Born in Bondi in 1947 to a Chinese father and Anglo-Italian mother, Jenny Kee’s eclectic designer style is a fusion of fashion and art. Jenny studied fashion design at the East Sydney Technical College in 1963, however her love of exotic colours and designs was a stark contrast with the neutral flavour of Australian fashion at the time and she moved to London in 1965.
1972 saw Jenny return to Australia and open her boutique, Flamingo Park. The success of the boutique drew fashion and textile designer Linda Jackson to her and together they created the iconic colourful wool jumpers.
After surviving the Granville train crash in 1972, Jenny began painting as a way to cope. The images – of birds, flowers, opals and tropical fish – were screen printed onto silks. In 1977 these silks were given a full spread in Italian Vogue and were used by Chanel in Paris.
Now living and working in the Blue Mountains, Jenny Kee’s signature is her red lips and glasses, inspired by the native Australian flower, the waratah.
