Spotlight on Sara Bailes
- Words by Peppermint
Quilted bomber jackets, slouchy jumpsuits and floaty midi dresses – Melbourne designer Sara Bailes’ first couple of collections under her new eponymous label seem designed for maximum comfort with a dash of panache. And you can feel good about wearing them, too. Designed in Melbourne and produced in Bali, the range features locally sourced fabrics, in-house prints and a bunch of natural fibres, including cotton blends, linen and 100% bamboo. Sara knows her stuff – she clocked up almost a decade as a fashion designer with Karen Walker and then Gorman before going solo last July. She chose Bali as her manufacturing base after an Indonesian fashion industry friend hooked her up with local indie suppliers skilled in traditional techniques. Her small production team is made up entirely of Balinese women, while printing happens from a small, family-owned factory which uses hand screen printing techniques, hand dyeing and mostly natural dyes and inks. It does mean a lot more toing and froing because, unlike places such as China and India, Bali suppliers aren’t set up to handle all phases of garment making in the one factory. But Sara reckons that’s a plus – “It eliminates sweatshop conditions in which women are forced to repetitively make a single element for days on end. It also means I am personally very involved in the production process and spend a lot of my time visiting small specialty shops in the back streets of Denpasar on my scooter using my best Bahasa – which needs a lot of work – to try and get what I need!” she says. And in good news for the fellas, Sara’s introducing menswear pieces from 2016. Check it all out here.
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“We love that we can bring a hint of imagination and whimsy into everyday life by making ordinary objects fun. We’ve learned to appreciate the little wins and to take a moment for each step we achieve.”
Disillusioned by the realities of fast fashion, design grads Emily May and Sidonie Moore ditched clothing for a business that finds fun in the everyday. Enter @TheNonsenseMaker: a collection of unique homewares, fun wall art, greeting cards and more that breathe life into Emily’s illustrations: “I love the idea of taking real-world objects and changing your perspective in a way that brings magic and whimsy into everyday life!”
In issue 64’s feature ‘It all makes sense’, we chat to the Naarm/Melbourne-based duo about their sustainability philosophy, TV re-runs and their commitment to local makers. At stockists now!
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#PeppermintMagazine #TheNonsenseMaker #LocalMakers #SustainableCraft
Any New Year’s resolutions on your list? We love this from @OtterBeeStitching - “be brave enough to suck at something new”.
There’s no points for perfection, but you’ll get a trophy for trying. If nothing else this year, take the leap and try something new.
#OtterBeeStitching #Embroidery #BeBrave #TrySomethingNew #EmbroideryArt
Sunday serving suggestion ☀️
Gorgeous photos from @JolieFemmeStore - who make sweet garments from vintage bedsheets.
#PeppermintMagazine #SlowSunday #SwitchOff #Unplug #ReadAMagazine
A toast to the old you 🥂
We wholeheartedly love this post from the brilliant @EmilyOnLife:
“2026: Reinvent, burn it down, let it go (whatever it is). Year of the Snake it up. Exercise your boundaries, exercise your body, take one teeny step every day towards a life that feels better to be in.
But don’t you dare shit on your old self while you do it.
Hold yourself with reverence and tenderness and respect, because you got you this far. You did your very best with the information and tools you had at the time. You scraped yourself together, you made it work, you survived what felt impossible to survive: again and again and again.
You are perpetually in the process of becoming, whether you can feel it or not, whether or not you add it to your 2026 to-do list.“
Some very wise words from @Damon.Gameau to take us into 2026 🙌🏼
⭐️ We made it!!! ⭐️
Happy New Year, friends. To those who smashed their goals and achieved their dreams, and to those who are crawling over the finish line hoping to never speak of this year again (and everyone else in between): we made it. However you got here is enough. Be proud.
It’s been a tough year for many of us in small business, so here’s to a better year in 2026. We’re forever grateful for all your support and are jumping for joy to still be here bringing you creativity, kindness and community.
We’re also excited to be leaping into the NY with our special release sewing pattern – the Waratah Wrap Dress!
How great are our fabulous models: @Melt.Stitches, @KatieMakesADress and @Tricky.Pockets - and also our incredible Sewing Manager @Laura_The_Maker! 🙌🏼
Ok 2026: let’s do this. 💪🏼
#PeppermintWaratahWrapDress #PeppermintPatterns #SewingPattern #MeMade #WrapDress #WrapDressPattern
