Design for Change – Entries Open!
- Words by Peppermint
Designers – do you want to make a positive, lasting difference in the world? If you’ve got a big design idea and need some assistance making it a reality, we’d love to help! To support creative ideas and help foster global change, Peppermint is offering one up-and-coming Australian designer $500 towards the tuition fees for the course of their choice (across any design discipline, including fashion, graphics, furniture, product, landscape, jewellery, web and more). You might have already started your course this March or you could be planning to do so later this year. It may be degree-length study or a short program that will help you learn new skills. All we ask is that you have a vision for social change or environmental responsibility, and that your chosen course will help you work towards this goal. Entries will be judged by a panel of experts specialising in various aspects of design and sustainability, including Ben Peacock, Founder of Republic of Everyone agency; Kelly Elkin, Fashion Designer and Founder of ALAS sleepwear; Kent Gration, Sustainable Furniture Designer and Creator of Wambamboo and Kelley Sheenan, Designer/Editor of Peppermint.
To enter, please email your answers to the following questions (along with a supporting document containing visual representation of your concept or business idea) to hello@peppermintmag.com with the subject line ‘Design for Change’ by 5pm, Friday 28th March 2014. Hit us with your best pitch!
1) How do you plan to use design to create positive change in the world?
2) What is your background in this area?
3) How will your work stand out from others already working in this field? What will be your point of difference?
4) Which course (at which institution) do you plan to study/are currently studying?
5) What is your five-year plan to bring this idea to fruition?
#peppermintdesigncomp
Need help finding the right course? There are a number of great institutions you can apply to in Australia, including (but not limited to) the following. Check out their design programs and get inspired!
Billy Blue College of Design
Shillington College
Open Colleges
International School of Colour and Design
RMIT University
University of Tasmania
School for Social Entrepreneurs
Centre for Sustainability Leadership
Raffles College of Design and Commerce
University of Southern Australia
University of Queensland
The Permaculture Institute
SEED International
Sydney University
University of Canberra
Terms and conditions: Competition is open within Australia only. Closing date is 28th March 2014. This competition is facilitated and funded by Peppermint Publishing Trust. Prize money is non-transferrable and non-exchangeable. Funds must be paid directly to the institution (or to the competition winner if tuition fee payment has already been made – proof of payment will be required in this instance). Winner will be notified by Wednesday 9th April 2014. Proof of enrolment to the agreed institution (as outlined in your application) will need to be provided within 12 months of the competition closing date, and payment must be made to the institution within this period also. The judges’ decision is final and no further correspondence will be entered into.
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“My piece of advice for makers and designers? Run your own race… make sure your key decisions stay anchored in your brand’s core beliefs.”
- Bec Bligh
Quick show of hands: who’s opened a water bottle expecting a refreshing sip… and instead been greeted by the unmistakable whiff of uh-oh?
Because for something that follows us everywhere (desk, car, hikes, yoga…), the humble drink bottle is strangely prone to becoming a science experiment. Hard-to-clean corners and gaskets. Mystery smells. Bec Bligh and her husband Tim know it well. A six-month sailing trip along the Queensland coast left them with a lifetime of memories and one stubborn annoyance: mouldy water bottles they couldn’t properly clean.
So they did something about it.
Enter @EverVessel. Thoughtfully designed borosilicate glass and stainless steel bottles that keep things beautifully simple: durable materials, wide openings, easy-to-clean parts and none of the techy gimmicks that tend to age badly. Turns out simplicity, done well, is pretty powerful stuff. (Their many design awards agree!)
And lately they’ve added a little extra delight: the Artist Series, where creatives like Paola Castro, Ben Miners and Martin Thompson transform these everyday companions into tiny travelling artworks. There are more colabs in the works, too: hydration, but make it joyful! 🎨💧
We chatted with Bec about the sailing trip that started it all, the philosophy behind Ever Vessel, and why the most sustainable product is often just the one you keep using.
Tap the link in our bio to read the full conversation. 🚰
#EverVessel #ReusableWaterBottle
Pull up a chair… there’s room at this table!
For the first time, Feast for Freedom is bringing people together for a spectacular long-table dinner as part of the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival.
A Longer Table is exactly what it sounds like: one beautiful shared table inside the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (@Asrc1), piled with generous dishes inspired by this year’s hero cooks, Noha and Nige.
From 6 to 9pm on Wednesday, 25 March, this is what you can expect:
🍽 A three-course shared feast
🍷 Matched drinks
🎶 Live entertainment
✨ A room full of good humans
Your ticket doesn’t just buy you a delicious dinner. It supports the ASRC’s vital work and helps create a fairer future for people seeking asylum.
Seats are limited, and long tables have a way of filling up quickly – head to @MelbFoodAndWine’s website to book now: feastforfreedom.org.au/mfwf
#FeastForFreedom #MelbourneFoodAndWineFestival #LongTableDinner #FoodForChange
Sew versatile! 🪡
Another great make from Lisa from @SunnySewsEveryday:
My #PeppermintWaratahWrapDress is finished and I’m so proud of it. It has been designed not to flap open and flash your pants in the wind, so I feel confident it will be a great wheelchair or standing dress in English weather.
#PeppermintPatterns #WrapDress #WrapDressPattern
Frame your face with the Peppermint Bucket Hat!
Stay safe and stylish in the sun with your very own self-sewn and self-drafted wide-brimmed bucket hat. This beginner-friendly sew is perfect for a sunny day. Get out your pencils – this pattern is created using equations and maths!
This DIY project was featured in Issue 53 and now you can access it for the lovely low price of only $5.
Sun-safe chic is always in style. ☀️
Find it via the link in our bio!
Photos: @KelleySheenan
#PeppermintPatterns #PeppermintBucketHat #BucketHat #BucketHatPattern #DIY
✨ INSTANT CLASSIC ✨
The Peppermint Myrtle Shift Dress is a beginner-friendly make with a few special details based on the ever-stylish shift shape – the perfect dress you need in your wardrobe right now!
Myrtle cuts above the knee with options to customise the length. Don’t think she’s reserved for hot weather either: try a heavier-weight fabric to turn your Myrtle into a pinafore-style garment for layering.
For our fabrics we chose two from our lovely sewing partner @Karmme_Apparel – the bold Rottnest Stripes in a lightweight, soft-drape cotton, and the quality linen in the handpainted Mexico Collection.
Get making the Myrtle – the only question is, can you stop at just one?
Link in bio 🪡
Fabric: @Karmme_Apparel
Sewist: @Laura_The_Maker
Photos: @KelleySheenan
Models: @SerahSews and @Pins_And_Tonic
Location: @ShareTheDignityAustralia
#PeppermintMyrtleShiftDress #PeppermintPatterns
It’s time to Feast!
Some recipes travel a long way before they land on your table to delight your taste buds. This year’s Feast for Freedom invites us to gather our friends, cook something delectable and raise funds for the incredible work of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (@Asrc1) while we’re at it.
The 2026 Feast features recipes shared by two remarkable cooks: Noha, who brought the flavours of Palestine with her when she arrived in Australia, and Nige, a Sri-Lankan Tamil cook whose journey with food began in the most unexpected of places.
You can host your own Feast up until 30 April – simply register online and get planning! Host a dinner, organise a workplace lunch, or gather your community… However you do it, the idea is simple: cook, connect and celebrate the cultures and stories that shape Australia.
Want to find out more? Head to the link in bio to meet Noha and Nige, learn more about their stories, and discover a delicious recipe to try.
#FeastForFreedom #PeppermintMagazine #FoodForGood #ASRC
