SECRET SQUIRREL – THE AUSTRALIAN LABEL TO WATCH
When Carey Mulligan discovered local fashion label Secret Squirrel while filming The Great Gatsby in Sydney recently, the Oscar-nominated actress became the latest in a long list of women to fall for the brand’s unique sense of quiet luxury and modern, unassuming style.
In the past two years, Secret Squirrel has earned its reputation as ‘one to watch’, with consistent press coverage in Australia’s leading fashion titles, including Vogue Australia, Marie Claire, Grazia, Russh, Shop Til You Drop, Harpers Bazaar and Yen.
The label has amassed a small legion of dedicated fans and been seen on the likes of musicians Bat for Lashes, Kimbra, Sarah Blasko and Lisa Mitchell, radio and television personality Jackie O, and internationally renowned bloggers Susie Bubble and Nicole Warne of Gary Pepper Vintage.
The force behind the label are Sydney-based creative couple Bri Cheeseman and Andrew Prince, who combine their various talents and have a shared love for music and vintage. They launched the business under a canvas umbrella at the Glebe markets, and have since evolved into a recognisable and coveted label stocked in some of Australia’s leading boutiques and online stores.
Since the earliest days, Bri and Andrew have collaborated with some of Australia’s most exciting artists and designers on prints for their collections including Elke Kramer (Botanica – Summer 2011/12), Greedy Hen (Skies Overhead – Summer 2009/10) and We Buy Your Kids (Darker Than Blue – Winter 2009)
Melbourne-based artist Ainslie Fletcher was employed to create the striking yardage prints in Secret Squirrel’s forthcoming winter 2012 collection, Art Class. Her hand-painted designs (which were then digitally reproduced and printed onto the fabrics) were influenced by the aesthetic of modernist artists Paul Klee and Anni Albers, native American Indian handicrafts and quilts and quilting techniques, and became the main source of inspiration for the range.
The 21 piece collection continues to build on the success of summer’s ‘Botanica’ range and the label’s core strength – creating beautifully easy clothes than can be worn anywhere.
