WORDS BY LARINE STATHAM
Beautiful garments have the ability to make us feel confident, energised and attractive. Clothing that fits properly and suits our body type can immediately put us at ease, ready to face the day.
Bundaberg may not be Paris, Milan or NYC, but this sleepy coastal town has its own latent style and is home to a handful of fantastic clothing boutiques that stock quality pieces from some of Australia’s top designers.
Like other brick-and-mortar retailers, clothing boutiques have combated the rise of online shopping by providing excellent customer service or adding their own e-commerce platform to their business.
As online shopping has increased in recent years, public concern has grown globally about the environmental and social impacts of so-called ‘fast fashion’. The fast fashion industry supply chain was forced to a grinding halt worldwide with the coronavirus shutdown. Racks of unsold clothes and rolls of fabric were languishing in warehouses.
Yet, in Bundaberg, it’s business as usual for four fabulous local fashion designers and milliners, who operate on a made- to-order basis. With tape measures draped around their necks and pins between their teeth, they guide fabric through whirring sewing machines.
They’re designing clothing for their own stores and creating bespoke garments and accessories that will soon be delivered directly to their customers. Perhaps it’s a sign of a return to the good old days of fashion, when long- lasting quality and unique, personal style really meant something!
Crush Magazine spoke to just four of the Bundaberg Region’s amazing fashion creators.