After many years working in the corporate world in Melbourne – followed by a move to Tasmania to renovate a house and start a family with her orthopaedic surgeon husband Josh Petterwood – Emma became increasingly interested in the domains of fashion and style.

And after initially selling clothing brands designed by others in a Hobart boutique, the now 41-year-old has found herself at the helm of her very own clothing line – which has already proven more successful than she could ever have imagined.

Petterwood launched Romy The Brand at the end of 2022, presenting a high-quality collection of classic wardrobe essentials along with artful pieces featuring bold, limited-edition prints by Australian artists, which quickly attracted a strong following both locally and internationally.

Petterwood’s designs are already stocked by major retailers David Jones and The Iconic – as well as in a range of smaller boutiques across Australia – and she’s now preparing to launch into the US and Asia in October, with luxury department store Harvey Nichols in Hong Kong and some independent retailers in Texas and Florida set to stock Petterwood’s Tasmanian designs.

Petterwood will alsoshowcase Romy at Melbourne Fashion Week in October, and will unveil her newest Resort25 collection – the same collection that will be launched in the US and Asia later this year – at the Tasmanian Fashion Festival this weekend, with a runway show and after-party on Sunday September 1.

Now in its third year, the Tasmanian Fashion Festival has become a leading platform to showcase local fashion businesses and brands, with two days of events planned for this weekend (August 31 and September 1) on Hobart’s waterfront.

“It’s really exciting,’’ Petterwood says of the rapid expansion of her business, which started as a one-woman enterprise but now employs a small team of Tasmanian staff.

“We are almost two years into this journey – Romy launched in December 2022 – and we’ve had unexpected growth with wholesale partnerships that I was not really expecting to happen so quickly.

“I really believe in the product and I believe in the artist collaborations that we do, it’s amazing to shine a light on those artists through fashion.’’

The idea for a stylish yet sustainable fashion brand actually materialised when Petterwood started renovating her “forever home” in Sandy Bay eight years ago, as she became far more mindful of the importance of buying once and buying well.

The fashion-conscious marketing professional – who has worked for corporate giants such as Australia Post and Macquarie Bank as well as helping to set up and run Petterwood Orthopaedics in Hobart – hired Melbourne designer David Flack to help inspire the home’s design and he taught her a very valuable lesson along the way.

“We were building our forever home so all of a sudden we were making these forever purchases – furniture, fixtures and fittings,’’ Petterwood recalls.

“I had been buying Ikea furniture before that, which has an expiry date. But my thinking really shifted over into forever pieces … and buying less because you are buying quality.’’

It was a concept that began flowing into her wardrobe choices as well, as she started to redefine her style following the births of her children Charlie, now 9, and Leo, 7.

And eventually this desire for a more sustainable approach to fashion inspired the idea for a new business.

After Eight launched in December 2020 in Petterwood’s garage, as a Hobart-based retail website curating the best of local and international sustainable high-end fashion brands.

The name After Eight was chosen to reflect “the time of day we women with children, pets and jobs sit down in front of the computer and just browse”.

Petterwood also held local pop-up events in Hobart to allow shoppers to see, touch and try on garments before purchasing, while also picking up a few styling tips and learning more about the importance of adopting a more sustainable approach to fashion.

The pop-ups were so successful that Petterwood opened a second-floor After Eight showroom in the Salamanca precinct in late 2021. She later moved into a shopfront in Murray St for a pop-up in late 2022, before taking on a permanent lease in January 2023.

That shopfront recently closed, as Petterwood felt she was stretched too thinly with After Eight – which sold more than 10,000 garments during its existence – and she wanted to invest more effort into her rapidly expanding fashion line Romy The Brand.

She says Romy is about modern, classic, female fashion, with a focus on timeless silhouettes made using sustainable materials.

“Part of Romy’s DNA is to provide sustainable, beautifully-made pieces that will be worn often and for years to come, at an accessible price point,” Petterwood said when launching the label.

The hero of Petterwood’s debut collection – a two-piece set made from recycled viscose featuring a quirky print dubbed ‘The Salamanca’ – was inspired by the sandstone facades and vibrant lifestyle of the precinct.

Petterwood collaborated with Tasmanian artist Anouk Colantoni to bring ‘The Salamanca’ print to life.

“The intention for Romy was that it was only going to be an in-house brand of After Eight,’’ Petterwood says.

“I had no intention to make it a business by itself. But when I launched that collection with Anouk Colantoni – Romy’s first collection – and the print sold out in about two months, I realised that potentially it had more of an opportunity than I initially planned for.’’

As a buyer with After Eight she had formed strong relationships with agents across Australia and “decided to wholesale Romy and see what happens”.

In its first season the brand was picked up by Coco and Lola – an online store which also has shopfronts in Perth, Sydney and Melbourne – which curates premium Australian designer brands.

The following season David Jones and The Iconic picked up the brand, and interest has continued to grow, proving that big things can come from a small place like Tasmania. Petterwood has loved seeing the high-calibre brands that Romy is now confidently standing next to.

“I think that Tasmania, despite us being at the bottom of Australia and the bottom of the world as they say, there’s still so many wonderful things going on in the culture, art and fashion space. We certainly aren’t being left behind anymore,” Petterwood says.

“That Tassie story, the narrative of the brand – being from Tasmania has been really positive for us, people love that story.”

A big focus of Romy is collaborations with artists, and Petterwood says the collaborative pieces are her strongest sellers.

Her current Spring collection includes a collaboration with Tasmanian artist Loralee Jade, while her new Resort collection features a collaboration with Sydney artist Jake Pedro.

Petterwood always loved art at school, and says being introduced to various galleries as she started collecting art in the process of renovating her home renewed her early interest in art.

“Working with David Flack and being around someone as clever and as creative as him really did spark something in me,’’ Petterwood explains of her house renovation.

“David started introducing me to galleries … and being around that really ignited a fire which I’d probably always had in me.’’

She says After Eight gave her “a pretty good read on what customers were buying” so when it came to designing she felt she had a good insight into what the market wanted.

Petterwood believes the brand’s success stems from the fact that it caters successfully for women of all ages, with her customers ranging from 18 through to 60.

“The silhouettes, and the prints, do lend themselves to be quite age-inclusive,’’ Petterwood explains.

She says items like oversized shirts can easily be worn by women of any age, and styled in different ways.

The limited-edition nature of her clothing – which is produced sustainably, from certified fabrics, in small batches from small, family-run factories – is also a big part of the appeal, and shoppers are also keen to support a small Tasmanian business.

The only item she has included in her ranges more than once is her bomber jacket, as it’s one of her bestsellers.

“The bomber jacket is the only item I’ve recut,’’ Petterwood says.

“It’s just an anomaly, it’s only because there’s so much demand for it.’’

Petterwood says she has been fortunate to have had “lots of wonderful mentorship” during her fashion designing journey, for which she is thankful.

She initially worked with a consultant – to help her shape her original ideas, work on technical drawings, and put her in touch with factories.

But she quickly realised she wanted to do everything herself, and brought everything in-house, working from an office in her Sandy Bay home, with the help of four permanent staff and three contractors who are all Tasmanian, and bring a wealth of varied fashion experience to the business.

“One of the best things to come out of this is that we’re creating jobs for Tasmanians that previously weren’t here,’’ Petterwood says.

“Being able to create some opportunities for women, including people who previously thought they would have to go interstate for these roles, has been unexpected but wonderful.’’

Petterwood recently returned from a trip to China, where she visited the two small, family-run factories where her garments are made.

Petterwood admits she’s still adjusting to the “ebbs and flows” of the fashion world and is constantly striving to make each new collection better than her last.

Understanding that she has to have her head across three different seasons at once has also been a learning curve.

“You’re designing one, launching one, and also finalising one in middle … sometimes in the same week,’’ Petterwood says.

“I’m still learning … I didn’t go to fashion school, but I am a designer … it’s deliberate and it’s new and it’s exciting. I love the rush of it all, I love that hustle, I work really well under pressure and it’s such a joy to see the product shine.

“I do sometimes have that self doubt – when we do a photo shoot and the model puts the clothes on and the stylist does their thing … I go in uncertain but I come out feeling so excited.’’

Petterwood has a rule that she has to wear at least one piece of Romy clothing every day, even when she’s working from home – and she loves the buzz of seeing people walking down the street, or sharing snaps on Instagram, while wearing her designs.

Although After Eight is closed, Petterwood still has her Murray St lease until the end of the year and hopes to hold a couple of pop-up events in the space for upcoming Romy collections.

“I still get surprised. I can’t believe people are buying and supporting me,’’ she says.

“It’s such a joy and such a thrill, I’m so grateful to all my customers. It genuinely brings a little flutter to my heart when I see people wearing my designs.’’

She’s certainly glad she ditched the corporate world in favour ofa new adventure and she’s excited by what the future may hold for her and Romy The Brand.

“Leaving the corporate world was the best decision I’ve ever made,’’ Petterwood says.

“Looking back, I realise that environment never truly suited my personality.

“Understanding now how much I have to give, I feel like a completely new person. It took a nudge from my very supportive husband, Josh, and the confidence to back myself and believe in what I have to offer. Once I did that, the magic really happened.’’ •

The Tasmanian Fashion Festival will showcase Tasmanian fashion businesses and brands with events at Hobart’s Princes Wharf 1 on Saturday August 31 (6.30pm – 11pm) and Sunday September 1 (10.30am – 4pm). Tickets from $35-$85. The Romy Closing Show will be held at Mac 02 on September 1 at 5pm, followed by an After Party at Frogmore Creek Wine Bar. Tickets are $40. For details about the festival visittasmanianfashionfestival.com.au.

For details about Romy visit romythebrand.com