Sustainable Luxury Basics

It’s no secret that I am a friend and fan of Aicha Robertson of The Fashion Heist. We have collaborated on several shoots, so when she told me about her new clothing line, I was excited to see what this talented lady had in store. Of course this meant organising a photo shoot to give you a sneak peek of the new line! This was a fun and spontaneous shoot and I hope you love the results as much as I do.

Her label, The Great Beyond, created with partner, Nick Azar, focuses on beautifully soft basics created with sustainability in mind, using bamboo fabric. Even the colours are named to reflect the environmental focus: cloud, stone and night. Coming soon to an online store near you.

The Great Beyond’s vision is to create sustainable goods that compliments the fashion forward women or man and our environment.

A message from: THE GREAT BEYOND

Basics with a green twist, designed in Australia.

Australian fashion label The Great Beyond supplies the essentials your wardrobe needs all year round with the help of bamboo fabric. The Great Beyond’s vision is to create sustainable goods that compliments the fashion forward women or man and our environment. Each piece has been designed in Queensland, Australia referencing the classic styles you love and know.

Launch Collection: The Classics Collection

The Classics collection is here to stay for forever and a day, with a range of 12 designs available in four different colours. The Great Beyond works with a simple formula of expanding from your Classic Shirt into four garments with a simplistic design that will fit into your everyday outfit.

The Great Beyond’s Classics collection is for everyone who loves a classic tee to the simple black maxi dress. With our favourite four colours, cloud, night, stone and deep blue.

Claire Goldsworthy’s fashion label, Harriette Hill is a creation that stems from her love of vintage fabrics. She doesn’t design seasonal collections, instead selecting fabric and letting the quality of the material speak to her which catalyses the creation of her beautiful handmade garments while minimizing waste. I spoke to her about her busy schedule, fashion career aspirations and love of op shopping!

The Genesis of Harriette Hill

Fashion is in Claire’s blood, her Great Grandmother owned a dress shop in Victoria in the 30’s and 40’s and left behind a treasure trove of vintage fabric, which Claire used to create her first pieces.

With a love of crafting, Claire’s Grandma taught her to sew. Her need to be creative inspired her to design garments which she sold at markets, and then after receiving positive feedback from her customers, moved her operation online.

Claire has difficulty describing Harriette Hill’s style mainly because so much of the design of each piece comes from the unique vintage fabrics she uses. She loves clothing that isn’t too fitted and finds that each of her garments can be accessible to women across a few different sizes. She rarely uses black in her clothing, instead favouring vibrant colours and patterns, giving her clothing a bright, summer feel.

An Eco Friendly Approach

Did you know it takes 8500L of water to grow enough cotton to make one pair of jeans? Learning about the huge amount of waste in the fashion industry through her university course (she studies a BFA Majoring in Fashion at QUT) further cemented the need to have a sustainable approach to her label. Claire even donates the off-cuts to another local sustainable business called Little Mother Creations (who make children’s clothing and accessories). By hand making all of her garments, Claire is able to weave sustainability into every part of the process.

Claire has enjoyed being involved with Undress Brisbane for the last 3 years (all of the images of Harriette Hill clothing in this article were taken at Undress Brisbane 2013). She loves the chance to show consumers that sustainable clothing isn’t just for eco-obsessed hippies but that any type of garment, from swimwear to evening dresses can be made sustainably and ethically.

Creative Inspiration

One of the designers Claire admires is Jean Paul Gaultier, a designer who isn’t afraid to push the boundaries of fashion and doesn’t necessarily always conform to trends. Claire admires this ethos and loves to try different styles / silhouettes and let the fabric inspire her!

Fashion Fridays at Capulet Bar

What is a fashion designer who is also studying fashion to do in her spare time? Organise fashion events of course! Approached by Leigh, part owner of Capulet Bar, to help create a platform for local designers, the two came up with the idea for an emerging designers competition. Four heats, each of which has a winner voted by the fashion conscious public. The competition culminates in a final where the best designers of Brisbane will stomp it out on the runway to see who will win amazing prizes such as funding to create a new season look-book!

Claire believes that Brisbane has plenty of fashion potential but there are not many platforms for emerging designers to showcase their wares, other than online. This is why events like Fashion Fridays and Undress Brisbane are so important as they give new talent great exposure.

Personal Style

Claire’s personal style is very influenced by her mood. Her favourite places to shop are op shops and antique stores, as exploring and rummaging to find hidden vintage gems is one of her favourite past-times. Flowing skirts and dresses always catch her eye, and labels like Easton Pearson (which she is wearing above) and Camilla fit her eclectic style.

The more I meet designers like Claire who are focusing on eco-friendly processes and trying to change perceptions about sustainability in the fashion industry, the more I am excited about the future of fashion! Sure the price point of clothing for Harriette Hill is higher than in your average department store but these garments are unique, sustainable and made with love.

Thanks to Deakin Estate winery BNE Style was invited to attend a Mercedes Benz Fashion Festival Group Shop as VIP guests. With seating in the second row and access to the VIP lounge, it was a very different (and far more enjoyable) experience than the previous evenings where I had been in the photographers pit. Of course I still brought my camera to document this special experience!

The Epicure VIP lounge was brimming with fabulous people who were sipping champagne and relaxing on comfortable couches. The room was beautifully decorated and some areas were candle lit.

My date was Alisha (sister and contributor to BNE Style) pictured below. Part of the fun of being VIP was dressing up, thanks to The Gallery Boutique for my gorgeous wonderland dress by Kuku, I love the colourful print and cut of this dress (perfect for a curvy lady) and Hunter Gatherer jewellery for my bohemian  jewellery.

Post show these VIP ladies were all smiles.

Catching up with fellow Brisbane bloggers Ashleigh, of The Blonde Silhouette and Aicha, of The Fashion Heist.

Azahara from Deakin Estate being served at the Epicure VIP Runway Lounge.

Enjoying the couches in the Epicure VIP Runway Lounge and sipping champagne! How much do you love Alisha’s pixel bow (below)?

Chunky chain tassel bracelet and quartz crystal wired ring from Hunter Gatherer jewellery, handmade on the Gold Coast.

EP by Easton Pearson spring was in the air with bring colours and prints and the models were carrying giant flowers!

Wil Valor showed that men’s suits need not be boring showing plenty of colour and prints, I love the blue suit in the middle!

Alexis Dawn showed more flowing spring essentials, adding some different pieces to what I had seen at the Ekka Natural Fibres parade.

The Urbana men were a little more relaxed but no less colourful and wore an array of amazing, colourful shoes!

Paul Hunt finished the show with beautiful evening gowns in flowing fabrics and showed just enough skin in all the right places.

Having a photographer’s pass to the Emerging Designers Group Show was such a pleasure, seeing the future stars of the fashion industry on the runway, showcasing their fresh ideas, was exciting. Being  in the photographer’s pit I had an amazing view of the circular runway.

The designer’s collections included lots of bright colours (such as Erin Hassall Designs who showcased her beautiful flowing kaftans pictured above) and fun accessories (especially from Molly and Polly who’s models had surfboards and snorkelling gear).

The beautiful fairytale gowns from Begitta (pictured below) with their golden birdcage accessories, was a highlight of the show which no doubt left the audience dreaming of attending Cinderella’s ball.

Molly and Polly were all about bright prints, colour blocking and fun accessories.

A Jacksonian Era mixed fitted and flowing silhouettes and all with flowers in their hair.

Sinead James showing off their geometric prints and candy coloured palette.

Before and after the show, outside City Hall, was buzzing with Brisbane’s most fashionable people, one of whom is Juliet, Brisbane blogger from Lace ‘n Ruffles.

I also bumped into talented ladies Emma Gaffy from No Name Style and Grace Markham, fashion photographer.

Madeline and Nicole from IZE Magazine.

This is the first time I have been inside City Hall since it was refurbished and the high ceilings and gleaming marble took my breath away.

I recently had the great pleasure to work with Be Bitko Clothing to shoot their lookbook at the Gold Coast. The weather was less than ideal but the cloudy skies ended up making the bright colours of the clothing pop even more.

This Brisbane based label produces an array of functional and fashionable bags that can be worn around your waist and matched with different coloured shorts to suit your style and mood.

I spoke to Emily Bitkow, the designer behind Be Bitko Clothing, about how she got started and what inspires her.

How did Be Bitko start?

Be Bitko started over 2 years ago from my love for fashion, love of PR and marketing and interest in running my own business.

The idea for the label was brewing for a while and started with testing out the idea for a fashionable bum bag by tying one of my bags around my waist at a festival. After receiving many compliments I decided to start developing my idea and making prototypes. I love the idea of mixing and matching these fashionable bags with comfortable shorts for a hands free, fun festival day.

Be Bitko Clothing is made locally and I have no plans to send my operation overseas. I love being able to turn around new ideas quickly and get them out to my customers for them to give me feedback on the colours and prints and therefore reduce waste. Rather than do collections I like the flexibility to regularly bring out new colours and styles.

Where do you get your inspiration?

Pinterest is a major source of inspiration, as are fashion magazines. Sometimes ideas just come to me – the yellow birds of paradise print was created from a desire to be bright and colourful. The label is about focusing on colour, excitement and freedom and it needs to look great in a festival environment.

How would you describe your style?

I love being different, a lot of my clothing is custom made by a family friend who is a seamstress, I would say my style is classic, vintage and a little bit edgy, because I love chunky jewellery.

Who is your style icon / someone that inspires you creatively?

I love Sass and Bide and aspire to be as quirky and successful as them. Everything they produce is amazing and I have several of their pieces in my wardrobe.

I recently met up with Lauren, the designer behind local label Baumbach, and her adorable son Alfie, both of whom were a pleasure to spend time with!

The printed peter pan collar on this top caught my attention and I fell in love! This is from the Baumbach Spring / Summer ’12 collection.

Baumbach collection books and hand tea stained swing tags. Lauren is very hands on with her collections and even hand cuts sections from the back of some of her garments.

A sample of the art, created by Lauren’s Father, that was recreated as a textile print and used on a variety of garments in the spring/summer 2012 Baumbach collection.

Baumbach was born from Lauren’s need to flex her creative muscle after finding limited opportunities in Australia’s fashion industry upon arrival from England, where she had worked with brands like Gap. Baumbach has evolved through 3 collections and continues to feature soft, wearable designs and beautiful prints created from artwork she finds inspiring. Featuring the art of her father (pictured above) and collaborating with other artists allows Lauren to blur the line between art and fashion.

I was excited when I discovered Baumbach not only because Lauren uses art to create prints, but also because she tries to source sustainable materials (like bamboo) and have her garments made locally, decreasing her environmental footprint.

The baby pants pictured above are taking Baumbach textiles to new places with clothing for fashionable little people. You can also expect other baby / maternity projects which are in the works before Baumbach brings out another summer collection, which I know will be worth waiting for!

Shannon & Katie, the designers behind Shakah. Shannon is wearing a Kookai dress and purple Doc Martens and Katie is wearing the Shakah Style Queen dress.

Shakah Reina – maxi dress

Yesterday I went to meet the ladies who design gorgeous clothing for their label Shakah at their summer clearance sale which ends today at Green Door Cafe (which pairs art and coffee masterfully in a comfortable space).

What struck me about this label (and why I had to purchase a dress and post about it) was the brightness of the colours and the light, breathable fabrics, which are great for our hot and sticky summer. The ladies said they imbued their collection with a feeling of empowering women and increasing their confidence when wearing their dresses.

The ladies said they will be designing a small winter collection and then concentrating on their new summer range. I asked how they would get inspired for the new collection and they said they look at a wide variety of sources from other designer’s inspiration and shapes and patterns found in nature and art. I look forward to seeing what they will create next!

Ella Mobbs at the BrizVegas Kustom Karnival.

Ella Mobbs illustrates sweet, sometimes grotesque, comic book style characters and puts them on everything she can find: t-shirts, phone covers, brooches and vintage cups and saucers (which she buys online from vintage collectors). She sells her products online and at markets and events around Brisbane. I love her style and asked her a few questions about her personal and artistic influences.

What are you wearing? I am wearing a Miss Fortune dress, which is a rockabilly inspired label from the UK.

What inspires you? I am inspired by many different people and artists, and it changes all the time depending on how I am feeling at the time. To name a few, I like the work of Magic Jelly, Mel Stringer (who has done some illustrations for Frankie magazine), Leigh Carnachan, Miss Cherry Martini, Liz Clements, Ken Taylor, and Paulo Rocker.

Miss Apple Betty with her delicious accessories. Her adorable retro glasses print top with the peter pan collar was purchased during a recent trip to Tokyo, Japan. She said this trip fostered an obsession with Japanese culture and love of their sense of fashion, which is something she cites as a major inspiration in creating her jewellery.

I love these dinosaur brooches!

During a weekend trip to the West End markets shopping for fruit and vegetables I spotted the table of Apple Betty (which I didn’t realise is another name for apple crumble) with a display of super sweet resin handmade accessories! Miss Apple Betty told me that her love of tiny food and baking sweets led her to start creating these delicious looking accessories 6 months ago. Her love of Japan has led to an obsession with fake food which inspires her to create tiny cookies, chocolates and ice-cream replicas! You will find her at the West End Markets Saturdays 6am-1pm.

If buying clothes in Brisbane Miss Apple Betty will head to Dangerfield (also available in Myer), because a girl can never have enough high waisted skirts, 50′s inspired clothing or nautical themed patterns! Her other favourite shopping destination is Sourpuss Clothing, an online store featuring retro / rockabilly inspired pieces.

Who? My lovely friend, Julie, from Sconnie and Jam who I couldn’t help but think resembled a character from Alice In Wonderland in this adorable outfit. I couldn’t help but be a little jealous of her awesome vintage style bike from Reid Cycle.

This talented lady (and her husband) makes gorgeous laser cut wooden accessories (earrings, necklaces and brooches) which are then hand painted. If you don’t have one of these pieces they are a must for any lover of adorable animals and vintage Kombie vans! I had a chat with Julie about her personal style and business and this is what she had to say:

How would you describe your style? Eclectic vintage that is a little quirky. I love having things that are one of a kind so I don’t look like anyone else.

What are you wearing today? The vintage dress was a gift from my friend Jasmin, a Sconnie and Jam rabbit brooch and polka dot stockings from Made 590 in Sydney.

Favourite stores? Suitcase rummages are great for vintage finds as are thrift shops, Made 590 (online as it’s located in Sydney) and Mod Cloth.

Who is your style icon or someone who inspires you creatively? Fashion wise, Kelly from The Storybook Rabbit because she inspires me to wear more colour. In an artistic sense: Tim Burton – in the quirkiness of his characters and Mark Ryden (an american Pop Surrealist painter) who pushes the boundaries of innocence and beauty and what you expect to see.

Why did you start Sconnie and Jam and what do you love about having your own business? There were a few reasons for starting the business which included wanting to work with my husband on a creative venture and having the freedom to work from home to be with my two young boys. Having a creative outlet that you have full control over is great especially when you see people falling in love with the pieces you have created.