Helen Mirren Just Wore a Brisbane Designer to Cannes and It’s a Moment
Red carpet moment
By Kiri Johnston | 23rd May 2025In a major moment for Australian design, Brisbane-based jeweller Margot McKinney made her Cannes Film Festival debut overnight, with Dame Helen Mirren stepping onto the red carpet wearing a show-stopping high jewellery collier titled Marina.
The piece, created by McKinney and crafted in Brisbane, was worn for the premiere of Colours of Time and marks a career milestone for the fourth-generation jeweller. Featuring over 400 carats of gemstones and anchored by a striking 241.14 carat seafoam aquamarine, the necklace is a rare showcase of Australian craftsmanship on one of the world’s most-watched stages.
Designed as a tribute to the Great Barrier Reef, specifically, the way light moves across its shallows, Marina includes green beryl, sapphires, Paraiba tourmalines, tsavorites, and a double strand of twenty-four South Sea baroque pearls, all set in 18-karat yellow gold. It’s a quietly powerful piece, layered with detail and intention, and unmistakably rooted in place.
This isn’t McKinney’s first international recognition — earlier this year, Marina was a headline piece at TEFAF Maastricht, the prestigious art and design fair in the Netherlands — but Cannes cements it. The red carpet moment felt both significant and grounded: a global stage, an iconic actress, and a design story that began here in Brisbane.
Known for her deep connection to Australia’s natural beauty and materials, McKinney continues to evolve the idea of luxury through a local lens. Pearls, opals, aquamarines — these aren’t just stones in her hands, they’re narratives, often layered with heritage and place.
With this Cannes appearance, McKinney not only reinforces her presence in the world of high jewellery, but also highlights the role of Australian design in shaping international conversations around style, craft, and originality.
For those familiar with McKinney’s work, or who’ve strolled past her Fortitude Valley boutique, this moment feels more than deserved.
