Ruth Tarvydas facts for kids

Ruta Anna "Ruth" Tarvydas (born around 1947 – died 16 May 2014) was a famous Australian fashion designer. She was born in Germany to parents from Lithuania. When Ruth was two years old, her family moved to Perth, Western Australia.

Ruth opened her first fashion shop when she was only 19 years old. She worked with her brother to start this business. Soon after, she created her very own clothing brand. In 1983, Ruth Tarvydas made history. She became the first Australian designer to sell clothes to other countries. By the 2000s, her designs were sold in 170 stores. These stores were located in 16 different countries. Many famous people, both in Australia and overseas, wore her clothes.

In 2009, she opened a big main store in King Street, Perth. However, this store closed three years later. Ruth Tarvydas had a lot of debt at that time. She opened a new store in Claremont in 2012. Ruth and her new store were even shown in a TV show. This was a 2013 ABC1 documentary. Ruth was planning to show her designs at Paris Fashion Week in 2014. Sadly, she passed away two months before the event.

Ruth's Early Life

Ruth Tarvydas was born to Martynas and Ursula Tarvydas. Her parents were from Lithuania. She was born in a town called Kempten, Germany. In 1949, when Ruth was about two years old, her family moved. They left Germany after the war and came to Australia. They made their new home in Tuart Hill, Western Australia.

Ruth's Fashion Journey

Starting Her Fashion Career

Before becoming a fashion designer, Ruth tried other jobs. She studied to be a nurse for a while. She also worked as a secretary for a lawyer and an eye doctor. At 19, Ruth and her brother Harvey opened a small shop. It was on Hay Street, Perth. This made her possibly the youngest shop owner in Australia back then.

Her first clothing brand, 'Ruta', started in 1968. People said she was the designer who brought a cool, relaxed style called boho chic to Perth in the 1960s.

By 1976, Ruth Tarvydas was a successful designer. She sold her bold and daring clothes from a shop on Murray Street, Perth. In 1983, her brand became the first Australian fashion label to sell clothes overseas. Her designs were sold in famous stores like Selfridges in London. Around the same time, her clothes were also sold in New York's Saks Fifth Avenue. But during a tough economic time in the late 1980s, she had to close her stores in Australia.

Becoming a Global Designer

Many famous people wore Ruth Tarvydas's designs. These included Australian stars like Delta Goodrem and Sonia Kruger. Even former Miss Universe Jennifer Hawkins wore her clothes. International celebrities like Rihanna, Leona Lewis, Kim Kardashian, and Kimberly Stewart were also her clients.

However, her most well-known client was probably Rebecca Twigley. Ruth designed a very famous red dress for Rebecca in 2004. Rebecca wore this dress to the 2004 Brownlow Medal ceremony. This event was won by her boyfriend, who later became her husband, Chris Judd. Rebecca's dress got a lot of attention from the media. News websites reported that her appearance was even more talked about than Jennifer Hawkins winning Miss Universe 2004 at the same time. The dress kept getting talked about for a long time. It was even the last dress shown in a special tribute fashion show for Ruth Tarvydas. Rebecca Judd herself opened this tribute show. She wore another Tarvydas dress that was made for her for a perfume ad in 2010.

By 2008, Ruth Tarvydas's designs were sold in 16 countries. She sent her clothes to over 170 stores around the world. That year, a special show of her past designs was held. It was at the museum of Curtin University. The next year, she designed the dress for Rachael Finch. Rachael was Miss Universe Australia 2009. She wore this dress as Australia's "national costume" at the Miss Universe 2009 competition.

Ruth opened a large main store on King Street, Perth, in July 2009. But this store had to close in October 2012. The rent was too expensive. A Chanel store took its place.

In the early 2010s, Ruth Tarvydas's business faced money problems. In 2012, when the King Street store closed, her business went into a special financial process. But in December 2012, with help from businessman John Bond, Ruth opened a new shop. It was in Claremont. The next year, Ruth Tarvydas and her business were part of a TV show. It was a six-part documentary called Boomtown on ABC Television. The show told the story of her company and its money challenges.

Ruth's Passing

On the morning of 16 May 2014, Ruth Tarvydas was found. She was on the street outside her apartment. It is believed she fell from a balcony on the 14th floor. The police did not think anything suspicious happened. Reports said she had missed a deadline the day before. She needed to pay back a $100,000 debt to ANZ Banking Group. Ruth was supposed to show her designs at Paris Fashion Week in July 2014.

Her funeral was held at Karrakatta Cemetery. It was open to the public. Important people attended, including the Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and the Lord Mayor of Perth, Lisa Scaffidi.