Christchurch maker Kate Batt of Frankie Raine is a busy maker and mum of five, and she’s passionate about producing beautiful, durable, long lasting clothing for her rough-and-tumble little ones. She makes all her gorgeous baby and children’s clothing to order using locally sourced, silky soft 100% merino and organic cottons.
Inspired by the green spaces of Ōtautahi Christchurch, Seonaid Burnie of The Clothworks looks at closing the loop when it comes to the art on our walls by re-purposing second-hand fabrics, employing eco-printing and dyeing techniques using plants and trees foraged from our City’s residential red zone, and bringing a little bit of the Garden City back into our homes.
Christchurch ceramicist Emma Turner enjoys telling stories about our every day surroundings in her artistic and functional pieces. From her home studio she produces appealing and practical thrown and hand built ceramic wares, as well as a range of striking, unique necklaces and brooches.
Austrian born Jinx from Magpie Castle decided to move halfway across the world to New Zealand after finishing school. She’d never been on a plane before, but being adventurous and a bit naïve at the time she thought it’d be a good idea. Her mum’s reaction was: “New Zealand? Do they even have roads there?” But mum always told her to “Live your dreams” as well so that’s exactly what she did, and it all turned out fine on the other side of the world.
Gina Reid of Luxi Home NZ makes macramé art and accessories that have grown out of her exploration of fibre arts and her life experiences. Her pieces are shaped by Aotearoa’s changing natural and built landscapes, Māori designs, and the natural fibres and found materials she incorporates into her pieces, including cotton, New Zealand merino wool and driftwood collected from our beautiful beaches.
A small but dedicated salvage team based in Christchurch, The Silvan started out life as an art gallery and café. When their building was lost in the 2011 earthquakes, the team came back fighting, shifting their focus to saving and repurposing beautiful timbers, hand salvaged from damaged buildings. Founders Debra and GT believe in minimising waste and reusing everything they can to make pieces that are practical, beautiful, and full of soul.
Christchurch illustrator/designer/artist Sarah Greig got her Fine Arts degree back in the day and has since worked in a variety of jobs including shoe and bag designer, graphic designer, and ski patroller! After living in in Antwerpen, Belgium for a decade she moved back to Christchurch in 2014 to start a new adventure. Working primarily in watercolour and dip-pen, she loves to create quirky artworks inspired by nature.
Christchurch yarn-crafter extraordinaire Pip Currie rediscovered the joy of knitting while at university, and is now completely obsessed with all things knitting, crochet and fibre related. She loves the joy of making and creating with her own two hands, the wonder of natural fibres, and the amazing feeling of wearing something handmade. Wanting to be able to share this passion with others led to Littlest Pip Knits.
Glen and Linda Turner are the creative minds behind Studio Three Two Four, a Christchurch-based small business specialising in striking wooden mosaic wall art and home decor pieces – all created from locally sourced materials. Glen has been making one off items for many years using the resources available to him. Whether it’s a piece of furniture, custom wood art or a home decor item, he has always enjoyed what he does and the sense of satisfaction that comes with it.
Nurse and creative stitcher Hannah Bentley of Hannah B. Creative designs and hand embroiders all sorts of original and fun hand embroidered art work from her Christchurch home. Her modern, quirky take on traditional hoop embroidery is at times beautiful, at times humorous, and sometimes fantastically surreal.