fashion design and photography whilst Jennifer
has a background in textile design/printing,
colour & design and printmaking.
What sparked you to create your business?
Late in 2010 my mother and I were chatting
away over a cup of tea, flicking through a few
design magazines at her kitchen table when she
pushed a page of cushions under my nose and
made the comment “why aren’t we doing this”
and that was how it all started.
What processes are involved in creating
your pieces?
A lot of drawing, scribbling, scrunching up paper
and then more drawing followed by too many
hours of Photoshopping (and a lot of hair pulling)
until the design is just right. This may take up to
a year, or may take a few hours. We then send
the design off to our screenprinting supplier to
be processed. After we have hand mixed our
inks and printed each design it is then on to
manufacturing which is either completed by us
or if it is a large order we send it to our amazing
sewing team in Sydney.
What inspires you in your designs?
I am inspired by almost everything and anything!
I could be watching an old black and white
movie or having a coffee in one of Melbourne’s
hidden laneways and something will catch my
eye and it tends to snowball from there. It could
be anything from a colour to someone’s tattoo
or even the scent of a candle that kicks me into
design mode. I find that I do some of my best
work in the middle of the night when insomnia
strikes, so I have learnt to keep a notebook
beside the bed.
What do you love the most about having
your own label?
I love being my own boss! I have never felt
content to just work day in/day out in the same
job for too long, I need to feel challenged and that
is what The Home Collective is for me, every day.
Who are some of your favourite designers?
I am in awe at the level of talented designers
we have here in Australia but I really
couldn’t pick a favourite.
What is your favourite item in
your store right now and why?
I would have to say my favourite
item at the moment is our new
season Hello Lover cushion
in the Copper on Charcoal
hemp. I am currently
obsessed with all things Copper
and am completely in love with the thick textured
Hemp/Cotton canvas fabric teamed with the fact
that I have had this design sitting in my ideas
folder for a while and now it’s been brought to life!
What are your plans for the future?
We would love to expand The Home Collective
to include a range of ceramics and bedding. We
have been working on The Mini Collective - our
kids label - for some time and hope to release
it soon! The dream is to open our own store/
work shop offering classes and services to small
businesses.
Is there anything else you would like to tell
us about your business?
We will be attending our very first Life Instyle
trade show this July/August in Melbourne! Come
and say hello!
Contact:
The Home Collective
[email protected]
www.thehomecollective.com.au