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Barefoot
Blooms

Designer Micky Little chats with Womenclan on conscious consumption, textile waste and designing clothes with Mother Earth in mind.

Tell us about what sort of role creativity had growing up?

I grew up in Dunedin, and I always had a strong interest in styling and clothing design since I was a lil dot. I enjoyed exploring how different shapes and silhouettes worked together, dressing up in my parents clothes as a child. I never really considered studying fashion design or pursuing it as a career until I started modelling during my latter teen years and realised the potential. After high school I studied a Bachelor of Fashion Design at Otago Polytechnic, learning how to sew around this time. Both my parents and family members are pretty creative in their own ways so I definitely get it from them. My mum always encouraged me to express my creativity and personality through a diverse range of mediums. 

 

Where did a love for designing begin?

It was born out of the lack of sustainable clothing options on offer at the time, as well as a lack of particular fits and silhouettes. The opportunity to have full control over the design process seemed attractive – from the silhouette to the colour, print and type of fabric, as well as it being a completely unique and one-off garment. 

 

How did Barefoot Blooms come about?

It started as a platform to educate our community on the issues within the fashion industry, and to encourage conscious consumption when it comes to buying clothes. I think we’ve all become increasingly aware of the impact the fast fashion industry is having on Papatūānuku and the unethical production processes accompanying it.

 

As designers and consumers of the future, it’s our responsibility to recreate balance with the earth and minimise our footprint. So naturally I was inspired to create a sustainable and unique alternative to men’s and women’s casual summer clothing. I did this by reusing materials already available for use (repurposing and upcycling materials), rather than creating more waste by using brand new fabrics. I wanted to...

Want to keep reading? Find the full story in Womenclan: Journal Two, available now.

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