Paolo Sebastian Brings Its Couture Touch to Haigh’s Chocolates

Every year, when Adelaide-based fashion designer Paul Vasileff travelled to Dubai to meet clients and guests, he brought Haigh’s chocolates as a gift. “Year on year, everyone has been obsessed with them and actually mentioned them to me,” Vasileff says. He’s the founder of couture house Paolo Sebastian, which has a client roster including Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Sarah Jessica Parker and Alexandra Leclerc.

Now, after two years of planning, the two Adelaide juggernauts have teamed up on a limited-edition gift collection, featuring exclusive chocolates, apparel and crockery, designed in collaboration with Vasileff.

The chocolates draw on Vasileff’s childhood memories and family traditions. “I’m a very big sweet tooth and chocolate fan,” he says. “Haigh’s has been a big part of Christmas and birthdays and Easter in my family. We’ve got a lot of very fond family memories around all of that.”

The collection includes a white strawberry truffle with a basil-infused cream centre; a white chocolate block with lemon myrtle oil and macadamias; and a rose-infused marshmallow cube, dipped in spiced dark-chocolate ganache. Rose features prominently, reflecting both Vasileff’s love of Paris and his Bulgarian heritage. “It’s always been a part of our culture; we’ve always had rose oil around the house,” he says.

The packaging follows Paolo Sebastian’s delicate, feminine and whimsical design language, with soft pink, powder-blue and navy boxes adorned with gold florals, cocoa-bean and nightingale motifs. Old-fashioned embossed tins hold milk, dark, and Turkish delight pastilles.

There’s also a cup-and-saucer gift set and an apron featuring an almond biscotti recipe from Vasileff’s nonna. The apron’s map design and vintage silhouette reference Paolo Sebastian’s 2024 Allora Domenica collection, which was dedicated to his grandmother. “We did that a few years ago to celebrate my nonna’s 95th birthday – she was the one who taught me to sew.”

The Haigh’s x Paolo Sebastian range is available online and at Haigh’s stores in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Canberra.