Cornelia Van Rijswijk is a Welsh-Dutch, Melbourne based multidisciplinary designer and maker working across textiles, graphic design and visual storytelling.

Her practice centres on transforming existing garments and reclaimed materials through painting, embroidery and textile construction. Working from her Melbourne studio, she creates one-off pieces that balance craftsmanship, utility and contemporary design, giving new life to materials that already carry their own history.

She works with pre-existing garments, fabric remnants and found materials, allowing each piece to evolve through a considered, hand led process. Hand painted motifs, free-motion embroidery, appliqué and visible repair are recurring elements throughout her work. Rather than concealing the history of a material, she is interested in responding to it, extending its life while creating objects intended to be worn, used and kept.

Alongside her studio practice, Cornelia works as a graphic designer, creating visual communication for products, retail and film across packaging, print and digital media. She has contributed to the editorial departments of General Hercules (2022) and Viv's Silly Mango (2022), and was the Production Designer and Title Designer for Flathead (2024). Her work on Flathead received the Golden Owl Award for Art Design at the 14th Festival Internacional de Cinema Balneário Camboriú.

Whether working with textiles or visual communication, Cornelia is drawn to materiality, process and narrative. Across every project, her aim is the same: to create thoughtful, enduring work that reflects the value of careful making.