A Purpose-Led Collection By Two Good Co, Alémais & Melissa Leong
Two Good Co, Alémais and Melissa Leong come together for The Marina-Strone Collection–inspired by a recipe passed from mother to daughter, designed for warmth, nourishment and human connection.
Words HANDE RENSHAW Photos DEXTER KIM
‘For me, serving with care and purpose means love. It’s the ultimate act of hospitality, to show generosity and to welcome people you might not even know. That’s exactly what this collection celebrates,’ says Melissa Leong.
With every Marina-Strone Long Sleeve Everyday Tee a warm meal is also donated to someone staying in a women’s refuge - cooked with care and served with purpose.
‘This collaboration is about celebrating the stories women carry with them,’ says Rob Caslick, founder and CEO of Two Good Co.
“For me, serving with care and purpose means love. It’s the ultimate act of hospitality, to show generosity and to welcome people you might not even know. That’s exactly what this collection celebrates.”
‘I've always felt that there is a shared language between food and fashion, serving as a vehicle for expression, connection and telling stories,’ says Lesleigh Jermanus, Alémais co-founder and creative director.
The Marina-Strone Starter Kit Market Tote celebrates the power of simple, honest ingredients, and includes a custom herb mix, tomato-based goodies from Mutti, Mr. Olio Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Olsson's Sea Salt Flakes and handmade artisanal pasta from Maestri Pastai.
A bowl of treasured family minestrone may seem an unlikely starting point for a fashion collection, yet in the hands of Two Good Co, Alémais and Melissa Leong, it’s a collaboration that merges food and fashion as vehicles for social impact.
At the forefront of the collection is Marina, a graduate of Two Good’s Work Work employment program, and a recipe inspired by Marina’s late Italian mother. The mother-daughter recipe lies at the heart of the Marina-Strone Collection, honouring the rituals that connect us.
Her minestrone, now affectionately known as Marina-Strone, has become one of Two Good Co’s most loved meals, cooked by women rebuilding their lives, and delivered to refuges across Sydney.
For Marina, seeing her family recipe transformed into a collection has been deeply meaningful, ‘I dedicated this recipe to my mum,’ shares Marina, ‘It was a meal made during hard times, when things were scarce, but it always made you feel loved and nourished. I couldn’t think of a better meal to cook for Two Good; the way it makes you feel a bit happier in your heart.’
The collection features the Marina-Strone Heirloom Throw, with every purchase donating an identical throw to a women’s refuge. The Marina-Strone Long Sleeve Everyday Tee comes with a warm Marina-Strone meal donated for each purchase. And the Marina-Strone Market Tote is filled with a Marina-Strone starter kit, including Olsson’s Sea Salt Flakes, Mr. Olio Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Mutti Tomato Paste and tinned tomatoes, Carmelina borlotti beans, Two Good Co Marina-Strone Herb Mix, and Maestri Pastai orecchiette, along with a meal donation to a women’s refuge.
Designed in collaboration with Alémais co-founder and creative director Lesleigh Jermanus, the Marina-Strone Collection marks the second collaboration between Two Good Co and Alémais, ‘I've always felt that there is a shared language between food and fashion, serving as a vehicle for expression, connection and telling stories,’ shares Lesleigh. ‘Working with Two Good on our second project together allowed us to honour a deeply personal story and translate it into something that carries warmth and purpose.’
Melissa Leong, who joins the campaign as ambassador, frames the collection as an act of connection. ‘For me, serving with care and purpose means love. It’s the ultimate act of hospitality, to show generosity and to welcome people you might not even know. That’s exactly what this collection celebrates,’ says Melissa, ‘Women supporting women happens far less than you would think, but the remedy is so simple. Showing up for one another, sharing each other’s work, speaking eachother’s names in rooms we haven’t been in yet; I want to live in a world where that practice is commonplace. I believe this simple, beautiful and powerful premise is possible.’
The Two Good Co x Alémais Marina-Strone Collection is now available—shop the collection here.
