In the spirit of sharing some of our 2018 interview highlights we now take you back to AW18 where Brietta of Good Sport stole our hearts with her up-cycled clothing label. Made from pre-loved kimonos, her unique textiles are transformed from vintage to modern in the form of classic, wearable silhouettes, and showcase the beauty and importance slow fashion has to offer. 

Fast forward to 2019 and you can find Good Sport in Melbourne alongside local ceramist pal Chela of Takeawei in a beautiful light-filled space in Melbourne. With the two both designing and making from the surf coast in Victoria – and bonding over a mutual love of textiles, craft and the ocean, a pop-up was a beautiful journey to take a new-found friendship on and has meant the two are able to meet their customers face to face and test the bricks and mortar market.

If you’re in Melbourne be sure to check out the Pop-Up brightening up Brunswick street right now! 

 

How did you come to be a seller at Finders Keepers?

I began Good Sport about 3 years ago, initially I wanted to create age appropriate, thoughtful clothing for young girls… specifically for that awkward, pre-teen age that’s so often overlooked. I wanted to give the market something that was relatively gender neutral, fun, practical and just… cool.

As I’ve progressed I’ve slowly added more sizes by demand – and now I like to think of Good Sport as a label for ‘any girl or women’.

Talk us through a typical day in the life of Good Sport Australia.

The last 2 years I have been focusing on creating up-cycled garments. These are usually made from Japanese Kimonos and Antique Indigo that I source from local suppliers.

We, well mainly my husband unpicks the kimonos (surprisingly he is a gun at it!), then I wash and press them to prepare for cutting.

The cutting I do myself from my home studio on the Surf coast. I usually mix and match fabrics to create interesting contrasts or design lines. I am often dodging faults or tarnishes in the fabrics, so I would never trust anyone else with the job of cutting. Each garment is cut individually – so it’s time consuming, but I love it.

The cut garments are bundled and handed to my manufacturer in Melbourne, who does such a beautiful job with sewing them. By the time the garments are in her hands I have already invested so much into the materials and time, so she is such an important part of the process – I wholeheartedly trust her and respect her level of skill !

 

Who inspires you and your creative process?

Firstly the people around me…my family and friends or supportive people in my community.

I like the fact that I am not limited by age or even gender – I look at both women and men.

Often a specific person springs to mind when I am sourcing kimonos. From the city or the coast these people are usually the inspiration behind the look.

Secondly, the want to be more resourceful… My father’s family run a plastic recycling plant in Geelong and have done for nearly 30 years. Although I may not have known it until now – I have grown up watching them looking for ways to convert waste or scraps into a commercial product. Luckily for me an old forgotten Silk Yuzen kimono is more inspiring than an empty, plastic Coke bottle!

Tell us about your inspiration for creativity?

I’m relatively new to the Design market scene…but so far the experience for me is like camping with friends; bump-in is like everyone is helping you pitch your tent for a few days. You make friends with your neighbours…you trade tools and take it in turn to bring each other cups of tea…

I’m very excited to be doing the market this year with one of my favs, Natalia from Wolf and Mishka – weekly we touch base on how we are tracking leading up to a major market. There are laughs, and sometimes tears haha.

I also love discovering someone new; inevitably a market for me also means some personal shopping!

What goals do you have for your business over the next five years?

My goals are more around expanding into using other fabric bases like jersey and fleece, fabrics that are typically considered as ‘disposable’…and how I can re-use them to make something covetable.

I also wouldn’t mind trying some Men’s styles.

Obviously, as a business owner I want to expand my reach but I am more focused on creating limited pieces and using what I have available to me, than developing ranges and sourcing based on trends that come and go so quickly. I’m taking the slow approach.

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