Innehållsförteckning för Issue 45 - Autumn 2020 från Peppermint Magazine

There isn’t anything I can say right now that hasn’t already been said. I’m sure, like me, you’ve been glued to the news reports in horror – or worse, living through it in person – as this unprecedented bushfire season has literally ripped through our country and our lives, decimating everything in its path. We’ve all seen the terrifying blood-red images of families stranded on beaches, watched the heart-wrenching videos of koalas being rescued from charred landscapes, and heard the stories of the tireless volunteer firefighters, battling to protect our homes, our people and our towns. Alongside these stories, pre-empting them for many years, have been the words of the climate scientists, telling us again and again that our changing climate will contribute to hotter and drier conditions, resulting in…

SAYA DESIGNS WOODEN HAIR PINS Handcrafted hair pins made from salvaged roots left behind by loggers. sayadesigns.com ANTICRAFT ‘DO RAGS Wired headscarves made from cotton and linen in a solar-powered studio. anticraft.com.au TRIBE ALIVE GOLD HAIR PIN Gold-plated brass pin ethically made by artisans paid living wages. tribealive.com ELOISE PANETTA SILK SCRUNCHIE Hand-dyed silk using botanicals such as flower petals and berries. eloisepanetta.com NOTHING TO SNEEZE AT Hey hanky, is that you? From the makers of a reusable q-tip that raised over $1.3 million in crowdfunding comes the latest waste-busting product: a reusable tissue pack. Aside from the issue of 41 million trees being cut down globally every day, LastObject says it takes three times more energy to produce paper tissues, and that every time you blow your nose with…

When I was four years old, a landmark paper was published by eminent CSIRO scientist Dr Tom Beer. Titled ‘Australian bushfire danger under changing climatic regimes’, the paper demonstrated how climate change impacts could lead to changes in the intensity of bushfire seasons. Back then, it didn’t attract the headlines it deserved, let alone capture the attention of the politicians who were supposed to be in charge of protecting Australians and planning for our future. Years later, as a teenager getting involved in the early days of the climate movement, I read Dr Beer’s paper – one among many scientific predictions warning what would happen to Australia if we, and the rest of the world, didn’t reduce carbon pollution. Coming from a farming family, the research that stuck with me…

“I think that’s why my work is so heavily text-based-it’s like I’m retrospectively yelling and protesting back at those xenophobic ideals I grew up around.” Where do your ideas come from? My ideas are quite autobiographical and tend to come from how I’m feeling at the time, as well as what’s going on around the world. It’s like my own form of cheap therapy where I illustrate my way through issues. Quit my job? Draw about it. Miss my partner? Draw about it. Panicking about the state of the planet? Draw a lot about it. What are some of the themes you explore? They often revolve around a few core concepts: equality and the LGBTQI+ community, my mental health, and also broader societal and environmental issues. I think these themes…

Make fur a faux pas There’s a reason she wasn’t called Kind-ella de Vil. While the use of dalmatian fur in coats is thankfully somewhat out of fashion, there’s still a long way to go in ensuring the global use of animal fur products is brought to an end. The fur trade sources 95% of its fur from the millions of animals currently housed in small cages on fur farms, with death caused by neglect, electrocution, gassing or neck-breaking, and it’s not just fur coats that benefit from this horror – in Australia, fur can be found on jacket trims, handbags and even children’s toys. Alarmingly, a 2019 investigation into the prevalence of fur in Australia found animal fur was being sold as ‘faux fur’ across several Victorian retail outlets,…

When did you open Kind Curations, and what was the inspiration behind it? We opened in February 2018. On a trip to LA we’d noticed lots of curated boutique spaces and loved shopping in those kind of environments, and when we returned to the Gold Coast it was clearly something that was lacking here. That same month, we noticed an interesting red-brick building under construction in our suburb, so we made note of the website and looked into it. Turns out they were looking for tenants for what would be the Cornerstone Stores, a bespoke food and shopping hub. Two months later I quit my job at a tech startup and the rest is history! How do you choose which brands to feature? It’s a very instinctive process. We have…

books HOW TO BREAK UP WITH FAST FASHION Lauren Bravo In response to the horrifying statistic that 300,000 tonnes of used clothing ends up in UK landfill each year, journalist (and unapologetic fashion fan) Lauren Bravo set out to offer realistic advice to readers keen to retain their love for clothes while quitting their fast-fashion habit. Chock-full of relatable content and creative tips on repairing, reusing and recycling the clothes you already own, as well as shifting your wardrobe mindset, How to Break Up with Fast Fashion proves that you really can love fashion while also loving the planet. WHEN LIFE IS NOT PEACHY Pip Lincolne This warm and sympathetic new tome from hugely popular Meet Me at Mike’s blogger Pip Lincolne is aimed at those experiencing grief, heartbreak and…

COMPOSTA garden & worm farm If food waste has you flustered, look no further than the nifty Composta for help. This BPA-free design is ideal for space-poor grow-your-own enthusiasts – with a top section for worms to munch away on your kitchen scraps, the lower ‘garden’ is the perfect, nutrient-rich place to grow a plethora of glorious herbs and soft-leaved veggies. composta.myshopify.com AUSSIE BREAD BAGS Aimed at combatting the one million plastic bread bags that enter Australian landfill every day, these NSW-made reusable cotton bread bags also help avoid the pesky mould that plastic can encourage! aussiebreadbags.com.au GAGA’S apple cider vinegar This Certified Organic, concentrate-free apple cider vinegar is produced in small batches in Melbourne, using apples sourced within three hours of the Gaga’s kitchen. How do we like them…

Tell us about the artwork you create… My life is my greatest artwork and I’m enjoying its evolution. I love making art from recycled things – I started my career selling my ‘good and sturdy art from trash’ at the flea markets of Los Angeles. On one of my first weekends there, the set designers from the movie Independence Day bought some of my art – you can see three or four of the paintings in an early scene in Will Smith’s girlfriend’s house. I also enjoy making my own garments from recycled clothing. Today I made a dress using the bottom ruffle of a pale, flowery 1970s homemade dress and a favourite t-shirt from a thrift store that says ‘lose mind control’, over which I added a silkscreened print…

Secondhand clothing is definitely not a new idea. If anything, the idea of purchasing new items whenever we want or for a single wear is very new. Over the next five years, the US market for secondhand apparel is set to double in value to US$51 billion. That’s according to the Resale Report, an annual study commissioned by California-based thredUP, the world’s largest online marketplace for preloved clothing and accessories. The 2019 report found that more consumers than ever before are shunning fast fashion in favour of ‘disruptors’: secondhand (including op-shopping and thrifting), resale (a subset of secondhand that leans towards brand names and luxury items), and garment rental and subscription services. Among the 2000 women surveyed, 51% are planning to spend more on secondhand fashion in the coming years…

Over the past year, I’ve found myself feeling depressed, overwhelmed and at times even terrified about the future of our planet. I’m not sure about you, but it has become increasingly difficult for me to reconcile my experience of ‘everydayness’ and ‘business as usual’ with the knowledge of the kind of earth we’re creating for ourselves and leaving for future generations. Sitting with these feelings, I realised that if I was to be completely true to myself, I would have to find a way to use my own knowledge, skills and expertise to help move people into action for the planet. So last year, I completely pivoted my wellbeing consultancy to focus on what some are now calling ‘spiritual activism’, and soon afterwards, without knowing it even had a name,…

ROBE JACKET Say hello to our robe jacket – your newest #memade wardrobe staple! Created for us by Alison Pollard and Charlotte Mackay of Brisbane-based sewing pattern and sustainable fashion brand Common Stitch, this versatile robe jacket features wide sleeves, a relaxed silhouette and a fabric belt. It’s the perfect transeasonal, multipurpose pattern – try pairing it with jeans and a tee, layering it over your cossie while at the beach, or adding length to create a long duster jacket in a heavier fabric for those cooler days. We used the Minford ‘Fresh’ Hanky Linen from Tessuti. Head to our website and download this exclusive Peppermint pattern to sew your own – we can’t wait to see your creations! DOWNLOAD THE PATTERN: PEPPERMINTMAG.COM/SEWING-SCHOOL #peppermintpatterns #peppermintrobejacket…

SECOND NATURE Delicately crafted from recycled sterling silver, each piece of Tammy Lacy’s jewellery represents an element of the natural landscape that surrounds her home studio in central Victoria. Flowers, leaves, seedpods and gumnuts have all been interpreted in a playfully abstract style and brought to life with touches of enamel paint in a soft pastel palette, and Tammy creates everything by hand – a method that allows for beautiful and unique variations. With nature-inspired names such as Pink Gem Earrings, Firebird Brooch and Fuchsia Gum Necklace, these pieces sound just as lovely as they look! tammylacy.com A NEW LEAF Using only Australian clay and natural minerals and oxides throughout a range of cute homewares that includes dishes, plates, cups and the sweetest miniature house planters, Leaf & Co is…

What was the inspiration behind the project? Menstruation is still an extremely taboo topic in India. We come from a small town called Mangalore, on the coast of Southern India, where a lot of people don’t know what menstruation is or how it works. As young women, we were just told to use a pad and ‘fix’ the situation, and all this misinformation – or rather, the lack of information – leaves it unacknowledged. This ignorance has become layered over the years and has made it difficult for anyone to feel comfortable talking about something that comes so naturally. Through conceptual art, we wanted these images to spark curiosity in the community, and actually inform people about menstruation and all the things that surround it. Where do you get your…

What inspired you to start Variety Hour? I always knew I wanted to work for myself; I grew up in a small-business family and started my first enterprise at 14. I began Variety Hour in 2016 after moving down to Melbourne from North Queensland – it’s a print-focused fashion label with designs influenced by Australian landscapes, flora and fauna. Because of my background in studying textiles at RMIT, I knew any label I started had to be just as much about the process of designing as the prints themselves. How does your creative process work? All artworks begin by exploring a theme and playing with colour, pattern and scale. Paintings are created using gouache and pigment inks, which are then digitised and reworked to be applied to artwork, clothing and…

The benefits of mindfulness and meditation have been proven categorically and documented widely. Being more mindful will help you reduce stress and anxiety, lower your risk of depression, improve your capacity to focus and make decisions, increase your productivity, improve the quality of your relationships and even heal your body at a cellular level. And yet, despite the overwhelming evidence to support its benefits, many of us still struggle to find the time to sit in meditation every day. Or perhaps you’re someone who does manage to carve out that time, and yet as soon as you find yourself frantically searching for a lost school shoe or having to deal with a prickly colleague, all of your best intentions to remain calm and non-reactive go straight out the window. If…

PRACTISE FOREST BATHING The Japanese have known for years that spending time slowing down and being mindful in the woods is good for you. Called shinrin-yoku (literally, ‘forest bath’), this mindful immersion in nature is said to benefit both body and soul. And despite what its name might suggest, there’s no water involved – just the slow flow of your mind and body through a forest setting. In Japan in the 1980s, stress levels in city dwellers went through the roof thanks to a culture of overwork. Some of the side effects of stress, like strokes and anxiety, even led to deaths, prompting the coining of another timely (and telling) phrase: karoshi, or death from overwork. To help overcome this, people turned to nature as an antidote. Scientific researchers and…

Just start – stop scrolling and start making! It can be easy to procrastinate by looking at other people’s makes online, but nothing beats the feeling of sitting down to a project at your own machine. So just do it! Try to find the perfect matching thread colour for your fabric. We’re aiming for better than store bought, so match your fabric to your thread to avoid that obviously-made-at-home look. This will look cleaner, and if you make a few mistakes they’ll be more invisible! Buy good-quality tools. You don’t have to go out and buy everything at once, but when you’re ready to invest in a pair of scissors and/or a rotary cutter, quality tools will make your sewing experience more enjoyable. Each time you add a tool to…

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SEASIDE TONES Seaside Tones are ready for autumn with their range of 100% Baltic linen playsuits, coats and dresses in a warming shade of mustard. seasidetones.com.au ALLPRESS Allpress Espresso has partnered with Japanese artisans Ojiama to create a series of beautiful handcrafted porcelain cups. allpressespresso.com LIGHTHOUSE Lighthouse Wholemeal Bread, Pizza and Tortilla Flour is high in protein and specifically designed to be a good source of fibre. lighthousebaking.com.au SMITTEN MERINO Using merino sourced from 100% Australian non-mulesed sheep, this cosy and versatile wrap can be worn four different ways. smittenmerino.com ZOE.O THE LABEL 100% climate neutral, Certified Organic and Fair Wear-approved, the comfy-fit Tomboy Tee is for those looking for a tee with integrity. zoeo.com.au KYLIE’S PROFESSIONAL The 100% vegan Goddessey Skin Nutrition range is designed to provide exceptional makeup…