Born in Melbourne, Wallis’s resume is filled with design and art, as well as other influences, which allow her to cross-pollinate and diversify. At age 5 she began an 18 year apprenticeship with Master Chinese painter Richard Liddicut, an education which continues to influence the designer. At University, Wallis’s chosen study of genetics and pursuit of a PH.D. led to a move to England, where she was introduced to the world of industrial design by way of Central St. Martin’s College in London. After switching gears to study design in the UK, Wallis moved to New York City where further studies at Parson’s New School for Design and Pratt Institute completed her design education.

Her extensive studies led to a collaboration with Lindsey Adelman’s celebrated studio where she worked as a Senior Designer focusing on personalized customer installations. In 2014, her personal line and collection, Mary Wallis for Lindsey Adelman, was released. Incorporating an aesthetic of fragmentation and sleek modernism, Wallis works from her East Village-based studio to achieve high levels of customization and objects that aspire to serve a better, more beautiful world.