle-like plant store she built from a single $45 fern. Later came Tahanan Studio, a space cultivated for styling, studio hire and creative collaborations. Though the physical storefront has since closed, Tahanan continues as a living creative practice.

Today, when Darlene isn’t busy with her young family, she is exploring new work across styling and design. Across the businesses she has built, the spaces she curated and the communities she nurtured, her work honours heritage, labour and migration – standing as a testament to the unyielding spirit of a Filipina migrant.

Darlene recalls once dialling down her story after migrating, fearing it was too much for others to understand. Now, especially as she raises her daughters, Sia and Aoife, she believes in owning every part of it. All the more reason why she advocates for Australia’s creative industries to make room for complex cultural stories – giving others permission to be seen and to arrive fully as themselves.