The CIT Fashion grads of 2014

We’re inspired by all things new at Hustle&Scout and that includes the young, interesting and innovative fashion designers from Canberra Institute of Technology who will be at the next market. These grads are the future of Australian design and they’re hustling to raise funds to apply for Fashfest 2015.

 
To help them along we’re sponsoring their market stall. The grads have been busy sewing practical but cool items which will sell for $15 to $40. Need a handy tote bag? Mini zip case? Ipad cover? Clutch? They’re designing them all in a range of great fabrics and colours. Items include swing tags and care labels.

 

 

 

 

All proceeds will go into a common pot the grads can dip into for professional photo shoots so they’re able to put their best foot forward when applying for Fashfest. So why not help the grads muster the support they need to make it big on the catwalk by picking up an item or two from their stall.

 

This year, 13 grads will emerge from CIT with Bachelor of Design (Fashion Design) certificates. They each have their own design aesthetic and it’s exciting to see them spring forward into the big time world of business. Here is a list of the names to watch out for - these guys are our future generation of Canberra designers!

            Erin Spain - Ziyah
            Rachel Eager - Little jane lane        
            Emma O'Rourke - The label
            Linsey Dewick - Hume
            George Macwilliam & Melissa Pompeani - Mimetic
            Tiffany Porto - Tiffany Porto
            Alana Lyons - Allyki
            Charne Esterhuizen - MAAK
            Marco Yuen - Marco Yuen
            Urska Divjak  -  Metka
            Pollah Howe - Pollah Howe
            Joii Kitr - Joyii
            Vanessa Mifsud- Illusory Cog


Below are a selection of images featuring some of the above labels. These images give you an idea of the sheer talent this group possess, as well as the incredible diversity in design aesthetic between each designer.



HUME

Designer: Linsey Dewick  

 

 

ZIYAH
Designer & Stylist: Erin Spain

Model:  Charne Esterhuizen (brown hair) HAUS Models

Photography: Eric Piris - Red Photography

HMU: Paula Mcdowell & Nathali Le Rajbandith 

 

 

TIFFANY PORTO 

Brand: Tiffany Porto 

Make up - Hannah Ho
Photographs - Jessica Rue
Models - Charne Esterhuizen (HAUS models)

 

Designer/label: POLLAH HOWE

 

 MIMETIC
Photographer: Edge Light Photography
Model: Lauren Black
Hair: Kate Thackray
Make Up: Tracey Haridemos and  Holly Murphy

 

THE LABEL 
Models: Nicole Luker, Brodie Williams and Ellen Parsons
Hair and Makeup; Paula McDowell and Photographer; John Hatfield


 

MAAK
 

 

LITTLE JANE LANE
Photography by Kelda Rundle, Makeup by Meg Stewart

 



Crankybot - jewellery with a scientific twist

Tell us a bit about your label and how you got into making jewellery?

Crankybot is a science themed jewellery design label created by husband and wife team, Alastair and Ruth. We started making jewellery when we bought a laser and 3D printer and wanted to experiment with wearable science themes.

What inspires your designs?

We’re inspired by all things science! One of our current inspirations is some of our favourite molecules like chocolate, caffeine and serotonin.

 

We’re also inspired by the intersection between art and science such as the visualisation of temperature data for Australian cities. The following image is an example of the climate data viz pieces we do – the outer ring shows the maximum temperature and the inner ring shows the minimum temperature for the past 100 years or so for that particular city. The first item on the left shows the same pattern applied to solar flux.

What has brought you the most joy from your creative practice and why?

Seeing a design that starts on paper or on screen come alive into a tangible wearable piece of science makes me happy. Seeing our customers get excited and engaged with the individual pieces also makes me super happy. While our science jewellery is very niche, it just fabulous seeing people’s faces light up when they discover that there’s someone who loves science just as much as they do!

What can market folk expect to find at our spring event?

We’ll have our molecule range of accessories – this includes necklaces, earrings and cufflinks. We’ll also have a small selection of the climate viz pieces and people can also custom order a specific city in a necklace or earring format. Other science pieces such as atoms, atomically correct hearts, and rockets will also make an appearance.

What is it about Hustle&Scout that made you want to be a stallholder?

I love the high quality designs and fashion at Hustle&Scout. I also love how it brings together two of my favourite things – design and food!

 

 

  

MY FAV THINGS.

Guilty pleasure: Dark chocolate. Lots of it.

First song on your ultimate mixtape: Nina Simone’s Feeling Good.

Fashion item you own: My universe galaxy leggings.

Place to unwind in Canberra: In my hammock by the pool.

 

Sheesh Handmade

Tell us a bit about your label and why you started designing clothes.

Sheesh has developed from a love of fabrics. Sheesh skirts celebrate beautiful fabrics – colour, texture, quality fabrics with a vintage flavour. Every skirt has its own personality and style. Sheesh was started 7 years ago when I struggled to find clothing in the shops for myself that fitted comfortably and were made well with quality fabrics. I started making my own clothes to wear to work and people started to comment and ask where I had bought them from.

Sheesh skirts were developed as the skirt for everyone. They are cut in way to fit a variety of body types and shapes and are suitable for work, travel and relaxing. They have a wide stretch waist band which allows for wear during different life stages including pregnancy, weight fluctuations and after surgery.

Sheesh designs have a practical focus which is influenced by my background working as an Occupational therapist.

 

What has brought you the most joy from your creative practice?

The best part of creating my own clothing is when I get to see the skirt on the person it was made for. I love colour and the way the right colours can light up a person when they complement eye colour, hair colour and skin tones.

 

What can market folk expect to find at the spring market?

They will find the most comfortable skirt they have ever worn and will get the chance to play with colour and fun prints to find the skirt to suit their own sense of style and personality.

 

What makes your label unique?

My vast collection of fabrics is what makes my label unique. I enjoy the sense of adventure in using prints that are unexpected in clothing.

 

MY FAV THINGS.

Guilty pleasure: I love a long bath paired with a coffee and a good book.

First song on your ultimate mixtape: The first song that springs to mind is “Gold” by Spandau Ballet – maybe that should have been in answer to the “Guilty Pleasure” question!

Fashion item you own: I have a huge collection of boots – I would happily have a pair of boots in every colour.

Place to unwind in Canberra: I love to visit the Portrait Gallery whenever I can.

Thing you have made: I have always enjoyed making and putting my hand to a variety things but my proudest achievement was 2 side tables I made out of old fence posts from my garden.

 

 

 

The Glory Box Jewellery

Tell us a bit about your label and how you got into making jewellery?

I make hand crafted porcelain jewellery. The range includes necklaces, earrings, bracelets, cufflinks, rings, brooches and badges. I make everything myself from scratch in my studio in Ainslie. I started The Glory Box around four years ago as a creative outlet after the birth of my daughter.

  

What inspires your designs?

My first inspiration is my passion for my materials. I love the look and feel of Southern Ice Porcelain, I love the way you can work clay into any shape or form. The quality is exquisite. I love the way it may last for thousands of years, and people may find a piece one day and wonder how we lived and get clues about our culture. I get my inspirations from different things, for example jewellery from other places in the world and how that would translate with my materials and colour choices, or shapes and lines from jewellery in another eras with a contemporary twist.

  

What has brought you the most joy from your creative practice and why?

My creative practice has brought me so much joy it is difficult to know where to start. I love doing markets and being part of the creative and cultural life of this town in my own small way.  

I get joy from looking back at the jewellery I was making even a couple of years ago and seeing how my range has expanded and how much I have progressed as a maker. 

 

 

 

What can market folk expect to find at our spring event?

At the moment I am very drawn to simplicity, I am making pieces which feature simple shapes and let the materials be the hero. Matt white porcelain and sterling silver are just beautiful together, so expect some pieces with this winning combination. I am loving hand rolled beads. You can't stop touching them all day when you wear them because they feel amazing.

  

What is it about Hustle&Scout that made you want to be a stallholder?

I want to be a stall holder at Hustle&Scout because it is smack bang in the middle of this explosion of coolness that is going on right now in Canberra.

 

 

MY FAV THINGS.

 
Guilty Pleasure: Meeting my husband for lunch and having almond croissant at Autolyse with the second coffee.

 

First song on my ultimate mixed tape: Laura Marling, Goodbye England.

 

Fashion Item I own: I love my orange handmade leather satchel bag, had it for at least two years and age only seems to improve it.

 

Place to unwind in Canberra: Molly (speakeasy bar).

 

Thing I have made: Last year I made a friend Christmas presents for all the women in her family. I pressed a piece of her grandmother’s handmade lace into the clay to decorate the pieces. In return she made me some very gorgeous skirts.
 

 

Spunky Bruiser + Soto Smith

Tell us a bit about your labels and how you started collaborating?

Spunky Bruiser garments are one-off unique garments crafted from re-purposed materials. Conversational and practical clothing for both men and women (jackets, bomber vests, trousers, waistcoats, dresses, ) using unexpected combinations of well tailored vintage and second-hand textiles.

The Soto Smith range is made up of unisex printed tees and bottoms in signature designs (our ever evolving drop crotch 'Jodhs' being a very popular design for many years now) and also extends to accessories and jewellery made from re-purposed materials- the stand out being the 'Sotoghetto' purse which are re-worked vintage mesh bags that we paint.

 

 

The Robyn Ru range is made up of children’s garments that are practical in design, nostalgia at the heart and visually incredibly fun. Pieces are produced using up-cycled and reclaimed vintage and second hand materials. Textiles in the range include bright wool, flanno, plaids and vibrant vintage florals and bold prints, all of these in unexpected combinations in toggle coats, reversible hoody vests, waistcoats, drop crotch jodhs and beautiful frocks of patch work and well tailored finishes all round. The nature of my work means every piece I make is one of a kind.  

Currently we have a team of five (myself and partner, Mum and her Hubby and Kym who is local to Mum's area and has an interior design background) and between us we have a broad skill set that allows this culmination of eclecticism to actually be a tangible working thing that people can admire and buy. Our backgrounds are a mix of many years of experience in many areas. Mum started sewing in a factory in Surry Hills in the 70's and hasn't stopped sewing since, with everything from curtains and blinds to couture wedding dresses under her belt. My partner Christian is a trained visual arts teaching with a masters in photo media completed at COFA which is not surprising, as his Dad is also an artist. The simple fact that I grew up around sewing and being exposed to the process of designing, creating and making means that making ideas into actual things is very natural for me. Both Christian and I have always been very much into street/urban culture - the art and music and style associated so being a part of it just makes sense.    

What has brought you the most joy from your creative practice?

Ultimately the driving force behind our making is the happiness it brings our customers, new and established regulars.

How do your labels employ sustainable design practices?

Beyond our materials being predominately re-claimed and vintage, our designs are sustainable in themselves. We adopt a signature range approach and designs we have been making for 6 or 7 years we continue to make and sell and those who purchased them years ago continue to wear them.

What can market folk expect to find at our spring event?

Folks can expect bright contrasting prints focused in on our lighter spring summer designs - collared shirts , checkerboard shorts , relaxed cotton knit tops , mid season styles of tapestry backed bomber vests amongst many others. We are also featuring Itty Bitty Bruiser and Robyn Ru' which means all of the above in 'mini-me' sizes.

Meeting us in person also means the opportunity to make custom/bespoke orders.

 

 

What was it about Hustle&Scout that made you want to be a stallholder?

Seeing the rapid growth of the event in such a short space of time told us it was worth jumping on board. The overall impression is that the event has momentum and gusto.

 

MY FAV THINGS.

Quote: "make and assesment"- old Greg in the Mighty Boosh

Guilty pleasure: liking Bon Jovi

Fashion item you own: platform kinky galinki white brogues

First song on your ultimate mixtape: 'straight outta Compton' NWA

About Canberra: How everyone drives properly

 

https://www.facebook.com/TheDoorlist?fref=ts

Hustle&Scout Founder, Tegan, wearing a pair of Peter Plaid Spunky Bruiser Long Jodhs. Photo: Closet Voyage

 

The Side Project

Tell us a bit about your collective and how you all met?

The Side Project was formed in 2010 by crafty friends as a way to cultivate all our odd side projects that didn’t quite fit anywhere else under one obvious heading ‘The Side Project.’ We are an amorphous group of people that float in and out. The current main five contributors include illustrator and craftsperson JeffMcCann, graphic designer Missy Dempsy, and jewellers Mark Vaarwerk and myself NinaBaker. Since initiation we have been doing lots of markets, pop up shops and had our first exhibition earlier this year.

We mostly met at uni in 2007, CSU WaggaWagga, theatre designers and jewellers share walls so there were lots of cups of tea and procrastination chit chat. Then there was the other side of uni life where we all lived on campus in shared cottages and drunk a lot of goon together. Mark we met later on through the jewellery world in Sydney.

 

Can you give us a quick run-down on each of your individual labels?

The Side Project is our collectives name and is also the branding we use for a range of affordable handmade  jewellery. The range includes photographic printed aluminium with pictures of unexpected Australian scenes, jewellery made from street sweeper bristle and some contemporary beaded necklaces.

Each member of the collective is an individual practicing artist and brands their work simply under their own name. Missy Dempsys is a professional graphic designer and specialises in type and awesome lettering. Jeff McCann is the man, armed with cardboard and posca pens he makes wall pieces, bags and art pieces with wildly imaginative and brightly coloured illustrations drawing from his childhood.  Mark Vaarwerk is the recycled plastics guru and can turn old shopping bags and discarded shampoo bottles into precious jewellery pieces. Nina Baker is also a jeweller and much of her work involves found street sweeper bristles, old house paint and mixes ancient and contemporary themes to create lively off beat pieces.

 

 

 

As a collective, how do your designs incorporate sustainable practices?

This is something we think about a lot as individuals, it is probably a key factor as well as aesthetic that brings our work together as a whole. Sustainability is more than environmentally conscious practices, there is also economic sustainability and a making things to last.
 

We include a lot of recycled materials in our work such as plastics, cardboard, street sweeper bristles as well as in our display and packaging. We consider our designs so that our work will last and not be abandoned when the next trend rocks around. Other practices we consider to be sustainable are purchasing our new materials from local businesses and to have outsourcing such as printing and casting done by small businesses that participate in a local economy and also avoid lengthy unnecessary transportation and shipping.

What can market folk expect to find at our spring event?

At the Spring 2014 Hustle&Scout Market The Side Project will be bringing a most excellent selection of jewellery. The focus of our stall will be the launch of a brand new collection of Jewellery by Nina Baker titled ‘Bangarang’ an imaginative mishmash world of silver gold, gems with dancing patterns and ancient themes.

What is it about Hustle&Scout that made you want to be a stallholder?

I visited Hustle&Scout Markets about a year ago, it was such good fun, really good vibes with the live music,  lots of people enjoying themselves, and of course a rocking selection of stall holders!

 

Assemblage Project - off to market!

The spring markets are bursting with new stallholders including Assemblage Project, an upmarket boutique well known by admirers of contemporary and truly inspiring women’s wear.
 
This inviting shop, with its prime position on Lonsdale Street in trendy Braddon, is a retail collaboration between the designers behind local labels 4minutes33 (Gemma Jameson and Francesca Altenburg) and Karen Lee. You’ll recognise their great designs from Fashfest and previous Hustle&Scout markets.

 

Assemblage Project, Lonsdale St Braddon

 

So what’s new, different, invigorating and exciting from Assemblage Project?

Luna Gallery

The shop now also stocks top-notch garments and accessories from a handful of carefully selected designers, including several not available elsewhere in Canberra. And some will be available at the twilight fashion markets for the first time.

 

Think exquisite designs by Luna Gallery, sustainable and long-lasting pieces proudly knitted in Melbourne from pure, natural fibres. These knits—inspired by nature—are created for feel and function. They’re simple, soft and stylish. Better still, they feel amazing on your skin and look sensational. Spring garments are rolling into Assemblage Project now.

 

Smitten Designs are also stocked exclusively at Assemblage Project. Born out of the cool highlands of Tasmania, this superfine merino clothing travels with you anywhere. It’s luxurious and 100 per cent Australian, with all manufacturing handled in the state. It’s also perfect for spring—light but warm, stylish but sensible and easy to care for.

 

Sculptural knitwear by Melbourne’s Wendy Voon is also available in the capital only at Assemblage Project and pieces will be at Hustle&Scout. Wendy’s knitwear blends contemporary design with elegant forms and sensuous texture. Beauty is found in unexpected detailing. These pieces rise above seasonal trends. They’re perfect lifestyle pieces.

 

Wendy Voon Knits

 

 Assemblage Project will also bring along award-winning jewellery by designers specialising in traditional and modern hand-crafted techniques, including statement pieces by inSync (Melbourne). Known for its distinct aesthetic, inSync’s jewellery is distinct, whimsical and cleverly constructed. And they’re light too. The range is so popular it’s now also available in Japan, Europe and the United States.

 

inSync

 
But back to 4minutes33 and Karen Lee. The designers will showcase pieces from their spring collection at the twilight market. In line with the philosophy of both labels, dresses, leggings and tops are all designed for the bodies of ‘real women’ and include larger sizes. The garments are versatile, so much so that some can be worn more than one way (great value for money). The designers will be on hand to talk to you about your body shape and what to wear with what. They’ll even demonstrate how best to wear their pieces - an opportunity that doesn't come by every day.

 

 

Keep an eye out for a special spring sale rack at the Assemblage Project market stall, and don't forget, Christmas isn't that far away now...

 

 

L (Karen Lee), R (4 Mintues 33)

 





Pigtails and Pirates

We are chuffed to welcome new label, Pigtails and Pirates, to the Hustle&Scout family! This Newcastle-based label was launched in 2011 by Laura Jones, and boasts a colourful collection of retro, 1950s inspired clothing - all handmade here in Australia. We had a chat to Laura about her label and her story...


Tell us a bit about your label and why you started designing clothes.

My label , Pigtails and Pirates, was started when I was searching for a hobby (was at home with 2 small children and did not want to go back to work just yet as a Chemistry teacher) I taught myself to sew and made my children some clothing. A friend suggested I should try and sell some, so I came up with a name (Pigtails and Pirates represents my daughter and son), got an ABN and started doing a few small local markets. I decided to start our ladies wear range as an extension of the children's items, and because I love the prints we were using for the children's items and I wanted some clothes made in the same prints! Pigtails and Pirates started with $80 worth of fabric and my mum's old sewing machines.

 

What has brought you the most joy from your creative practice?

The thing that brings me the most joy is seeing the end result - I love receiving images of people looking fabulous in our clothes. I REALLY love seeing images of ladies wearing matching clothing with their children!

What can market folk expect to find at our spring event?

Beautiful, fun and unique vintage-inspired ladies dresses and more!

What makes your label unique?

Being an Australian made vintage reproduction label makes me fairly unique. Also my choice of prints is unique - I do everything from beautiful florals to star wars and superheros!

What is it about Hustle&Scout that made you want to be a stallholder?

The high quality of stall holders! I have been following Hustle&Scout since it began!

 

MY FAV THINGS.

 

Guilty pleasure: Mama-P raw superfood bites! They are made in Newcastle from a small business and they are AWESOME.
 

First song on your ultimate mixtape: Like Wow Wipeout – It was my wedding song!

Vintage fashion item you own: My Mama’s (my dad’s mum) diamante Oroton bag.  I love this bag not only because it is super stylish but because it has this little authenticity card in it with the date that it was purchased. It shows that my grandfather purchased it on Christmas eve (clearly leaving his Christmas shopping til the last minute!) It was also the bag that she used to attend my parents wedding. I like having a small part of her now that she is no longer with us.

About Canberra: My 2 sisters that live there!

Thing you have made:  A girl superhero sweetheart dress - you will probably see me wearing it at Hustle&Scout!