Click for Vic: Trend-setting Victorian makers you should have on your radar
When it comes to style, Victorian designers and makers are leading the way. Get behind these local labels at the forefront of fashion and homewares trends.
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When it comes to making an impression, Victoria’s independent designers and local retailers have you ready to step out in style.
Click for Vic is shining a spotlight on makers, creators and producers who call Melbourne and regional Victoria home.
Here are five local fashion and homewares designers to watch.
SUPPORT VICTORIAN BUSINESS: Get your 24-page Click for Vic magazine in today’s Herald Sun or in our digital edition.
NOBODY DENIM
Recognised as one of Australia’s most popular denim brands, Nobody Denim continues to hit the mark since its launch in 1999.
The Thornbury-based business is the brainchild of Melbourne brothers Nick and John Condilis, who credit their genes for their passion about denim.
“Our father, Jim, managed a denim laundry for Dachet, which is where we learnt the trade,” John says.
“In 1992, he opened his own denim laundry in Fitzroy, and we followed him into the business.”
While the laundry was successful, changes to free trade agreements and the end of tariff protection meant the Condilis brothers had to rethink their business strategy, inspiring them to launch Nobody Denim.
Over the years, the company has grown to manufacture more than 130,000 denim pieces
a year and employs more than 80 people.
“Denim is a tough market. We compete on a world stage with some really big and iconic denim houses,” John says.
“The biggest lesson we learnt was to be flexible, to adapt, to listen to the market and give the customer what they want; skills that have held us in good stead for the new challenges businesses are facing in 2020.”
Like many others, life has been tough for Nobody Denim, with their operations affected by lockdown restrictions.
“It’s so important right now to support local, support brands that align with your values and support the local community. We really are all in this together, and it’s time to look in our own back yard and support Australian-made,” John says.
nobodydenim.com
GHOST WARES
After taking up pottery class as a weekend hobby, Matthew Vrettas developed a passion for clay making that inspired him to launch Ghost Wares, a ceramics business of his own.
“I found ceramics enabled me to see a finished product relatively quickly and I enjoyed being able to experiment more freely,” says Matthew, who left his career in architecture to pursue pottery full time alongside Ghost Wares co-creator Stephanie Yap.
“Watching the studio slowly grow has been incredibly rewarding,” he says.
“I’ve learnt so much, and each lesson helps me imagine what the studio can become.”
Ghost Wares designs are produced by hand at the pair’s Abbotsford studio.
“We use a pug mill to mix our clay and aggregate and stain, which react when fired, giving the ceramics their texture and colour.”
“From there I throw the form on the wheel, trim it as it dries, and it then goes into the kiln to remove moisture and harden. I then glaze the inside of the piece and return it to the kiln for its final firing.”
Being based in Melbourne helps Matthew feel connected with fellow ceramicists, designers and artists within the creative field.
“Living and working close to the city allows me to interact with customers and others within the creative community,” he says.
“I have dreams of one day setting up a studio a bit further out, but at this stage I’m just happy to see where things lead.”
ghostwares.com.au
THE MINORITY CO.
Indya Hayes is using embroidery to show her support for minority groups facing discrimination.
The 21-year-old was spurred into action after watching news of the Black Lives Matter movement in the US.
“I felt helpless, so I went out and bought four jumpers and embroidered them,” Indya says.
She posted them on social media and was overwhelmed by the positive response. It sparked the Ballarat entrepreneur to create The Minority Co. — a clothing company with a social conscience.
With a Wotjobaluk, Polish, African/American, Cherokee and Celtic background, racial injustice is a cause close to Indya’s heart.
“I want people to use my jumpers to start conversation, have debate and help people understand other cultures,” she says.
Indya is donating 10 per cent of all profits from her range of crewneck jumpers, T-shirts and bags to the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation and Indigenous Literacy Foundation.
FOLKTRIBE CLOTHING
When sisters Kellie and Emma Sommerville launched their fashion label in 2016, a desire to produce sustainable, ethical and zero waste designs was the goal.
“Knowing that the fashion industry is one of the top contributors to global pollution motivated us to make a difference in the industry,” Emma says.
“We’re both environmentalists at heart and growing up in the Grampians National Park gave us a strong connection to nature.”
Folktribe Clothing pieces are designed in-house and produced locally using 100 per cent hemp fabric, cotton tags and coconut buttons. To avoid spreading chemicals into waterways, each design is botanically hand-dyed, with off-cuts used to create upcycled produce bags, highlighting the label’s zero waste ethos.
“Being a regional-based business doesn’t limit us in any way, in fact I believe that it has made our business stronger,” Emma says.
“People assume that we miss out on opportunities or find it hard to network and such, but we don’t see it that way, with technology allowing us to work and connect with so many amazing people across the world.”
While the area was spared by this year’s bushfires, the ripple effects are still being felt by regional businesses.
“Kel is a forest firefighter, so she saw the impacts of the bushfires. It’s easy to think these things have gone away once the media has stopped reporting them, but we all need to continue supporting our local business.”
RUNDELL AND RUNDELL
It is unexpectedly serene in chairmaker Glen Rundell’s Kyneton workshop, with no noisy machinery, earmuffs or yelling.
Instead there is quiet, contemplative work as he uses traditional methods and vintage hand tools to create bespoke chairs.
“When I make you a chair, the first thing I’ll ask you is to think about who you’ll hand it down to,” Glen says.
“These are an investment, an heirloom piece that will be passed down through generations to come.”
Glen started off as an apprentice plumber more than 35 years ago but after a few career changes, including time as a police officer, his love of woodwork prevailed.
In 2009 he travelled to the US to study with master craftsman Curtis Buchanan, a renowned Windsor chairmaker in Tennessee, and fell in love with American-style Windsor chairs.
His bespoke chairs, stools and rockers — made from salvaged blackwood, elm and timber from around the region — are highly sought after by private collectors and buyers.
Glen, who also teaches chairmaking, says the hardest part of making chairs is passing them on to their new owners.
In 2014, Glen and wife Lisa started the Lost Trades Fair in Kyneton to showcase traditional trades no longer practised and provide a platform for artisans including coopers, leather workers, blacksmiths and knife makers.
More than 7000 people attended the inaugural fair, but it has since been moved to Bendigo to accommodate the more than 20,000 visitors it now attracts. The next fair is planned for March 2021.
About an hour’s drive from Melbourne, Kyneton is a popular destination with an array of renowned restaurants, wineries and cafes, day spas, boutiques and accommodation.
SUPPORT VICTORIAN BUSINESS: Get your 24-page Click for Vic magazine in today’s Herald Sun or in our digital edition.
THREE OTHER LABELS PROUDLY MADE IN VICTORIA
KIITOS LIVING BY DESIGN
With a long history in Barwon Heads, Maria Malakellis now runs two stores in the region, expanding her designer homewares and textile gallery store to include an in-house range of linen wear that caters for women of all shapes and sizes.
CUTTLE JEWELLERY
Launching a business during a pandemic isn’t easy, but Marcus Foley and Dore Stockhausen like a challenge.
The husband-and-wife team’s latest venture uses new and recycled materials to produce quirky, one-of-a-kind pieces at their oneofftwo studio gallery in East Gippsland. cuttleuniverse.com
WOOTTEN
Made to order, custom made or bespoke, the cordwainer and leather business celebrates the fine art of handmade shoes and accessories.
The company embraces regional and city life, with a workshop in Ballarat and store in Richmond.
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