Oyster and Pearl.

Tell us about Oyster & Pearl and how it all began...

I started making my own clothes out of necessity as a young teen…and as I wanted to look different my passion for design developed. After pursuing various vocations I came full circle back to my real love and started creating small ranges for design markets under the Oyster and Pearl banner. Encouraged by customer reaction I hunted out a quirky studio space and Oyster and Pearl retail was born.  

 

 

What do you enjoy most about designing?

I have a hunger for every aspect of the creative process… I’m excited by the hunt for beautiful textiles and the sourcing of every small component that brings a design to life.  I’m hideously driven, but sometimes to my detriment in that pursuit of perfection.  It is all consuming but intensely satisfying.

 

What do you enjoy about having a shop front and being able to have a market stall?

I thrive on the on-going relationships with my customers…it’s real, it keeps me grounded. Markets provide an opportunity to engage a different demographic and I love to feel all that creative energy focused into one space.

Describe your workspace?

Oyster and Pearl is very hide and seek…I like it that I’m a little hard to find. It’s an old building with arch windows that not only provide great natural light but allow me a birds-eye view of local street life.  The building is full of a other creative souls and I’m fortunate to have both a retail space and separate workshop.

 

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

Awesome that you were prepared to bring your gig to Tassie… we have a plethora of design markets and pop up shops these days but Hustle&Scout excited my interest and pushed my buttons with its refined, focused and edgy approach. Timing is perfect with all the wonders of Dark Mofo lighting up Hobart.

 

MY FAVE THINGS

Guilty pleasure:
Watching TV in bed.

What you wanted to be when you grew up:

I always wanted to be a fashion designer.
 

Fave fashion piece you own:

My Sarah Sturgeon black dress….although hard to squeeze into it these days!

Fave place to unwind in Hobart:

Upstairs bar at the Alabama Hotel.

 

Your role model/s:

I find that a hard question …there’s so many seemingly ordinary everyday people who are inspiring …and those quiet achievers. But when it comes to aesthetics, Tom Ford.