Innholdsfortegnelse for Summer 2015 i Peppermint Magazine

I’ve never really been one to adhere to the thinking that ‘you’ll know when the time feels right’. I tend to jump in whether it feels right or wrong – I’m not entirely sure if that’s a good or bad thing! As someone who has dealt with a fair amount of personal loss in my life, I’ve learned that life can be fleeting and should absolutely not be wasted. Add to that an often mismatched personality combination of a little introvertedness coupled with a lot of determination, means I live by the motto of ‘feel the fear and do it anyway’. Starting Peppermint is a perfect example. It was right in the middle of the GFC, I had no financial backing and little support and yet decided it was the…

THE ART OF ACCESSORIES Handmade using traditional techniques (and recycled silver wherever possible), Melbourne-based Victoria Mason’s striking jewellery tells a story through every piece. With collections that include Enamelled, Precious, Small Sculpture, Treasure Map and Bookends, Victoria’s elegant designs offer something for everyone: tiny fortune cookie pendants and craft scissor earrings sit alongside colourful abstract shapes and delicate precious stones. Victoria makes jewellery that’s both technically beautiful and emotionally resonant, embodying feelings, memories and ideas through these beautiful pieces of wearable art. victoriamason.com shades of gray This dreamy vintage and recycled clothing label is sure to add some colour to your wardrobe. The Gray Girls are sisters Sharee and Tess, who grew up scouring op shops and combined their graphic and fashion design and styling skills to start their own…

Best known for its wildlife zoo, the Healesville Sanctuary, this picturesque town in the Yarra Valley narrowly escaped most of the widespread destruction from the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires. With its historic buildings and prolific wildlife intact, the area is now overflowing with an abundance of good food and great wine – much of it farmed sustainably, and all grown and shared with thought and care for the region and its ecosystem. Wineries line the lush landscape in all directions and are the main destination for the many tourists that visit, but there’s also plenty to explore sans flute in hand. SHOP Start your shopping trip at Morris Brown, a carefully curated store on the main strip that’s overflowing with stylish eco gifts for the home, body and soul –…

1/ COCOFRIO ICE CREAM We’re going coco-loco for this delectable dairy-free and gluten-free ice cream made from organic coconut milk and other all-natural ingredients – with flavours including Caramel Honey Macadamia, Choc Raspberry Ripple, Mango and more. Made in Melbourne and sweetened with organic brown rice syrup and organic stevia, Cocofrio serves up a guilt-free dose of deliciousness with every spoonful. cocofrio.com.au $11.95 - 13.95 2/ GIMME CHIPS SEAWEED RICE CHIPS Satisfy those snack-time cravings with these marvellously moreish seaweed rice chips. Bursting with ‘umami’ – the sensationally savoury ‘fifth taste’ – these chips are also packed with good stuff thanks to the nutrient and vitamin density of seaweed. Choose from Teriyaki, Sea Salt or Wasabi flavours – it’s crunch time! gimmehealth.com $4.99 3/ GEFU SPIRALFIX SPIRAL SLICER Cut through…

Her abstract works see playful line and form meld with meticulous colourways, embodying the natural world, hope and positivity on vibrant canvases. The Byron Bay native has called Melbourne home for eight years, and has now taken the next leap in connecting her two passions. An oasis of rhythm and release, Good Vibes Yoga studio is Kirra’s new venture, fostering a mindful and empowered community in her neighbourhood of Northcote. “Just having a routine and showing up each day is the most important thing to get the most out of my creative self. For me, making work is the best way to stay inspired.” “We usually lived across the road from the ocean; it was just Mum and I. We’d wake up early in the mornings and go for a…

“Mostly it was a feeling, and seeing the beauty of life dedicated to craft: always learning, evolving and understanding” Tell us about your background and how you got into pottery... Just over four years ago I cycled from Patagonia, Argentina to Ecuador. I was on my bicycle for 10 months and spent much of that time in the Andes. Along the way I was invited into many homes, and experienced the joy and beauty of living closely with pottery and handcrafted goods. This is really where I fell in love with pottery. The following year, my partner Bridget and I travelled through India for 12 months. We were drinking chai in a town called Dharamsala, fascinated by the handmade cup in which it was served. We visited the pottery studio…

But as Melbourne entrepreneur Vinita Baravkar discovered, too often we’re unintentionally sleeping with the enemy – because our luxurious linens are packed full of chemical nasties. Would it be possible to make bedding that’s good for us, good for the environment and good for every person involved in its production, she wondered? A few years of intensive research later, Bhumi Organic Cotton was born. “Bhumi means Mother Earth in Sanskrit. So it’s connecting us all back to what we stand on - this beautiful planet.” It was watching barefooted women tend cotton fields in India and Bangladesh that first opened Vinita’s eyes to the dark side of the textile industry. With a background in international public health, Vinita travelled regularly to rural agricultural areas, where she witnessed firsthand the terrible…

There are no vast landscapes or rolling hills either; just a lone 12-acre block of vegetation trying to survive amongst a sea of tiled rooftops. This is the last farm in Birkdale, Queensland. Second-generation farmer Franco Cencig has lived on this land all his life. Under the name Lunar Farm Organics, he grows biodynamic seasonal fruit and vegetables, selling at local farmers’ markets on weekends. He’s watched urban sprawl devour this corner of the Redlands, transforming what was once Brisbane’s salad bowl into a grid of carbon copy houses and bitumen. “I sprayed one day and I felt sick. I thought, this is not right. So I tried to get smarter” Franco’s parents migrated to Australia from Italy in the 1950s. “They got dropped off by the boat in Sydney…

BASHFUL GARTER These striking socks from Adelaide-based textile designer Julie White embrace Australiana with fun pop prints that include prawns and pavlova. Sock it to ‘em! bashfulgarter.com ‘MY FAMILY TABLE’ Nourish the whole family with New Zealander Eleanor Ozich’s My Family Table cookbook, full of delicious, wholesome recipes that celebrate natural ingredients and fuss-free cooking. murdochbooks.com.au ELK AND INA Brighten up any outfit with a stylish obi belt from sustainable Brisbane brand Elk and Ina. Each belt is lovingly handmade using upcycled vintage kimono fabric. elkandina.com JUST BE Summer days are sorted with this organic cotton tank from ethical clothing company Just be. Apparel. Featuring the vintage-style ‘just be’ print, it’s available in black or white. justbeapparel.com LULUDU Cute, colourful and conscious crochet shoes, designed in Australia by Alana Deukett…

Teresa’s new cookbook, ‘Purely Delicious’, showcases her passion for natural, delicious ingredients and wholesome cooking. “My food philosophy is ‘keep it simple, keep it fresh, make it yourself ’,” she explains. “Eating healthy isn’t as complicated as it’s often made out to be.” There’s nothing fussy about this power-packed smoothie, which is rich in probiotics, antioxidants and branched chain amino acids – to reduce fatigue, improve exercise and muscle performance and help healing. ingredients • 1 MANGO, CHOPPED • 1/2 CUP FRESHLY SQUEEZED ORANGE JUICE • 1 CUP NATURAL YOGHURT • 1/4 TEASPOON GROUND TURMERIC • 1 TEASPOON BEE POLLEN • HANDFUL OF ICE, TO BLEND method • COMBINE all the ingredients in a highperformance blender. • BLEND until smooth, lush and creamy. • ADD a little water if necessary…

sustainabilityinstyle.com KATIE ROBERTS writer I’m a write-a-holic sustainability enthusiast and ex-fast-fashion industry employee who works in plant science by day and blogs by night. The advice I’d give to my 15-year-old self is... always follow your heart not your head and don’t believe the careers teacher. Creative work can be a career, if you want it badly enough. nikkito.com NIKKI TO photographer I’m a photographer who loves shooting food, lifestyle and people, and the interaction between those three subjects. The advice I’d give to my 15-year-old self is... Dad is right and, actually, he’s pretty cool. I always thought my dad was a bit of a dweeb, but looking back, he’s always been a man ahead of his time – a real forward thinker. wordlovebykate.com KATE ERLENBUSCH writer I’m a…

“We wanted to create pieces that were ethically produced and celebrated the handmade process, but were also authentic to the natural style that we love” It was years later, while living in New York City with her husband, Andy, that she began channelling her own creativity into textile design. Being avid travellers, when the Wortlocks returned home to Australia in 2013 they carried precious cargo: a collection of cotton scarves handwoven in Ethiopia, and the beginnings of their new business. Fairly traded under the label Once Was Lost, Laura’s evolving range of homespun designs in muted colourways and subtle patterns are just the kind of ethical product many people have been searching for. “I saw a growing trend towards fairly traded products, which I loved conceptually,” Laura says of the…

But while the usual soft drink offerings – with their excessive sugar, artificial colour and flavour and caffeine levels – don’t exactly fill us with joy, we’re happy to say there are some better, healthier and more ethically sourced options on the market. Peppermint has slurped (and, ahem, burped) our way through some of the finest bubbly beverages to bring you a few tasty alternatives that’ll provide sweet relief on sizzling summer afternoons. Hic, hic, hooray! ALL GOOD ORGANICS KARMA COLA Not only is this cola tangy and delicious, it comes with an additional dose of good karma with every sip. Made from organic and Fairtrade ingredients – including real cola nut from Boma village in Sierra Leone, vanilla bean from the Forest Garden Growers Association in Sri Lanka and…

Jamie Marloo Thomas is a traditional custodian and cultural leader for his Peek Whurrung people. With his partner and co-founder Sara Jones, Jamie has established Wayapa – the first internationally recognised wellness practice based on Australian Indigenous knowledge, which combines mindfulness, visualisation, narrative meditation, dance and ceremony in a unique sequence of movement. “We often just focus on our own wellness. People say, ‘Oh, I need to take care of my mental or my spiritual or physical health’,” explains Jamie. “But true wellness – from an Aboriginal perspective – comes from the environment. If you live in a healthy environment, you reap the benefits of wellness. If your environment is well, you are well.” But it’s impossible to reap the benefits of a healthy environment without a connection to it.…

“What if everyone, regardless of their style, got together and rallied around a crisis?” Seane Corn has often wondered. One of the world’s most celebrated Vinyasa Flow teachers and an eloquent proponent of yoga’s real-world applications, Seane has set out to answer her own question through initiatives such as Off the Mat Into the World, Yoga Votes and The Oasis. Through the process of ‘radical self-enquiry’, she teaches self-accountability and empathy, helping thousands of people to find a voice in the social justice narrative, mobilising young leaders and raising millions of dollars for humanitarian aid in the process. “Yoga allows us to understand each other. It creates space for enquiry and gives us the tools to navigate conversations about racism, sexism and homophobia.” It was 1987 when a young Seane,…

And it’s just one of the ways that ethical online shopping platform and fashion label Zady is rejecting fast fashion’s status quo and carving out a better, more transparent way of doing business. By stocking responsibly produced brands, and telling their stories through their website, US-based Zady – who’ve been described as ‘the Whole Foods of fashion’ – are making it easier for consumers to know exactly where their garments have come from, every step of the way. IT ALL STARTS WITH CREATING THINGS THAT ARE TRULY BEAUTIFUL; THAT, TO US, IS WHAT IT MEANS TO BE SUSTAINABLE. CREATE A PRODUCT THAT IS INSPIRED, THAT IS MADE WITH THE VERY BEST MATERIALS AND WITH A PROCESS THAT HAS THE LOWEST IMPACT. IN THAT WAY WE CAN LOVE EVERYTHING WE PURCHASE.…

Through her personal styling business, Back of the Wardrobe, she helps women create new looks with the clothing they already own. And now, joining forces with a talented team of helpers, Emma has created an annual event called Charity Fashion Live that coincides with one day of shows at London Fashion Week. For this event, she recreates the hottest looks off the runway in record time, using only secondhand clothes from a London Oxfam shop – proving that, with a little creative flair, it’s possible to look bang on trend while giving secondhand garments a brand new lease of life. Why did you decide to start Charity Fashion Live? My personal and professional ethos as a stylist has always been rooted in helping people to be more creative with their…

THERE’S NEVER BEEN A BETTER TIME TO MAKE WAVES IN THE WORLD. We have more resources at our fingertips than ever before – and this generation is one that will witness more change that any before it. But while there are lots of great things in our modern world, we’re also facing all kinds of global challenges: from poverty to climate change, health to fast fashion, business to food sovereignty. And some of these challenges can seem scary or insurmountable – what difference can we, as individuals, really make, and what’s the urgency? We spoke to several people taking action in their own way across different areas, who all believe that the time is now for us to step up and be part of creating that bright future we all…

The daughter of two nature-loving parents, Clare’s upbringing in country Victoria nurtured an ongoing fascination with the world that continues to shape her creative practice. Eight years ago, Clare and her husband Mark – a Research Fellow at the Monash Sustainability Institute – found the ideal place to pursue their shared passion for nature, raise their two daughters and tend to a menagerie of pets, plants and produce. Deep in the rolling hills of the Yarra Valley, in a charming town called Healesville, they’ve turned their small and simple two-bedroom house into a bright and eclectic home and studio space full of colourful op shop finds, abundant greenery and soulful art. “I feel very grateful that I have many different areas that I work in, and I get to work…

owners JC AND JENNIFER LEHUBY address 10 FOX ST, ALBION, QLD 4010 • (07) 3862 1840 • VIEILLEBRANCHE.COM.AU wares FRENCH ANTIQUE & VINTAGE FURNITURE, INDUSTRIAL LIGHTING, ANTIQUES, ORNAMENTS & COLLECTABLES “It’s a space that reflects our personalities and that is constantly evolving as our community grows” How would you describe your shop? Vieille Branche is a French antique concept store, cafe and co-working space in a backstreet warehouse in Brisbane. It’s a space that reflects our personalities and that is constantly evolving as our community grows. We haven’t followed any set path; instead, we feel our way through it and change as the store’s character develops. Our name (which we know is incredibly difficult for people to say) directly translates to ‘the old branch’, which is a colloquial way of…

READ BIG MAGIC: CREATIVE LIVING BEYOND FEAR Elizabeth Gilbert When was the last time you felt truly alive? Elizabeth Gilbert wants you to do more of the thing that makes your soul sing – whether it’s writing, painting, figure skating, making pottery or building model aeroplanes. As she argues in her illuminating book Big Magic, we’ve been led to believe that creative living is only for a lucky and talented few, when actually, it’s our birthright as human beings to freely and fully pursue any endeavour that brings us joy. Elizabeth explores the beautiful mysteries and paradoxes of the creative experience, and gives us permission to keep bravely bringing pieces of ourselves forward as an act of “stubborn gladness,” despite our many fears and shortcomings. The book features her personal…

be who you are You don’t get to do this again, you know. Life. While I cannot be certain whether you might get a chance to be reincarnated in another form, what I do know is that you will never be this way – in the form you are in – again. And so, might it be time for the real you to come out? We put off almost everything for another, supposedly better day, all the time, and hide our truest self while we do so. We want to go on a silent meditation retreat, but won’t tell anyone for fear of what they will think. As soon as we figure out how to tell our parents we no longer want to be a lawyer/architect/chemist, we’ll leave our soul-crushing…

Thanks to the good folks at the RSPCA, finding out where your food comes from just got a whole lot simpler. They’ve launched Choose Wisely, an easy-to-use online directory that tells you exactly which cafes and restaurants in Australia serve humanely farmed eggs, chicken or pork and helps you cut through all that confusing marketing speak that so often appears on our food, like ‘free range’, ‘barn raised’ and ‘cage free’. RSPCA’s Australian CEO, Heather Neil, gave us the lowdown... What prompted the RSPCA to launch Choose Wisely? With 11 million hens still confined to cages in Australia and half of Australia’s eggs being used in food service, such as cafes and restaurants, Choose Wisely plays an important part in the RSPCA’s work to help improve the lives of farm…

From the moment the husband and wife team opened Cornersmith cafe and picklery in Sydney’s Marrickville, their sustainable approach to food has been a hit with the local community. Featuring seasonal home cooking and a plethora of their signature housemade pickles, not to mention an innovative home-grown produce trading system, this welcoming space and its range of food craft workshops has helped bring people together – as well as inspiring customers to experience the joys of pickling and preserving for themselves. “Pickling has become very symbolic of what we’re about, which is slowing down, craft food, eating in season, knowing what’s going in the jar and no waste” After living in the Marrickville area in Sydney’s inner west for six years, James and Alex longed for a local cafe that…

Her textile-driven student collection ‘Threading the Past Land’ pays wistful homage to her Blue Mountains childhood through whimsical prints, strong colours and oversized shapes. All handmade with natural fibres using minimal machine stitching, Mil’s work embodies a slow fashion approach and celebrates the connection between fashion, memory and history. “Growing up, I was taught how to be creative with my hands, so this collection is as much about a nostalgic landscape as it is a creative history” What is your background? I’m a recent graduate from the Fashion and Textile Honours program at the University of Technology, Sydney. I grew up with a needle and thread constantly attached to my hand, but have spent the last six years at UTS honing my skills and aesthetic to launch my first collection.…

Inspired by the work of anti-plastic campaigner Tim Silverwood and artist Chris Jordan, Melbourne-based photographer Annette O’Brien decided to create a series of images highlighting the use of plastic packaging for fresh foods from the supermarkets. “I was prompted to assess how much plastic waste my household produced,” Annette explains, “and I was horrified to realise that despite trying to avoid plastic shopping bags, processed and packaged foods and attempting to grow vegetables in my backyard, I actually brought home a decent amount of plastic, wrapped around fruits and vegetables. We wanted to create a simple, colourful photographic series that draws attention to the overuse of plastic and encourages viewers to assess their own purchasing habits.”…

In 2013, Katie started the not-for-profit organisation The One World Collective with the hope of helping humanity shape a healthier, happier global future. Over a cup of fair trade tea one morning, she wondered if waste was the answer. Six months later, Katie turned her idea – of using salvaged material from Noosa landfill and working with Indigenous Australian communities to make and sell upcycled jewellery – into an OWCowned and managed social enterprise called EcoBling, and it’s been shining bright ever since. “So often we go through life forcing things to look a certain way until we realise that by simply letting go, the best of ourselves can shine through” “I started The One World Collective pretty clueless about the notfor-profit sector,” Katie admits. Back in 2013, “We were…

Taking inspiration from everyday life, Nina designs each collection to incorporate the fabrics, buttons, trims and other treasures she finds on her travels around the world. Kindling’s bright, bold and beautiful collections are made in small batches, each garment by one person from start to finish – proving that often, the best things come in slow packages. “In a world where nearly everything is mass produced, there is something very special about manufacturing that is transparent and honours the people involved” What is the philosophy behind Kindling? I want to make clothing that is beautifully designed and functional, while being accessible to your average modern woman. Each design aims to be a ‘go-to’ piece – one that ticks all the boxes of what to wear for women who do it…

When you were a kid, we bet you dreamed big. Maybe you wanted to grow up to be an astronaut, or a supermodel, or the Prime Minister. Maybe you wanted to write the Great Australian Novel or travel the world or just make a difference. And maybe you did – or maybe, somewhere along the way, real life got in the way and you kept putting off all those things you really wanted to do or make or be. It’s easy to file away your dreams – to promise yourself that ‘one day’ you’ll take that trip or do that course or learn that new skill. But ‘one day’ gets further and further away, and you keep telling yourself that you just don’t have the time for any more things…