Daniel Lightfoot’s daughter, Paris, opened after her father committed suicide

• Daniel Lightfoot died on Christmas Day 2022
• His daughter said he struggles with depression.

The daughter of a famous Australian fashion designer who took his own life has revealed how she fought to save her beloved ‘Dada’.

Brisbane fashion designer Daniel Lightfoot passed away on Christmas Day 2022 aged 58.

Mr Lightfoot was a prolific designer who shaped the fashion industry in Queensland from the 1980s to the 2010s, dressing high-profile clients including Liza Minnelli and former Governor-General Quentin Bryce.

His daughter Paris, 26, has spoken publicly for the first time that she and her family did everything they could to try and help her father before he tragically took his own life.

Ms Lightfoot explained that her father had battled anxiety and depression for a decade after a former employee was accused of fraud and the studio was forced out of business.

Daniel Lightfoot Studios was forced to close its doors in 2013 and former general manager Diane Ross-Davies was jailed for four years.

Ms Lightfoot said she tried everything she could to help her father and revealed a question that still haunts her to this day.

He’s struggled since then but last year was the worst… I’ve reached a lot and it’s hard because you ask yourself, “What could I have done better?” When someone is very sick, Ms Lightfoot told The Courier-Mail.

Ms Lightfoot believed the stigma associated with mental health problems prevented her father from opening up and talking about his struggles.

She added that her father uses multiple prepaid cell phones and often does not respond to calls or text messages from family and friends.

‘A lot of people tried to help but he just left – we did everything we could but he didn’t even want to talk to his own family,’ said Mrs Lightfoot.

A talented young woman says her father ‘puts on a brave face’ because he wanted to be a strong role model and not be a burden in the fight.

Ms Lightfoot added that she did not know where her father was living at the time of his death and wondered if things would have been different if she had been with him on Christmas Day.

Mr Lightfoot’s sister Ali called her niece early on Boxing Day to break the sad news that her father had passed away.

‘Her voice was shaking and she asked if I was alone and I said I was with mum and then she told me – it’s shocking, heartbreaking, devastation and all those emotions,’ said Mrs Lightfoot.

“After that, it’s been up and down every day, from denying it and wrapping my head around it, realizing what happened and that he’s not here anymore.”

Ms Lightfoot, who captains Bond University’s Bull Sharks women’s AFL team, hopes to help others struggling with anxiety and depression.

The 26-year-old lawyer wants to promote the link between exercise and mental health after leaving last year to open a gym with partner Jackson Fisher.

Mrs Lightfoot said her father was ‘so much better’ when he was ‘fit and healthy’ and that exercise helped him manage his depression and anxiety.

Graduates from Somerville House and Bond University confirmed they were physically busy helping her process her grief.

During the week, Ms Lightfoot takes seven gym sessions a day at ACTV Strength Co in Ashmore, and lines out two nights for Saturday AFL games.

Ms Lightfoot is organizing the ACTV Run for Resilience on May 27 in support of Sana Days – a charity started by Brooke Day, who lost her father.

The run aims to help people build a support network and educate the public about mental health issues.

Mr. Lightfoot rose to fame when he founded his own label when he was just 20 years old.

The designer is known for his stylish ‘daywear’ and later for his corporate uniforms, winning 18. Retailers Association of Queensland (RAQ) Awards.

Registered with the Queensland Retail Trade Association in 1992.

Five years later, he was recognized internationally and was voted the world’s best daywear designer at the annual Miss World pageant.

Mr. Lightfoot has had many famous clients, including Liza Minnelli and former Governor General Quentin Bryce.

In the year In 1985, Miss World Australia’s Angelina Naso wore one of his designs.

Mr Lightfoot has also mentored many aspiring designers at the Queensland University of Technology’s School of Fashion.

In the year In 2013, Daniel Lightfoot Studios was forced out after a former employee was convicted of fraud and sentenced to prison.

A few years later, Mr Lightfoot opened a storm-ravaged boutique in Brisbane’s playground.

In the year He attempted to return to the industry in mid-2020 but was thwarted by the Covid-19 lockdowns.

Friends and family donned their colors on January 19 to bid a final farewell to the iconic Queensland fashion designer.

More than 200 mourners attended Brisbane’s Victory Church for Mr Lightfoot’s funeral.

With the dress code being ‘anything but black’, loved ones entered the church in a slide show of Mr Lightfoot’s most memorable designs to the tune of Madonna’s hit Vogue.

If you or someone you know is struggling with depression or anxiety, call Beyond the Blue on 1300 22 4636 24 any day, seven days a week for anonymous support and guidance.