Elk Accessories has to be one of Australia’s number one independent design success stories. From humble beginnings (and no formal training in jewellery or fashion design), Marnie Goding and partner Adam have built the business to release two collections each year covering clothing, footwear, accessories and a men’s range in their unmistakably sophisticated style.

I spoke to Marnie Goding, creative director and the driving force behind the Elk look…

Marnie Goding in Elk’s Preston, Victoria store

What were some of the highlights for Elk in 2012?
2012 was a great year for Elk in general. The highlight was our launch into the US market in August which was received with an incredible response. We confirmed representation with a well regarded agency and opened a show room in LA. We have been preparing for this launch for a few years now so to finally have it behind us and to have garnered such great results we are thrilled. It does mean that 2013 is going to be even busier!

How big is your team at Elk and what is your main role?
The team is 28 – made up mostly of full time. We have a reliable crew of casuals to call on in peak times which sees the numbers swell to 35. I am the Creative Director so am responsible for all brand and design direction covering creative, PR, marketing and advertising.

You started and continue to direct Elk with your husband Adam. What are some of the pros and cons of running a business with your partner?
We are lucky to be able to work so well together and to really love doing so…we are quite blessed. Being so busy we often don’t get to see each other much. I travel often too so sometimes it feels like we actually don’t work together! We do make sure that we don’t allow conversations at home to stray into work territory – there needs to be an off switch where work is left at the office and we actually enjoy time together as a family.

The challenge now as the business is bigger and busier to find time to reconnect or to remember how we used to work together when we first started. We are both pulled in so many directions and that problem of not seeing each other much can cause additional stresses. We have agreed that in 2013 we must make some time away from the office together to make sure we are “steering the Elk ship” in the same direction. Overall though neither of us could ever imagine not working together.

The Elk range started with jewellery and accessories but now has a clothing and footwear range as well. How do you know when the time is right to expand into a new area of design?
We have always tried to be proactive with our business but often it is a reactive process where customers requests will lead us in a new direction. We really feel our way too – meeting new suppliers and travelling to source raw materials often exposes us to new product lines.

There is always a temptation to do more, more, more however we always try to keep ranges tight and want them to “make sense”. We design as a collection where every part fits like a jigsaw. It is easier to sell when you have a complete picture rather than a random selection of bits and pieces.

Which other Australian designers and labels do you love to wear?
We are so lucky in Australia – and especially in Melbourne to have so many great labels to admire. Life With Bird, Gorman, Alpha 60, Zimmerman and Nique for casual basics are on the top of my list.

We love it when businesses are affiliated with not-for-profits. Can you tell us a bit about your involvement with UNICEF as a Champion for Children and what it means to you personally to support them?
We have always personally and professionally had charities which we support. Travelling opens your eyes to different situations and opens your heart to experiences – many outside of your comfort zone. All of our suppliers are small family owned manufacturers and provide their workers with excellent working conditions. While their efforts make a great difference outside of their business’ we see so many people in need. Children especially not only need the opportunity for education but even simpler needs for shelter, food, clean water and health care. We are so fortunate in Australia to live peacefully, freely and cleanly.

When we decided to align Elk with a charitable organisation it was a tough decision. Unicef is active in the main regions we work – India and the Philippines. Unfortunately corruption is rife in these countries and our suppliers give us first hand accounts of how much needs to be done to improve living standards. There are so many small charitable foundations in these areas but its so hard to administer where your money goes and how its used so we decided that it was best to work with a larger organisation such as Unicef.

To date we have donated around $26,000 dollars. Contributions from Elk customers are consistent and we are looking at new ways in 2013 to improve the campaign.

Any exciting plans for the label or new products that we can look forward to seeing this year?
2013 for us will be a year to “put our heads down”. The US market is already growing at a fast rate and our presence in Scandinavia is also gaining momentum. We have always maintained a preference to do everything as best we can. So to ensure we look after our domestic market whilst growing the International will mean we need to keep operations moving at a manageable pace.

The collections will feature some new materials and digital printed leather which is lovely. I have also found some time to sketch some prints too which will feature for Winter 2013 – its been nice to get back to basics and actually draw again!

All products shown here are available online at Elk Accessories.

We’re running a Membership Drive at the moment, and Elk have generously donated a $200 gift voucher for one lucky new member to spend in their Preston or online store! Find out more here.

You might remember we interviewed Tess Lloyd and Maja Rose in Conversations with Creative Women. In the book, they detailed how they met, why they began Polli, and how they built the company to be a family-friendly business with an international reputation for Australian-made, eco-friendly jewellery and accessories.

Since 2011 a few things have changed around the Polli office, but their creative output continues to be colourful and on-trend. I spoke to Tess and Maja to find out what they’ve been up to…

Tess Lloyd (left) and Maja Rose of Polli

What was Polli’s biggest achievement in 2012?
{Tess} 2012 was a really difficult year, I think our biggest achievement is staying positive, pushing ourselves to try new things and still keeping that love of what we do.

Maja, you have been living in the United States for the last few months. How has your business adapted to this change? Any tips for sustaining creative partnerships across oceans?
{Maja} Everyone tells you long distant relationships are hard, and it’s true! The first months of setting up life here were really challenging, especially with a demanding 18-month old. We’re now in a good routine where Jasper goes to ‘school’ and I have dedicated Polli time. The time zone from Sydney to Pittsburgh PA is the exact opposite. There are no crossover work hours. When I’m awake Tess is sleeping and vice versa. This means we have to be good communicators through email and I’ll regularly work after Jasper is in bed to get some hours online with Tess.

These days it’s much easier to stay connected, we use screen-sharing technology to see what each other is working on, this was great with the catalogue so Tess could see on her screen the images as they were being placed in the catalogue. We also have online documents which we can both access and modify, such as a calendar with all our important dates. ‘Facetime’ is our favourite meeting medium, as often we get to see each other’s kids which is a bonus.

The best tips would be to keep the lines of communication wide open, be planned and use technology to help as much as possible.

Maja, given that Polli’s products are largely influenced by flora, fauna and architecture, how has the change in environment from Sydney to Pittsburgh affected your creative output?
{Maja} Living in Pittsburgh has different sources of inspiration to Sydney, the one that has caught me by surprise is the seasons. We arrived at the beginning of Spring where the trees were in full bloom. I’d never seen trees lining the streets in bloom like that before (closest thing in Sydney would be the Jacaranda trees in November). Then Summer was so hot, the only respite was the shade of our local park which is basically woods with paths through it. Then Autumn came – ‘Wow’ is the one word that comes to mind! There were reds, oranges, yellows, and greens making the hills look like they were on fire. We had squirrels in our garden collecting acorns for the winter and mountains of leaves. Now we are in winter with a blanket of white snow covering the ground. I’ve never lived with snow before and it’s truly magical, making grey cold miserable days feel wondrous and light.

In saying all this, being away has also giving me a greater appreciation of Australian flora and fauna. I loved working on some of the new Australiana designs coming out in our next release. You can take the girl out of Australia but you can’t take Australia out of the girl!

You shared some pics on Instagram recently and alluded to a ‘colour-bombing’ project in collaboration with designer Beattie Lanser. They looked intriguing! Can you let us in on what it’s all about?
{Tess} Inspired by Holi, the Indian colour festival, we set to work to recreate the colourful clouds in a photography studio in Sydney’s Inner West. After lots of testing (and mess) in local lanes we perfected the process using powdered water colour paints and trampoline style propulsions were used to create the clouds which we hoped to use in our upcoming catalogue.

Our friendship with the fashion designer Beattie Lanser has grown through Instagram and after sneak peeks of our project she agreed to make a custom white jump suit and lend a hand for the shoot. The project was a lot of fun.

Tess, you attended our first CWC in Sydney last October. What did you think of the event? Do you see the CWC ‘fitting in’ to the creative landscape in Sydney?
{Tess} It was such a great afternoon. The event had a very communal feel and Julie Paterson, the speaker, was so honest it was really refreshing. The accessibility of the event through its casual nature, affordability, central location and openness made it unlike any other creative session I’ve attended. Definitely keen for more events in Sydney with the CWC.

Polli introduced some bold geometric accessories to the range in 2012 – which are your favourites and why?
{Tess}The Flag series are such a great collection of abstract geometric segmentation; offsetting natural timber against pops of bold neon or metallic colours. We love colour and it’s great to play with different finishes and combinations after 10 years of working almost solely in stainless steel.

{Maja} I love the rainbow hexagon beads, they are my staple piece at the moment and they go with everything.

These sweet flower presses are a new addition to the Polli range this year. What was the inspiration behind them?
{Tess} The sweet Polli flower presses was a project we were both passionate about. Having young children of our own we were keen to expand our sweet Polli range for the young / young at heart. We wanted the flower press to be unique, sustainable and Australian. The circular design features original sketches of Australian natives and water colours. Naturally it’s made in Australia from plantation grown hoop pine ply and all paper and card is recycled.

What are you both looking forward to this year, personally and for the business?

{Tess} I’m excited to see the end of 2012, a fresh start sounds filled with possibilities and positivity. On a personal note we’re excited to be visiting Maja in Pittsburgh in June.
{Maja} I’m looking forward to working on new products in new mediums for Polli. We’re very excited that Tess + family are coming to see us in Pittsburgh.

All products shown here are available online at Polli.

We’re running a Membership Drive at the moment, and the ladies of Polli have generously donated a $150 gift voucher for one lucky new member to spend in their online store! Find out more here.