FK chats to Bianca, one half of Sydney’s Page Thirty Three
Can you introduce us to your fab label, Page Thirty Three.
Page Thirty Three is the love child of Ryan and myself, Bianca. We started the label unknowingly the moment we met. So many of conversations would, and still do, start with; how cool would it be if… Eventually we realised it only made sense that we would go about bringing these ideas into fruition.
What are your individual backgrounds and how did you meet?
We both have fine arts backgrounds. Ryan has a degree in Fine Arts. I did Fine Arts at Tafe. We have both been drawing since we were children, we had pretty different lives but we somehow think and feel pretty similarly to each other about most things, especially aesthetically.
The whole design bit was totally new to me when we started Page Thirty Three, but I have learnt to use the tools I need to to get the ideas out.
Ryan on the other hand has worked pretty extensively in fashion/graphic arts and had a great design basis.
We actually met at a festival. Ha! Two of our friends were dating at the time. We all met up, had a dance, and talked all night. Ry and I had this really bouncy energy that I remember recognising immediately. He would say something and I would snap back a reply and he would retort and eventually we would have something really funny surface. I think we may have even made our first imaginary product! Necklaces that have different moulded figurines that relate to each other, like a dog and a trolly and when you have both the dog can sit in the trolly.. It wasn’t our finest idea, but it was the beginning of something! That was in 2008.
Where do you find inspiration for your quirky products? and what keeps you motivated?
I guess alot of our ideas come from none restricted chatter. We have such an open forum & nothing is wrong or stupid so there are no restraints on where our ideas go. Sometimes they end somewhere great & sometimes they end up nowhere… which is usually funny anyway! Keeping motivated is hard! I guess keeping active and staying healthy are massive factors, you can only do as much as your body allows.
Keeping a clear mind! Ry and I started practicing vedic meditation a few months back, which we have found a great tool in keeping a clear mind. We also have our dreams to keep in mind. We want to buy a property on the far south coast and build a home/sanctuary/biggest-veggie-garden-ever, so constantly remembering where we are going really helps when it all feels to much. Having someone to bounce off is great, I don’t think either of us could do it alone.
What was the hardest part about getting started and what has been the most rewarding thing so far?
The hardest thing – in just one answer! There were so many things. I guess over all, allowing yourself to move forward and change for the better. Its a pretty confronting process starting a label. Allowing yourself to be wrong! learn you lessons and move forward. Everything is hard the first time you do it, so not being so hard on ourselves has been a huge lesson.
On the flip side realising that people dig what your doing is awesome. Probably the most rewarding thing was showing our range for the first time and having people respond to it. Another really rewarding part of the job is receiving the first sample of a product that we thought up. Its a real buzz when the box arrives and you can see your little creation for the first time.
What are your favourite websites/blogs for inspiration right now?
ffffound.com is a pretty good source. Because each post is a different blog it allows for alot of wondering. You’ll find great blogs just scrolling through the images. Ry likes Epicly Later’d, it shows the grimy underside to life in America.
What special things do you have on the cards for the rest of 2011?
We are releasing our second collection in August which is pretty exciting. Being able to go back through and refine things like packaging, that we either didn’t have time or the know how to do last year, is pretty rad. Getting settled into our new studio and doing some of our own art is a really exciting idea for us at the moment. Also hoping for a NYC trip towards the end of the year which I day dream about almost daily!
