I'm still waiting for my new camera to arrive, which means I can't show you the new things I'm working on at the moment... So let's talk inspiration today.

I think I really surprised myself when I started making clothes, mainly because the major love of my life has always been photography, not fashion at all. I'm still trying to avoid the words "fashion designer" as much as I can and prefer "clothing design". Cloth is such a beautiful word, don't you think?

It's not really surprising then, I guess, that my designs are mostly inspired by photos. Here's what is shaping my work right now:

photo by Ta

In other news, I'm in the process of setting up my etsy shop right here. The main difference between the shops is that on bigcartel my prices are in australian dollars, while on etsy it's US dollars, as you know.

My SHOP

is now officially open! Please check it out. It's way too late here to write more today, but I tried to cover most of the questions you might have here. Hope you find something you like :)

I'm trying to remember how it all started... Sometime in January this year, I came across a few articles on the environmental impact of textiles in Selvedge magazine. I borrowed Cradle to Cradle and devoured it in a day. From there, I just started to read everything I could find on the subject, spending days online and in the library. Sustainable textiles, and design in general. I was not working then, still waiting for a visa, and I had all the time in the world. I got scared and depressed. I never wanted to buy a new pair of jeans again. Recycling materials, fair trade practices, organic certifications, natural dyes... there were people out there, making things differently. And I think, that's what inspired me. 

I believe the process and materials and everybody involved in making become a part of what we buy and wear. I like to know where things are coming from and who made them. Since it takes so much work to grow crops and transform them into fabrics, I would love my clothes to live longer and age beautifully. And I love contemporary forms. I guess that's what I'm aiming for with Blood Orange things, so there's a lot of problem solving and experimenting to do.

despite

Despite the lack of sunlight, and my old camera refusing to work, I just can't wait anymore. I am so excited to show you what I am actually working on. Here. That's just a first peek. And there will be more. And I'll be posting everyday this week: little bits on why I'm doing this and images of course.

Shoes I made a couple of weeks ago.

I used some nice salvaged wool cloth and linen off cuts and bits of tape to make them. Keep my feet warm at home, we have cold floors.

Some very soft organic australian merino, silk yarn and yarn from new zealand, that looks almost like it's hand spun, although it's not – laid out on the table in rare winter sunlight.

Can't believe the whole month passed since I last posted here! I was feeling just a tiny bit lost in the end of this winter...  a lot of day dreaming, but also a lot of sewing have been done, and now it's time to photograph everything and show you. If the sun's generous to us, I'll be back in a few days with photos of just made things. And if you fall in love with something, there will be online shop opening next week (I hope!), and a few things in one small and beautiful melbourne shop (details to come...) in early september.

August started for us with a magical Sigur Ros gig and they made me so happy... I feel I really need to buy a copy of their new album and sing along while working.