5 QUESTIONS FOR SHANNON GARRETT (FOUNDER OF PRINTS)

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1. Your designs are so fresh and very fun. Who are your biggest inspirations when it comes to fashion? 

To be honest I don’t think I am inspired by a person so much as colors and patterns themselves. I love wandering the streets and people watching. I gain inspiration from thrift shops and drag shows. When I see a textile design that I vibe with and I have this sensation of wanting to be surrounded by it, consumed by it: I turn that desire into reality by making it clothing! I think I romanticize very feminine 60s and 70s fashion a lot too though, I am definitely trying to bring that back. 

2. It seems like you've found your stride in the indie fashion & clothing market. When did you realize that you wanted to start your own business?

I think [it was] when I realized that I could sew and turn my visions into reality. I taught myself to sew and while it was a bit of a frustrating process, it became rewarding quickly as I stuck with it and saw myself getting better and better. I have a background with sculpture and I think that helped me a lot to understand how to construct something just by looking at it. As I started to wear more of my own garments I would get lots of great feedback and it definitely encouraged me to start making things for other people. I do lots of markets around Melbourne now and it is so rewarding getting to present my work and chat with people about it. It is still so thrilling every time I make a sale! 

3. It seems like Melbourne has always been a mecca for modern and international arts. What's the fashion scene there like these days?

Oh, Melbourne is such a wonderful place for fashion in the fact that it absorbs inspiration from all over. Australians have a bit of a crush on American pop culture and I love the way they interpret it into their own style. Melbourne is filled with so many cultures from all over as well and the beautiful clash of it coming together is very inspiring. It is the kind of city you can be confident in whatever way you want to present yourself, and that is so encouraging to creative individuals here. Like most cities trends spread really quickly and it’s quite funny to observe- I loved watching the growth of Kim Kardashian eyebrows being worn by the masses! So to sum it up it is a very accessible place for art and fashion, and it welcomes your input! 

4. If you could time-travel to produce wardrobes for any of your favorite tv show characters from the 1980s or 90s, who would you style?

FRAN DRESCHER in the Nanny, no question. Or Kath and Kim from the early 2000’s would be a dream as well. The Australian one- I’ve heard the American re-make isn’t as good. I am thinking of being one or the other for Halloween this year (already been Fran haha). 

5. What's next for PRINTS?

I am really focusing on custom orders right now. I really love the experience of bringing something together with an individual. The satisfaction we both receive from it is so rewarding and it is such a unique relationship- even if that is all we spend together. I want that to become more of a norm people can incorporate into their lives. My next big thing will be SUITS. I have been dreaming about it lots and the time is on the horizon. I have recently started a job in the corporate world and it might be surprising but it has inspired me lots. I am so fortunate to have found a place that still allows me to put my spin on “office couture” and I want to run with it. I think it’s a market not yet tapped into, and I’m bringing it on!