Christmas with a Conscience
- Words by Peppermint
Does the thought of busy shopping centres, long checkout queues, mountains of plastic and Jingle Bells on migraine-inducing repeat make you cower just a little? Then why not give malls the kick this Christmas and check out the range of independent and fair trade markets happening right around the country instead. Not only will you find a much friendlier, less-chaotic environment, but you can shop happy knowing the gifts you buy will keep on giving directly back to makers, be they local artisans or fair trade co-ops in all corners of the world. As Fair@Square founder Susanna Bevilacqua says: “Something as simple as a $50 handmade recycled rug can help a mother in Cambodia put her child through school, clothe and feed her children, and prevent them from a life of human trafficking.” Check out our guide to the best Xmas markets and events below.
Fair@Square Festival – over 80 market stalls for fair trade, sustainable and locally-made goodies. Sat Dec 1 & Sun Dec 2, Federation Square, Melbourne VIC.
Queensland Fair Trade Christmas Market – ethically-produced homewares, handcrafts, toys, clothing, food, jewellery and more. 9.30am – 3.30pm, Sat Dec 1 & Sun Dec 2 at St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School, Ruthven Street, Corinda QLD.
Manly Fair Trade Christmas Market – 40 stalls selling a huge variety of quality handmade Fair Trade products from around the world, including toys, jewellery, clothing, homewares, accessories, tea, coffee and chocolate. 9am-5pm, Sat Dec 1 at Manly Council Forecourt, Manly NSW.
Made By Hand at Object gallery – a pop-up shop of Australian designers including Polli, Lyn & Tony, Tjanpi Desert Weavers, Erin Lightfoot, Pouch Handmade, Stampel, Beneath The Sun and more. Upstairs at Object Gallery, 417 Bourke St, Surry Hills NSW. 11am-5pm Tuesday to Saturday.
West End Vintage & Designer Markets – a place for clothes and collectibles to find loving new homes! 9am-4pm, Sat Dec 1 & Sat Dec 22 at The Rumpus Room, West End QLD.
Ultimo’s Green Market – natural, organic, sustainable and fair trade shopping. Features live music and workshops for kids. 10am-4pm, Sun Dec 2 at Ultimo Community Centre, Harris St, Ultimo NSW.
The Olive Tree Christmas Markets – 150 stalls featuring some of the best handmade artists and designers in the Newcastle region. 9am-5pm Sat Dec 1 & Sat Dec 15, The Junction Public School, Newcastle NSW.
The Big Design Market – fashion & accessories, homewares & textiles, lifestyle & kids products, stationery & books. Fri Dec 7 (10am-9pm), Sat Dec 8 (10am-5pm) & Sun Dec 9 (10am-5pm), The Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne VIC.
The Bleeding Heart City Market – handmade arts, crafts, gifts and vintage. 10am-4pm, Fri Dec 7 at Bleeding Heart Gallery, 166 Ann St, Brisbane QLD.
WorldChangers Christmas Market – fair trade and ethically-sourced gifts, live music, rides, food and family activities. 5.30pm-9pm Fri Dec 7, 25 O’Briens Rd, Figtree NSW.
Sew & Tell Presents: A Very Crafty Christmas – taking place in beautiful Bangalow, Sew & Tell is the perfect place to find unique, handmade and vintage gifts for all your friends and family. Includes a Free Stall (yes, everything is free!), Unfinished Business Stall (where you can adopt an unfinished craft project) and a Man Cave! 9am – 1.30pm, Sat 8 Dec at A & I Hall, Station St, Bangalow NSW.
Made Artists Market – handmade and contemporary craft, art and design markets. 9am-2pm, Sat Dec 8 at St John’s Anglican Church Hall, Port Fairy VIC.
BrisStyle Indie Markets – browse the wares of a huge variety of independent artisans, crafters and designers from Brisbane and Northern NSW. Designers Markets – Sat Dec 8, 9am-4pm at Racecourse Rd, Hamilton QLD and Twilight Markets – Fri Dec 14, 5pm-9pm in King George Square, Brisbane City QLD.
West End Twilight Markets – an eclectic mix of treasures, tucker and performance. 4pm-9pm, Sat Dec 8 & Sat Dec 22 at Reclaimed Hangar, cnr of Wilson & Boundary Streets, West End QLD.
Home Style Market – Handmade Twilight Market featuring over 65 stalls. Sat Dec 8th from 3pm-8pm at Sherwood State School, cnr Sherwood & Oxley Rds, Sherwood QLD.
The Finders Keepers Spring/Summer Market – finely-curated indie design and art markets at Sydney’s CarriageWorks. 6pm-10pm Sat Dec 8 & 10am-5pm Sun Dec 9 at 245 Wilson Street, Eveleigh NSW.
If you know of anything else happening, please leave us a comment below!
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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
