Seven Souls bushfire appeal
01/10/09David Neilson, Charles Elena Design

Charles Elena were responsible for branding the Seven Souls fashion event held at Melbourne's disused Pentridge prison. The event raised funds for Black Saturday bushfire victim David Balfour with all proceeds going into a trust for his children.

Images: © 2009 Andrew Kneebone

In January 2009 bushfires swept across Victoria destroying 400,000 hectares of land, 78 communities and hundreds of lives. The Seven Souls bushfire appeal honored the late David Balfour, ACT CFA fire fighter who lost his life while fighting the Victorian bushfires.

David Balfour was Vice President of the United Firefighters Union of Australia. David joined the ACT brigade in 1997 where he completed courses in Urban Search & Rescue (getting people out of collapsed buildings). In 2003, David was part of the crew that fought the devastating Canberra fires. David is survived by his wife Celia and his three children. The proceeds from the event were given into a trust fund for his children.

As part of a goodwill gesture Charles Elena Design created the Seven Souls Bushfire Appeal brand that featured invitations, booklets, brochures, multimedia presentations, posters and illustration.

Sophie Staikuras is the soul behind Seven Souls. She developed this brand out of a desire to create quality garments that have a boldness, colour and zest for life. Her extensive knowledge together with 25 years of experience in the field of manufacturing and her ability to translate creative ideas to fit the needs of any niche market, is a true testament of a sought after leader.

Seven Souls has featured in many leading international magazines within America, Italy, Israel and Indonesia and is taking Australia by storm! Charles Elena were proud to be the event creative partners.