Below is the list of events and speakers we have hosted since Tess took over coordination of the group in 2009. Click on the links to view podcasts, photos, notes or tips collated from the event.
April 2013
Angie Rehe, Fashion designer and illustrator
Coming from a fine art background, Angie Réhe studied fashion at RMIT in the late 1980s and since then has worked as a designer and freelance illustrator for some of Australia’s favourite fashion brands, including Megan Park and Gorman. Now established as one of Melbourne’s top fashion illustrators, and with a suite of side projects such as The Patsy Fox Drawing Salon, Angie shared her tips for anyone who aspires to carve a niche for themselves in the design world.
February 2013
Your Intellectual Property and How To Protect It with Sharon Givoni
It’s likely you’ve read stories of local designers facing copyright infringements of their work by other companies, and since the rise of blogs and image-sharing websites such as Pinterest, protecting your designs is now more important than ever. Intellectual property lawyer Sharon Givoni has established a reputation for being an entertaining speaker and explaining the law in ‘plain English’. At this special CWC event, she discussed a range of IP-related topics in a entertaining and educational manner.
November 2012
Chrissie Feagins, Advertising creative director and co-founder of Hookturn Industries
October 2012
Julie Paterson of Cloth (our first Sydney event)
September 2012
Julia Pound of Dagmar Rousset
Dagmar Rousset is a dual concept store that sells clothing by day and offers French classes at night. Julia studied French and translation in both Melbourne and Paris and taught French for 10 years at the Alliance Francaise and Monash University. In 2009, she decided to throw herself into the merciless world of fashion retail with no experience whatsoever! She sees herself as a new, gentler kind of retailer: not in it for the money but rather to make the world a bit brighter and her customers a bit braver in their sartorial choices. Julia will share with us her experience as a ‘curating’ creative, discussing the various collaborations she has instigated via Dagmar Rousset, detail her unique shop/school business model and what she has learned about both along the way.
August 2012
The founders of NorthCity4: Anna Davern, Katherine Bowman, Romani Benjamin, Caz Guiney & Ali Limb
In 2011 contemporary jewellers Katherine Bowman, Anna Davern, Caz Guiney and Ali Limb, and glass artist Romani Benjamin launched a unique shared studio space in the heart of Brunswick called NorthCity4, envisioned as a place to work, to learn, and to discuss, critique and debate. Drawn together as artists, teachers and business owners, these five hardworking creative women are community minded, sustainability focussed and driven by the desire to educate and be educated and at this CWC they discuss their individual career paths and creative work, and the events that led them to set up NorthCity4.
June 2012
Fiona Sweet, Creative Director of Sweet Creative
Fiona’s has over 30 years experience as a graphic designer, 17 of those as the founder and creative director of well-known brand agency, Sweet Creative. Fiona has created a niche for Sweet Creative that has not only set her apart, but made the creative world sit up and take notice. With highly creative design solutions and smart strategic branding, Sweet has attracted a client base eager to take risks. At this CWC event, we heard about how Fiona built Sweet Creative, how they attract their enviable client base, the ups and downs that come with running a graphic design & PR studio for almost two decades, and more.
March 2012
Rosa Coy, architect
November 2011
Conversations with Creative Women book launch!
November 2011
Emma Byrnes, Lara Davies and Jess Wright of Harvest Textiles
Lara, Emma and Jess share a passion for quality handmade textiles, the joy of learning, community and sustainability. In addition to using their screenprinting prowess to make hand screen-printed products, Harvest run popular workshops at their East Brunswick studio. Harvest’s business philosophy is based around people stopping to take time out from their everyday lives to make things with their own hands and also to look at the world through a more sustainable lens. We found out about their creative backgrounds in fine art and graphic design, how their partnership began and now functions, how they manage the different parts of their business as mums to young children.
September 2011
Potter and retailer Shelley Panton (listen to the podcast of this event FREE!)
Formerly a visual merchandiser with Country Road, Shelley Panton’s career path includes stints in catering and events management while learning to throw a pot on a wheel, which led to taking the plunge opening her own suburban ceramics studio and shop selling boutique artisan wares. Shelley shared with us how persistence and a little luck pays off when it comes to creating a life you love to live.
June 2011
Designer Beci Orpin
Beci is well-known in the Melbourne and international design scene – her credits include many commissioned illutrative works (including the Built By Wendy ‘Sew U’ book series), textile designs for fashion label Gorman, and wall graphics for Melbourne establishments Cookie andThe Toff In Town. In addition, she has operated two fashion labels (Princess Tina and Tiny Mammoth), as well as her own stationery range. Beci shared with us her canon of work, her experiences working with illustration agents and freelancing, as well as her tips for managing multiple side projects.
April 2011
Nic MacIsaac of Magnolia Square
Detailing her successful fashion and design career, and the path which led her to launch pioneering handmade art & design market event Magnolia Square, Nic also offered invaluable advice to those who retail their own creations at markets.
February 2011
Ming-Zhu Hii of Orlando and Ivy
December 2010
Laura Sanders of Farmgate Cheese
October 2010
Michelle Landy, business coach
Sarah Chapman of Tribe Katalyst
September 2010
Clair Wayman of Curio & Curio
June 2010
Lara Cameron and Tegan Rose of Ink & Spindle
April 2010
Emily Wright of Nancybird
February 2010
Nicole Tattersall and Megan Dell, emerging artists
December 2009
Christmas party at Galerie Montmartre
November 2009
Stephanie Carello of Alabakov
September 2009
Monique McNamara of Up & Up Creative and Jessie Fairweather of Foundry
July 2009
Interior designer Dearne Herrenberg
May 2009
Shannon Lamden of Aunty Cookie
April 2009
Lucy Feagins of The Design Files
