Meet our Mother-Daughter teams
With Mother’s Day fast approaching, we thought we’d reach out and find out more about some of our Mother / Daughter Artisan small businesses that are regulars at our Bourne Local events.
Read on to learn more about Howler Collection – an artisan design team for pooches with innovative design and materials, Natural Industry, a pair of designers delivering handmade sustainability, and Comfy Tails – an amazing pair designing, printing and making pet accessories.
Howler Collection
This unique mother and daughter team designs ethically crafted pieces for modern dogs and humans. We love Ebony and Deborah’s innovative approach to design, business and pooches! Read on to hear their thoughts on working together.
What’s it like working with your Mum?
Launching HOWLER COLLECTION with Mum (Deborah) has been an incredible journey and an experience I don’t think many mothers and daughters are given. We are both passionate about sustainability and functionality, so crafting products that make both of our hearts sing has been wonderful. Working creatively together has deepened our relationship and allowed us to appreciate another side of one another. Mum’s an absolute powerhouse and a very talented woman, so I’m very proud to be working alongside her.
How did you get started, and what made you want to do it together?
Growing up, I watched Mum run her successful equestrian rug business. I would hang out in her studio when I was young, play with all the materials, and watch her sew. When I got my little pooch Aphex, we fell madly in love with him. No matter where we looked, we just could not find products, specifically Step-In Harnesses, that reflected our style and were well-fitting. So together, we thought, let’s create one! By combining our love of dogs, modern design, sustainability, and functionality, HOWLER COLLECTION was born. Looking back now I would never have dreamt we would be designing together in our own studio!
Who’s the creative one? And who’s the organiser?
We both wear the creative hat but in different areas. Mum will be busy designing and sewing patterns and coming up with innovative ways of using materials, whilst I’ll be creating illustrations, working with colours, and using my skills as a photographer/designer to build the look and feel of our brand. When it comes to organisation, Mum is the QUEEN! She loves a good spreadsheet and clipboard!
The best thing about being a local artisan small business here in Melbourne?
Community. I had no idea how welcoming this industry would be. People just adore their pets and it’s so special to be able to design products that fulfil their needs. More so, meeting other talented creatives who are working in this female-led industry has definitely been a highlight. These incredible women have been so warm and encouraging. It’s wonderful to be a part of a local community where everybody wants to see one another succeed.
Follow at https://www.instagram.com/howlercollection/
Natural Industry
What’s it like working with your Mum?
Working together is fun but definitely at times frustrating! We are so similar and headstrong that there definitely are some clashes but mostly lots of laughs and really valuable time spent together.
How did your small business get started, and what made you want to do it together?
We both work 9 to 5s but mum, heading toward retirement, was looking for something more meaningful to focus on. She has always been creative and has always been a maker, she is one of those people that can look at something for two minutes and then be able to make it (probably better). I am just the one that pushed her to make the leap into doing it as a business and the one that wrangles the non-stop creativity so we don’t have 50 million products on the go at once (although, we are heading toward that number).
Who’s the creative one? And who’s the organiser?
We are both creative but when it comes to sewing, it is definitely her. The sewing gene skipped me, she tried to teach me when I was younger but it would always end in arguments. I am just the organiser and help with refining but she is definitely the creative director, there is no way I could do what she does.
The best thing about being a local artisan small business here in Melbourne?
The best thing is knowing we are contributing to the ethical and local movement. Consumerism, waste and fast fashion/products are out of control, we love the thought of contributing products that not only look great, but are quality and will last, are sustainably sourced, and handmade right here. Melbourne has such a thriving artisan community; it is great to be contributing to the amazing creations with our peers.
You can find them online at https://www.naturalindustryaustralia.com/ or follow them at https://www.instagram.com/naturalindustry/
Comfy Tails
We love Comfy Tails – a Mother / Daughter team; Donna and Alice are regulars at our markets, showcasing the beautiful handmade pet accessories that they design, print and make right here in Melbourne.
What’s it like working with your Mum?
I love working with my Mum. We are both hardworking and push each other to do things we wouldn’t ordinarily do. It’s nice knowing that there’s always somebody that has your back and supports your dreams, and will work with you to achieve that. I couldn’t imagine working with anybody else.
How did you get started, and what made you want to do it together?
I started Al Ele during university to make a bit of cash during the holiday period and keep busy. Then I decided to give it a go full time after I graduated. That was when I started to get more help from Mum in the studio and we started to find our groove. At the start of 2019 I convinced Mum that she should start Comfy Tails and that’s when things started to get really busy for us both. We just work so well as a team that people have even asked if we put on a face for markets! But we genuinely want to see each other succeed, even through busy periods (Christmas time and interstate markets) we are always confident that we will get everything done and can celebrate together when it’s all finished. I don’t think there’s a better feeling than celebrating with the person that’s been by your side, doing all the long nights, driving up and down the coast for days, they’re the ones that truly appreciate all the work that’s gone into it and I know I’m so lucky that that person is my Mum.
Who’s the creative one? And who’s the organiser?
We both wear those hats, Mum always hates it when I say: “I was thinking” or “I had an idea”. And now that Donna has started sentences off with those words, I have the same feeling. We are always coming up with new ideas and ways we can do things that people will love! We just keep adding to our ‘to do list’, and I don’t think we’ll ever get everything ticked off, but it wouldn’t be us if we didn’t try!
The best thing about being a local artisan team here in Melbourne?
The community. There are people we have met at markets that we now consider to be family. We celebrate birthdays, and achievements and they come for Christmas lunch! We are so lucky to be a part of the ever-growing and always supportive artisan community here in Melbourne and even beyond!
Find Alice and Donna at https://www.comfytails.com.au/ or follow on the Insta’s https://www.instagram.com/comfytails/
These two don’t rest! You can also find their gorgeous range of natural handmade fashion range for women here: https://www.al-ele.com/