Mecca’s holiday packaging has become as iconic as the special edition gift releases adorning their shelves. Each year, beauty haven Mecca chooses one artist to collaborate with, who will design all of their iconic boxes and bags destined to be placed under Christmas trees all around the country. This year, they’ve chosen a talented artist from our very own city!
Drumroll please! Announcing Brisbane-based artist Natalya Hughes as the designer of Mecca’s 2024 Holiday campaign in partnership with the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV).
Natalya’s luminously embellished artwork will be featured on 30 different variations of Mecca’s limited edition gift boxes, bags, tissue paper and gift cards, as well as Mecca’s signature line collections, with packaging designs for 32 Mecca Cosmetica and Mecca Max products. Natalya’s globally recognised patterns will also be featured on over 100 Mecca store windows in Australia and New Zealand and in stores across various digital touch points, for millions to share in a world of glimmering beauty.
Mecca is dedicated to supporting women in the arts, and this is the ninth year they have partnered with NGV to drive their social change movement: M-POWER.
Natalya’s creative wonder is at the heart of Mecca’s 2024 spectacular, spotlighting the artist’s multidisciplinary practice which integrates decorative arts and ornamental design, exploring their connections to femininity, and the body. Through painting, textiles, sculpture and installation, Natalya’s work often features elaborate patterns and vibrant colour palettes, which is what sparked the collaboration with Mecca to inspire its upcoming Holiday campaign, set to dazzle customers with a feast of joy, colour, power and illumination.
Widely recognised for her innovative approach to art and design, the Brisbane-based artist and academic continues to push the boundaries of contemporary art, challenging her audience to reconsider their perceptions of beauty, power and the female experience.
Natalya says she’s over the moon about her the collaboration with two iconic Australian institutions. “I’m thrilled to have been selected for the Mecca x NGV Holiday collaboration. It’s such a pleasure to work with both organisations to bring something special and unexpected into the world.
“Where the packaging collaboration has allowed me to extend my existing practice toward new audiences that might find affinity with its message, the NGV exhibition affords the opportunity to follow a new thread of inquiry. I can’t wait to show the outcome of what’s been a beautifully nurtured project.”
Since 2016, Mecca’s social change movement M-POWER has been partnering with the NGV to address the legacy underrepresentation of women in the arts. Since 2016 through its annual Holiday campaign Mecca engages primarily emerging female artists to collaborate and create exceptional projects, with the intention to advance gender equality, and elevate the work of women in the arts.
M-POWER Executive Director Lisa Keenan explains how Natalya’s passion for exploring the representation of women in art was a key factor in this year’s collaboration, “At Mecca we want to see gender equality in our lifetime, a world in which gender doesn’t limit anyone’s freedoms or opportunities,” she says.
“We see beauty and art as being profoundly important tools of social change, enabling us to see the world in new ways, both as it is and as we would like it to be. Through her art, Natalya Hughes celebrates girlhood and femininity while provoking thought and dialogue around the representation of women. In doing so, she encourages an inclusive and nuanced understanding of gender in the arts. We are so excited to bring the beauty and power of Natalya’s work to our Mecca community.”
MECCA Holiday 2024 launches in Australia and New Zealand stores and online at mecca.com on Tuesday, 31 October 2024.
In her spare time, she likes long walks down the makeup aisle and performing in Brisbane theatre. You can follow her adventures on Instagram and TikTok @thebeautypalate.
