In the earlier years of my career I worked for a variety of brands designing Swimwear and Activewear ranges from trend and initial concept through to production. Some of these brands include 2 Chillies, Ceara Blue, Miss Cocoa, X-Fire Active and City Beach, alongside development ranges for brands such as Big W, Miss Shop and Best & Less.
My process would always involve a Trend Analysis and carefully curated moodboard indicating the look and feel for the proposed direction and how this sits within a seasonal range, followed up by repeating artwork, shape development and ranging storyboards developed using Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. Technical packs would then be put together to communicate styling details to offshore suppliers.
In more recent years my career has leant more towards designing textiles for the home, with muted colours palettes and calming fabrications. However alongside this, I continued to yearn for bolder colours, stretch fabrics, fashion and swimwear design. From this, a hobby began on weekends, of painting colourful and energetic artwork and mocking up swimwear concepts, and consequently Bon+Co was born. Bon+Co is a bold range of ethically made swimwear designed specifically for kids, teens and tweens that is functional, practical, affordable, ethical, and looks fabulous.
As with many small business’ it has been important to be ‘The Jack Of All Trades’, learning many new skills in bringing the project to life. Bon+Co has been a fulfilling experience that has broadened and built upon my existing knowledge of the fashion and retail industry. To compliment my career of Textile & Product Design, all of a sudden I found myself immersed in Business and Range Planning, Costings and Price Negotiation, Specifications, Pattern Making, Styling and Fittings, Coordinating local and off-shore Sampling and Production, Shipping and Freight, Branding, Marketing and Graphic Design, Website Design and Construction, Photoshoot Direction, Stock Management, Sales and Order Fulfilment, Event Management, Fashion Show’s and so much more. To view the full range and learn more about this labour of love, please visit the Bon+Co website.