Innehållsförteckning för Issue 59 - Spring 2023 från Peppermint Magazine

https://www.twointhesun.com.au/ All writers published in this issue’s Letterbox will receive a sterling silver daisy necklace valued at $89 from Two in the Sun! Feeling inspired after a road trip around Australia, founder Justine Moran set out to make jewellery that felt honest and authentic to her. Now working from her Byron Bay studio, she hand-carves charms – like this darling daisy – for Earth-loving adventurers using recycled silver and brass. With the addition of a delicate chain made in Italy, this sweet piece will have you ready for warm spring days in fields of flowers. Blooming lovely! twointhesun.com.au DEAR PEPPERMINT I’ve been an avid Peppermint subscriber for a few years now, but there hasn’t been an issue I’ve been looking forward to more than Issue 58. I’ve recently parted ways…

http://remebeauty.com/ UNDER THE MICROSCOPE Yen Vo is one mighty impressive character. Not only does she have a background in chemistry and work as a One Young World ambassador, but in 2020, she founded Reme Beauty designing formulas with science-based actives to support skin hydration while moisturing and protecting. While the clean beauty movement has focused on promoting “toxin-free” terminology – something Yen describes as fear-mongering – Reme leans into the science behind the ingredients and is transparent about where they are sourced and how they are used. remebeauty.com FARM FRESH For Allan and Jane Hutcherson, the decision to purchase a tea-tree plantation in 2018 would prove more than fruitful. After harvesting and regenerating the land, the pair launched Freshwater Farm – an extensive range of hair and body essentials all…

“Once I was taught the mechanics of floristry, I found a whole other way of painting. Who is Emma Morgan the artist? I’m a Mornington Peninsula-based painter, illustrator, textile designer and florist. I love to make works on paper that celebrate nature – but most specifically our native fauna and the wildflowers I work with. I’d say I’ve been ‘professionally’ tinkering for the last 10 years. These days, I make paintings and drawings in fine liner and water-colour, and then produce a small, artisan range of home-wares that I print and sew in Melbourne! Who is Emma Morgan the person? I really do live and breathe my work, but when I’m not foraging or painting, you’ll probably find me (and my dog) on a nature walk somewhere along the coast.…

"AI systems must be transparent, inclusive, accountable and robust, and they should be controlled and monitored to ensure they are operating in a safe and beneficial manner. Can’t decide what to cook from the three random ingredients in your fridge? Need to write a cover letter for your dream job? Or perhaps you’d like a fitness plan tailored to your specific age and goals? Artificial intelligence, or AI, can help with that. AI exploded into our cultural consciousness late last year when San Francisco-based artificial intelligence lab OpenAI launched its generative chatbot ChatGPT – a natural language processing tool that has the ability to create uncannily human-like text and dialogue, and has the potential to completely revolutionize the way we live and work. But what does this new era of…

"Why is the world bending over backwards not to ban this highly polluting product? Which is also the biggest killer in the world? If you were asked to close your eyes and picture the most commonly littered plastic on Earth, what would you see? Those six-pack rings that seabirds and turtles are always getting caught in? Or maybe public enemy number one: the disposable plastic straw? The answer, in fact, is cigarette butts. An estimated 4.5 trillion butts are discarded into the environment every year. Often our brains can skip over a large number like that, so let’s pause for a second to establish the magnitude of scale – it’s about 580 cigarette butts per human being on the planet. On a yearly basis! And they’ve consistently been the most…

Sometimes it feels hard to be a person. But you’ve got to remember that, in many ways, you’re just a psychologically complex houseplant. You need nourishment and sunshine at regular intervals in order to survive. But how can you ensure the former while pursuing the latter? A handy DIY snack pack, of course! This cute duo, comprising an insulated lunch bag and cross-body bottle carrier complete with pocket, will keep your emotional support water bottle close by and your packed lunch at hand. WHAT YOU’LL NEED 0.5m of outer fabric – You’ll want a durable fabric with some body to it, or to interface your pieces for extra shape. We used Organic Cotton Canvas in Sage from Spotlight. 0.5m of lining fabric – As they’ll be handling food and drink,…

https://kangarooislandwool.com/ KANGAROO ISLAND WOOL Building upon a legacy of wool-growing that goes back to 1836, Kangaroo Island Wool represents a conglomerate of farming families that believe in taking excellent care of their sheep and their island. Visit their new shopfront to swaddle yourself in the sinfully soft, no-waste wares spun from the same sheep you’ve seen on your travels. >> 1159 Playford Highway, Cygnet River https://www.emuridge.com.au/ EMU RIDGE Founded in 1991, Emu Ridge is the only eucalyptus oil distillery operating in South Australia, producing essential oil from Kangaroo Island narrow-leaf mallee. You can tour the distillery, grab a coffee from their cafe or check out their craft gallery, which stocks all sorts of local goodies from body wash to bush tea. >> 691 Willsons Road, Macgillivray https://fineartkangarooisland.com.au/ FINE ART KANGAROO…

They say lightning never strikes twice. In reality, we know that not to be true. I wrote in Issue 58 about a previous ACL recon-struction. Six years later, I’m back in the same position, preparing for another surgery on the same knee later this week. For someone so obsessed with a quasi-ascendance of self, who prides herself on her ability to weather the storm and roll with the ebbs and flows of life, it’s been an emotionally fraught time reckoning with the unravelling of that. The recovery process is long, 12 months at least, and having been through it before, the realities of what life will look like – navigating accessibility, anxiety and a lack of autonomy; learning to let go of things I once held dear, of what I…

http://createdbyculture.com.au/ http://createdbyculture.com.au/ HEART OF GLASS The radiant jewellery of Created by Culture is more than just a gorgeous Australian-Ghanaian collaboration of artisanal adornments, it’s also an innovative and sustainable solution to a specific environmental issue. When founder Caroline Boateng visited her country of birth, she was enchanted by the artistry, vibrancy and beauty, but distressed to see the rubbish carelessly discarded on the street due to the lack of public waste-disposal systems. Every piece is hand-made from recycled glass waste that is transformed into beautiful beads using traditional Ghanaian techniques dating back to the seventeeth century. createdbyculture.com.au http://kathygardiner.com/ GARDEN STATE Colour and life bloom through the work of self-taught ceramicist Kathy Gardiner. Now in remission following a cancer diagnosis, she creates vibrant and organic handbuilt ceramics, earrings and brooches that…

“MY ANCESTORS HAVE REASSURED ME I HAVE GIGOROU GUGA (BEAUTIFUL SKIN). My scarification are the trials and tribulations I have endured in life – WHAT I’VE GONE THROUGH IN ORDER TO embrace my gigorou. When I look in the mirror, I’m staring at a brand new person. Who she’ll be 18 months from now is anyone’s guess. But I can’t wait to meet her. This type of self-love wasn’t easily for-thcoming for me. It’s tough, and it’s certainly not pretty, peeling your-self up from ground zero. But, phew! Mama, I made it! And I’m just getting started. Self-loathing and contorting myself into what society wants me to be is a shitshow behind the scenes, compared to the highlight reel I, and others, post on Instagram. When you are more than…

Heeding that call, we teamed up with our good friends at Spoonflower for a Design Challenge, asking their community to create a tribute to what they loved most about Mother Earth. Here, we step into the worlds of our winners – frolick in a sweet summer garden bursting with berries or meander through a moonlit forest with woodland friends. Hosting over one million designs from a global community of independent artists, the opportunities for world-building on Spoonflower.com are endless. Shop these designs and check out the rest of the entries at tinyurl.com/spoonflowerpeppermint http://tinyurl.com/spoonflowerpeppermint http://tinyurl.com/spoonflowerpeppermint http://tinyurl.com/spoonflowerpeppermint http://tinyurl.com/spoonflowerpeppermint http://tinyurl.com/spoonflowerpeppermint…

My first experience with sewing, like many others, was in high school. It was there that I first learned how to thread a machine, pin and sew a straight seam, and to stay away from the overlocker. Sewing those first few projects – a pencil case and pyjama shorts, no less – I found that I actually enjoyed sewing. That was until we advanced to working with a traditional pattern… Complex terminology, technical diagrams and outdated designs took all the fun and creativity out of it for me. It introduced a ‘this is right’ and ‘this is wrong’ way of learning. Add to that an overbearing teacher who discouraged me from asking questions, and what was left was a real loathing of the practice. A few years later, after graduating…

In June this year, the Australian Fashion Council launched Seamless, an initiative to tackle the huge problem of clothing waste in Australia. Otherwise known as the National Clothing Product Stewardship Scheme, it involves fashion retailers signing up to contribute 4 cents per garment sold towards sustainable design, resale of items, textile recycling and other programs aimed at building a more circular fashion industry. While participation in Seamless is currently voluntary, Minister for the Environment and Water Tanya Plibersek made it clear that if retailers don’t sign up over the next 12 months, she would impose a government-regulated scheme and levy to help the industry change “from a model that relies on disposability to a model that values reuse” and “views every piece of rubbish that ends up in landfill as…

Tell us about your journey into the sewing world… I actually came into the sewing world by accident, in some ways. I used to run a women’s clothing brand focused on classic shirts and trousers made from sustainable fabrics. At the time, I had a small shop in Hackney and I also taught shirt-making classes for some extra income on the side. When the pandemic hit, I had a lot of bookings and no way to teach them, which was when I decided to film the classes. To house these workshops, I built a new business, The Modern Sewing Co, and this was my introduction to the home sewing world! How does running a sewing pattern company differ from running a fashion label? It differs hugely. Despite working to produce…

MILLIE MAE’S PANTRY An idyllic childhood spent eating, cooking and pickling with harvests from her family’s gardens inspired sixth-generation Kangaroo Island local Jan Ordway to open Millie Mae’s Pantry – an ode to home cooking and local produce. Nestled in a fruit orchard, the cafe offers hearty fare that you can enjoy while relaxing in their kitchen garden. Remember to check out the richly stocked pantry store where you can take home locally sourced island delights. >> 1 Nat Thomas Street, Penneshaw https://www.milliemaespantry.com/ https://www.emubaylavenderfarm.com.au/ EMU BAY LAVENDER FARM Growing from a small lavender garden planted in 2001, the family-owned Emu Bay Lavender Farm now blooms across 51 acres with 7500 plants harvested seasonally – and used in the cafe’s signature lavender scones and ice cream. >> 205 Emu Bay Road,…

What are your earliest food memories? I didn’t grow up in a particularly food-focused family, however, most of my childhood memories are food related – whether it was sitting in the veggie patch watching my parents weed the garden or at my neighbour’s house perched on a stool watching onions being chopped and cooked in a frying pan. Dad would make scones and mix a bread dough that would proof under a tea towel next to the fire. The funny thing is this didn’t happen all the time, but it’s so ingrained in my memory. As I got a little older and more interested in food, I remember asking my nan to show me some of her recipes. She would take us to the market and buy boxes of stone…

https://www.penguin.com.au/books/better-living-through-birding-9780593242384 BETTER LIVING THROUGH BIRDING Christian Cooper Making headlines the world over after his routine bird-watching excursion in Central Park was disrupted by a racist confrontation, Christian Cooper lived an extraordinary life long before that. Equal parts memoir, travelogue and primer on the art of birding, Christian shares the pleasures of a life lived in pursuit of the natural world and how it prepared him for the challenges of being a gay, Black man in America. https://paperboatpress.com/products/earth-fire-modern-potters-their-tools-techniques-and-practices EARTH AND FIRE Kylie Johnson and Tiffany Johnson Dig your fingers into the noble art of ceramics with this enchanting exploration of the diverse beauty and utility of the form, written and compiled by Brisbane sisters Tiffany and Kylie Johnson of Paper Boat Press. The book delves into the techniques, practices and tools…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWITicN2ewY FREEDOM IS BEAUTIFUL Angus McDonald This moving documentary tells the story of two extraordinary Kurdish refugees, Farhad Bandesh and Mostafa ‘Moz’ Azimitabar, who met on Manus Island and formed a close friendship while imprisoned for almost eight years under Australia’s brutal offshore processing regime. Both artists and musicians, these articulate and charismatic men became prominent activists carrying a powerful message of our shared humanity. https://www.madman.com.au/rachels-farm/ RACHEL’S FARM Rachel Ward Actress and director Rachel Ward joins the farming revolution in this triumphant film. Following the birth of her first grandchild, Rachel is confronted by bushfires, drought and ecological despair. We follow her journey to regenerate the land on her farm as she discovers the harmful impacts of conventional agriculture, and grows to champion the movement restoring the health of Australia’s…

Buy local. Shop sustainably. Go straight to the growers. Give back. Seek out mindful makers. Remember your reusables. But at the same time – pay your ever-increasing rent or multiplying mortgage. Feed your family while grocery bills are skyroc-keting. Keep your car on the road with soaring petrol costs. Do all of this with less time and less money, while also fighting for climate justice. Stressed yet? Yep, me too. With the cost-of-living crisis dominating our thoughts (and bank balances), it’s understandable that sustainability may be taking a back seat. London-based purpose consultancy firm Revolt found a general shift in people’s focus towards political causes. Co-founder Alex Lewis told thedrum.com that “climate change dropped three places in the overall ranking, being replaced by issues that many might feel have more…

For someone who is, by my own admission, a great big show-off, I strongly believe singing is a private matter – something reserved for the shower or car. Of course, I’ll croon a little something to my kids, but they’re yet to develop a critical ear, so I’m counting that as a private performance too. It wasn’t always this way. Not only did I participate in the usual childhood forms of enforced singing – school anthems, birthday songs, nursery rhymes – but both of my grandparents were heavily involved in musical theatre which, in my eight-year-old mind, was very cool and glamorous. Truly, you have not lived until you’ve seen your grandmother perform as a lusty French sex worker in Les Misérables. As the next generation of this entertainment dynasty,…

FOR MORE FABRIC FUN GO TO SPOONFLOWER.COM/PROFILES/IKUNTJIARTISTS Can you tell us a bit about Ikuntji Artists and its history? Ikuntji Artists was the first art centre established by women in the Western Desert art movement. First established in 1992 – under the influence of then community president, the late Esther Jugadai – it was initially set up to fulfil the role of a women’s centre, providing services such as catering for old people and children in the community. After first printing t-shirts, the artists began producing acrylic paintings on linen and handmade paper, which quickly gained the attention of the Australian and international art worlds, as well as earning the centre an impressive reputation for fine art. The focus changed from a women’s centre to an art centre in 2005,…

http://peppermintmag.com/SEWING-SCHOOL Time to get shirty, stitchy pals! Say bonjour to our latest pattern, the beautiful Peppermint Belle Shirt. Made in collaboration with Modern Sewing Co’s marvellous Hetty Adams, this beauty offers a twist on traditional shirting tropes with striking details such as a wide placket, straight point collar and bell sleeves. With clean, clever construction, she’s a dream to sew and a joy to wear, whether you embrace modern minimalism and whip one up in monochromatic linen, or rock a bold print and make a statement shirt – or dress! That’s right, she contains multitudes, or at least multiple views. The opportunities are endless. Many thanks to our sewing partner Spoonflower for helping to make our much-loved patterns possible! From wallpaper to fabric to home decor, Spoonflower offers one of…

“We wanted mob and customers to feel like they could sit, yarn and have a cuppa. KINYA LERRK AND CO 134 HIGH STREET, PRESTON, VICTORIA Tell us a little bit about Kinya Lerrk… Kinya Lerrk, Wemba Wemba for ‘women coming together’, is a collaboration from Aboriginal visual artists Emma Bamblett (Wemba Wemba, Gunditjmara, Ngadjonji and Taungurung) and Megan Van Den Berg (Dja Dja Wurrung, Taungurung, Yorta Yorta and Boon Wurrung). ​We focus on using design and art to make homes and offices come alive with colourful designs that celebrate Aboriginal culture and respectfully acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land. What does a respectful Acknowledgement of Country look like to you? After four years of producing thousands of Acknowledgement of Country plaques, we will say that a respectful Acknowledgement of…

Makes 1 bread INGREDIENTS 500g pumpkin (winter squash), thinly sliced1 egg180ml grapeseed oil150g maize150g polenta1½ teaspoons baking powder¼ teaspoon garlic powder1 teaspoon salt flakes olive oil, for drizzling TOPPINGS red onion, thinly slicedzucchini, shavedtomatoes, slicedbasil leaveschilli flakes Garden bread is a gluten-and dairy-free quick bread. The texture is similar to that of cornbread but achieved without using animal fat or buttermilk. Instead, pumpkin puree and grape-seed oil bind the batter and eliminate the need for gums and emulsifiers that are often found in store-bought gluten-free baked goods. You can switch out pumpkin for any vegetable puree that has a similar texture. Leek is another favourite. Top the bread with any veg, seeds, herbs or spices that you like. METHOD Preheat oven to 180°C and line a 20 x 20cm baking…

BOLDLY ME Accomplished actor and disability activist Chloé Hayden interviews people about the highs, and sometimes lows, of becoming your boldest self. CRITICAL FASHION STUDIES Dr Harriette Richards and Professor Natalya Lusty of RMIT examine Australia’s ethical fashion evolution. THE ANTI-TRANS HATE MACHINE This incisive series exposes the powerful institutions driving the anti-trans movement, while also centering the stories of trans people. BLAK MATTERS Wiradjuri and Wailwan lawyer Teela Reid joins her longtime friend Michael Christian to explore Blak matters. THE IMPERFECTS Hugh van Cuylenburg, founder of The Resilience Project, makes space for guests to share their flaws and failings – showing that we’re all only human.…

KYLIE LEWIS Of Kin Sometimes it happens in the Dandenong Ranges. Sometimes it happens in the fern gully in Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens. It’s anytime I stand under an umbrella of tree fern fronds, and feel the hug of nature. My heart, my lungs, my skin and my mind all relax, smile and bloom. It’s a communion I crave. BRITTANIE ENGLISH Britt’s List A good coffee, quiet walks, cuddles with my babies and quality (that means kid-and tech-free!) time with my partner, friends or work crew. JAMES HILLIER Nordacious Playing with my red kelpie, Rufus, at Sandgate Beach during the late-afternoon low tide. The expansive shoreline glitters, happy tongues are out and my heart is full! HANNAH FERGUSON Cheek Media Walks in the fresh morning air while in the depths…