Born in Australia, Mary has studied the arts and design since childhood. At age five she began 18 years of study with Master Chinese painting teacher Richard Liddicut. At university Mary studied genetics, moving to England to further her studies. While there she had the opportunity to study design at Central St. Martins College in London.

Upon graduation Mary relocated to New York where her career in design flourished. She studied design at Parsons, the New School for Design, and the Pratt Institute. As a Senior Designer at Lindsay Adelman Studios she plays a key role designing customer installations. In 2014 the Mary Wallis for Lindsey Adelman collection was released.

Currently residing in the East Village, New York, Mary’s design practice is based out of her studio in Brooklyn. Her collection explores the theme of beauty in fragmentation – “I'm interested in reconstructing the broken, and making it more beautiful than it was originally.”