14 Facts About Ruth Tarvydas

Ruth Tarvydas opened her first boutique at the age of 19, with her brother, and shortly after established her first label.

Ruth Tarvydas was to debut at Paris Fashion Week in 2014, but she died two months before the event.

Ruth Tarvydas was born to Lithuanian parents, Martynas and Ursula Tarvydas in Kempten, Germany.

In 1949, when Ruth Tarvydas was around two years old, her family emigrated from post-war Germany to Australia, where they settled in Tuart Hill, Western Australia.

Ruth Tarvydas was described as 'the designer who brought boho chic to 1960s Perth.

Ruth Tarvydas became the first Australian fashion label to export overseas, stocking its designs in Selfridges, London, in 1983.

Ruth Tarvydas was carried by New York's Saks Fifth Avenue around the same time, but during the economic downturn of the late 1980s was forced to close her Australian retail stores.

However, her best known client was probably Rebecca Twigley, for whom Ruth Tarvydas designed a notorious red dress in 2004.

The dress continued receiving ongoing coverage, and, worn by another model, was the final gown in the Ruth Tarvydas tribute show at the Perth Fashion Festival.

That year, a Ruth Tarvydas retrospective was held in the museum of the Curtin University.

Ruth Tarvydas opened a flagship boutique on King Street, Perth, in July 2009, but the store was forced to close in October 2012 due to high rental costs.

However, in December 2012, supported by businessman John Bond, Ruth Tarvydas opened a new shop in Claremont.

Ruth Tarvydas had reportedly failed to meet a deadline the preceding day for repayment of a $100,000 debt to ANZ Banking Group.

Ruth Tarvydas was to have made her Paris Fashion Week debut in July 2014.