Our February Favourites: Local Designers and Makers
This month is all about love here at Bowerbird, and sharing some of our favourite local designers who are producing products we can’t get enough of! As you may have seen, we are starting brand new workshops this year, allowing the Bowerbird experts to teach you all the knowledge behind the business. You can read all about these on our blog post here. Creativity is a wonderful gift, and it’s twice as nice when you can share the love and learn from your surroundings. At Bowerbird, we have always maintained our passion for sustainable design and ethical production. It is fundamental to our practice, and it comes with years of dedication to the skill. This also comes from soaking in our surroundings and seeing wonderful ways in which other local makers are driving forward their business. Having said this, it makes sense that we turn our attention now to those designers, people whom we admire and appreciate. Bowerbird Collections has always been a Brisbane based company, with most of our products being assembled right here in our own Paddington store. This year we are even focusing on providing workshops to the community, sharing our years of knowledge as local designers. We believe in the importance of supporting Australian made products! It is fundamental to us to make a conscientious effort to source our materials ethically. As this is something we hold so dear, it makes us extra happy when we
Local Makers – Bespoke Bags and Sustainable Design With Kim from Oxlade & Heart
It’s no secret that we are a fan of local maker Oxlade & Heart and the wonderful work they’re creating! Founder Kim Regan is a close friend and inspirational local maker with who we have had the pleasure of collaborating on a number of pieces. However, Oxlade & Heart's range extends far beyond our collaborations and is a wonderful local brand focusing on bespoke items with a zero-waste initiative! How great is that? I wanted to know more about the brand, its humble beginnings, and what the future looks like. Kim Regan happily sat down for a chat about what Oxlade & Heart means to her. Hi there! Who is the creative behind Oxlade & Heart? I'm Kim Regan. I grew up in a creative family; my mother was a potter and my dad was always making or building something. So making was my norm. There was always an emphasis on creative freedom, if you had an idea you made it. At school, my first job was in a beautiful textile store. After school, I studied Interior Design in Brisbane and then traveled the world as a textiles wholesaler. In 2001 I was working in Chelsea Harbour in London within the interior design industry. Chelsea Harbour is the textile hub for textile suppliers from around the globe. The handbag inspiration came from all the beautiful textiles from around the globe. I feel so many of these beautiful textiles weren't able to be appreciated by
The Bowerbird Catch-Up: All About Workshops and Our Brand New Gallery Space!
We're back and ready to jump into 2021 with a whole new list of exciting projects here at Bowerbird, including WORKSHOPS and a brand new GALLERY SPACE! That's right, the girls at Bowerbird have manifested the perfect space for their creative expansion and we are ready to bring it to you just in time for 2021! We have so much exciting news to share with you we don't even know where to begin, so let's just dive right in. Why Workshops? Here at Bowerbird, our creative practices are constantly expanding and changing. We love discovering new skills, experimenting with interesting ideas, and pushing the boundaries of our faithful toolkits. As our loyal readers will already know, we are passionate about creativity and sustainability, and marrying these two passions to create something beautiful that is made to last. Not quite sure what we're talking about? Check out our blog post dedicated to introducing our practice here at Bowerbird Collections. Some of our wonderful collaborations with local makers. Not only are we passionate about creativity and sustainability, but we are also dedicated to the idea of a community that shares its knowledge. We surround ourselves with other like-minded local makers. We collaborate on products with makers such as Blue & Grae, Oxlade & Heart, and Alexandra Matthews. It is so important to us to be involved in a community that is driven by the same goals and inspiration. Naturally, with two creative minds ready to share
Bowerbird Gift Ideas for the Sustainable Shopper!
Once again the season of gift-giving is upon us, and the Bowerbird Girls have brought together their favourite gift ideas for you! We know it can be a tricky time of the year. Amidst all the hustle and bustle of finishing up the year, we also think about ways we can show our loved ones we care. Suddenly, it's the final minute at the shops and you're scrambling to find something that might fit the person on your list. Why All The Talk About Gift-Giving? This year, you can say goodbye to the gifts that aren't necessary or those last-minute attempts. We have put together a few of our favourite gift ideas for the sustainable shopper. These gifts are a great way to show your loved ones you care, without causing a negative impact on the environment. BONUS! You can also support local makers. Often when we buy last-minute gifts that are in our budget, we don‘t pay too much attention to how the gift was made. This is completely natural and the hard-to-avoid trap of the gift-giving season! Whether it be fast fashion, unethically manufactured or unnecessary items, buying gifts ain‘t always easy! Every day feels like Christmas in the Bowerbird store! Is It Necessary? Firstly, we can ask ourselves: does this person in our life really need or expect a gift? Often in the mania of Christmas time, brands are telling us we need to buy, buy, buy! This can lead to unnecessary gifts
Get To Know Your Fabrics: What Does It Really Mean To Be Sustainable?
How to find sustainable fabrics! We‘re back with another helpful post to help you navigate the world of all sustainable fabrics. It can seem like everytime we go shopping, words like sustainably sourced, ethically made, slow fashion are thrown around. So how can we know what that really means? How do we easily spot the go-to sustainable fabrics? This week, we are going to learn together the classic staples, the difference between man made or synthetic, sustainable fabrics plus our favorite new initiatives that we have been hearing about! Did someone say Bananatex?! Happy reading! First Things First: Easy To Spot Fibres! In a recent blog post, we‘ve touched on how to shop sustainably. This includes various broad tips and tricks from the girls here at Bowerbird on how we like to approach our consumption with a switched-on mindset. If you haven‘t read it yet, you can find it here! It‘s a great place to start. We also have written about what we do as a company; you can find that here! Now that we all know our basics, and the basics of each fibres, we‘re going to delve a little deeper into the production of some of our favourite sustainable fabrics. This includes how we can understand the process to help us shop a little smarter! Cotton Cotton. This is a tricky one, but as it's a natural fibre, we are in full support. Cotton can require an immense amount of water to grow, and
An Easy Guide To Classic House Plants
House plants. One of our favorite go-tos for brightening up a living space and adding a breath of fresh air. No matter which space you‘re in, a plant or two can dramatically liven up the place and help it feel alive. House plants can be a wonderful tool in your decorating kit and have many positive benefits for the space around you! I know, I know. Sometimes it can feel like a commitment. Maybe you feel a little worried about the caring role for the plant. Luckily for you, we have the solution. I have compiled a list of my favorite go-to house plants to help liven up your living space, and bring a smile to your dial! First Things First Though, Why House Plants? Air Quality Did you know that house plants can have a positive effect on the quality of the air? It‘s true! It‘s inevitable that when we live or work in a busy place, we are going to be inhaling a lot of pollution. Couple this with all the carbon dioxide that we inhale from those around us and it‘s safe to say that we aren‘t getting the fresh, clean, outside air our bodies desire. Now I‘m not saying that house plants will solve all your breathing problems, but they will at least provide you with some healthy, happy air. By absorbing the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the plants then filter it through their microorganisms and give it back to
How to Shop Sustainably. Simple Tips and Tricks from the Girls at Bowerbird!
It seems more and more that every time we enter a store or scroll through our instagram newsfeed we face the dilemma of how to shop sustainably. As the growing trend for green fashion rises, so does the opportunity for businesses to market to you based on these interests. But how do you really know the difference between a green lifestyle and just plain greenwashing? Here are some simple tips and tricks from us here to navigate the sustainable world and make your shopping habits twice as nice! First things first. What really IS a sustainable product? Plain and simple, a sustainable product provides benefits for the environment, society and the economy. It is a product that is transparent from start to finish. Sustainable products are made within fair working conditions. They are products which materials have been ethically sourced. A sustainable product is aware of its impact on the climate and takes steps to reduce said impact. What is Fast Fashion? To identify this, let’s first take a look at what is not sustainable. The fast-fashion model foundation is cheap manufacture to sell vast quantities of low-cost profits to make a profit. In order to encourage consumer consumption, the companies convince the customer that they need the latest product. That their life will be improved by acquiring the latest product. That in order to be trendy/happy, the perpetual buying of low value, fast-moving products is a necessary commitment. Nobody is Perfect Though! However, we know that we are not perfect
Handcrafting the Bowerbird Earrings!
Here at Bowerbird Collections we love making and experimenting with new ethical jewellery! If you've popped into our store or peeped at our Instagram you may have noticed our colourful range of ceramic jewellery. These little pieces add such a lovely pop of colour to any outfit. We believe that ethical jewellery is just as much a piece of your lifelong wardrobe as your favourite coat or pair of jeans. This is why we think it is so important to provide an alternative to colourful earrings made with plastic or low quality metals. Peta is always busy making sure we have enough of each colour, she even hand paints the stripes and spots on every little bell.Photo Credit: Bowerbird Collections This weeks blog post is all about our creative process and what spurred us to start making ceramic, ethical jewellery in the first place. Like everything created at Bowerbird, these were an idea that took careful preparation and planning. For us, it is always about creating timeless pieces that we love to wear. Aren't they so sweet lined up in a row
Our Go-To List of Ethical Wool Brands to Get Cosy at Home With
Winter is soon upon us! I don't know about you guys but even here in Brisbane we are feeling the chill and the need for some ethical wool! Couple that with the sudden need to stay inside and remake our routines. Well it looks like comfortable clothing is on the menu! And what can be cosier than some comforting wool to wrap around you. Even better though, is the option of comforting AND ethical wool. At Bowerbird we have a focus on sustainable practices, and consciously choose our materials to work with. We offer natural fibres for our clothing, vegan alternative handbags and leather pieces that utilise offcuts. We are not perfect. But we try to do our very best. To read more about what we do, check it out on our blog post about sustainability. Wool itself can be a controversial material. Couple that with companies greenwashing and you might find it incredibly difficult to navigate the brands. We believe in quality over quantity and support high quality garments with a slow-fashion mentality. After all, leather shoes you buy to last a lifetime are certainly more sustainable than 20 pairs of synthetic, trendy ones. But what does it mean to be ethical wool? Photo Credit: Jeff Whitlock, Pinterest What makes it ethical wool? I'm not going to beat around the bush here. Wool is a tricky one when produced large scale. But there are some incredibly sustainable and long lasting features of it
Freshen up Your Living Space – Simple Tips and Tricks to Bring New Life Into Your Home
Nowadays we seem to be spending a lot more time at home, taking in our living space. For most, the living space is a place where you can unwind and be yourself. A place where you can surround yourself with things that make you happy, and express your personality. However, it also may be a place that you haven't had much time to refresh and update. Somewhere that has fallen by the wayside as other commitments have taken priority. With all this time at home the living space is the new office, social event and personal area. Maybe you are starting to realise your living space is in dire need of an update, and you feel the sudden urge to rejuvenate and bring new life into it. Redoing your living space doesn't mean a brand new renovation. It doesn't even mean throwing out the old and bringing in the new. Here at Bowerbird, we place emphasis on using what you have around you before buying brand new. We've put together a list to help guide you through our simple tips and tricks to bring new life into a tired space. With steps varying from simple refreshers to dramatic overhauls. Before you start though we recommend considering this