Inside Colour Queen Katie Kortman’s Technicolour World of Wearable Art
- Words by Peppermint
Drawing on her background in fine art and painting, colour queen, textile and (now) fashion designer Katie Kortman uses bold brushstrokes and joyous, chaotic hues to bring wearable art into daily life.
photos KATHRYN BAGLEY
Tell us a bit about you, your inspirations and your creative design process…
I’m a freelance textile designer as well as a fashion designer with my own clothing line. I used all my prints in this line to create fun clothing with lots of punch and whimsy. When it comes to fashion, I design with myself in mind. I want to look like a walking piece of art yet be comfy enough to live my everyday life in them. My prints are an extension of my fine art background. I studied painting in college and my work is very colourful and abstract. I’m inspired by colour, texture and shape: all the elements of art! I usually just start painting and each brushstroke informs the next. It’s very organic and rarely thought out beforehand.
Why is colour so important to you?
Colour brings me joy and I want to bring that to others. I spent years having to search high and low for clothing that felt joyous and colourful enough for me. In the end, I had to learn how to make my own instead!
Colour brings me joy and I want to bring that to others.
Why do you think your Insta movement encouraging people to wear more colour resonated so much?
Adults have largely become scared of colour and how to use it. #WearHappyColour gives them tools and info that helps, but also permission to try out wearing colours again and in new ways. Every year I get myriad messages from people telling me how it made them feel joyous and how others noticed and gave them so many compliments. It’s really exciting to see how wearing colour positively affects people.
Maker or fashion designer – what came first?
Maker for sure. I was an artist who wanted to wear art and who loved working with her hands – I hate it if I don’t have a project to work on! After sewing for myself for a few years, I got to go on Project Runway, which led to me becoming an actual fashion designer. It was a dream I’d had since my undergrad and I never thought it would be possible given that I didn’t go to fashion school.
What inspired Katie Kortman Clothing?
After going on Project Runway I realised that even if I didn’t win, I loved doing it so much. Before that show, I didn’t know how to design clothing, only how to sew with patterns. It was the impetus for me to learn that skill – I had to get textbooks! And then it lit a fire under my bum to actually do something with it. It was definitely the natural next step… I had been sewing clothes for myself for so long, but my closet is really full! It was better for me to start sewing for others. Plus, people had been begging for this for years!
I design with myself in mind. I want to look like a walking piece of art yet be comfy enough to live my everyday life in them.
Tell us a bit about the fabrics in the range…
I love using Spoonflower’s sport Lycra for my headbands and the organic cotton sateen for custom dresses, shirts and in linings and ruffles on different pieces I create. I plan to make some custom quilted jackets and will be using the linen cotton canvas for that. Another of my favourite substrates is their Dogwood Denim. I haven’t produced pants yet, but when I do I want their denim! It’s the best!
Why is print-on-demand fabric so popular?
Because it’s accessible. Before places like Spoonflower existed, you would’ve had to buy hundreds of yards from a fabric manufacturer to have your own fabric printed. And how would you even go about finding those places anyway? This is an easy way to make something custom. I know people who’ve made prints of old photos or family heirlooms. And then if you’re underwhelmed by the fabric options in the stores, you can search and find a print just like what you’re looking for – and even pick the substrate you want. Get it in swimsuit fabric and denim! I’ve done that!
What’s your favourite part about working with Spoonflower?
I love the quality of the fabrics but also the people who work there – they’re wonderful. I’ve toured the facilities and taught a class back when I was their first brand ambassador. I was incredibly impressed with their ethical practices but also the fun-loving work environment. It’s evident in everything they do.
Where to next?
I hope to have my own runway show in the future and to expand my brand in all sorts of ways! The sky’s the limit – but it will take a little time, as I do have four kids and I don’t want to miss their childhoods!
Read more – Clever Cookie: Want to Get the Alice Nightingale Look?
THIS SERIES WAS CREATED IN COLLABORATION WITH OUR FRIENDS AT SPOONFLOWER. POP OVER TO SPOONFLOWER.COM FOR MORE FABRIC FUN.
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“My piece of advice for makers and designers? Run your own race… make sure your key decisions stay anchored in your brand’s core beliefs.”
- Bec Bligh
Quick show of hands: who’s opened a water bottle expecting a refreshing sip… and instead been greeted by the unmistakable whiff of uh-oh?
Because for something that follows us everywhere (desk, car, hikes, yoga…), the humble drink bottle is strangely prone to becoming a science experiment. Hard-to-clean corners and gaskets. Mystery smells. Bec Bligh and her husband Tim know it well. A six-month sailing trip along the Queensland coast left them with a lifetime of memories and one stubborn annoyance: mouldy water bottles they couldn’t properly clean.
So they did something about it.
Enter @EverVessel. Thoughtfully designed borosilicate glass and stainless steel bottles that keep things beautifully simple: durable materials, wide openings, easy-to-clean parts and none of the techy gimmicks that tend to age badly. Turns out simplicity, done well, is pretty powerful stuff. (Their many design awards agree!)
And lately they’ve added a little extra delight: the Artist Series, where creatives like Paola Castro, Ben Miners and Martin Thompson transform these everyday companions into tiny travelling artworks. There are more colabs in the works, too: hydration, but make it joyful! 🎨💧
We chatted with Bec about the sailing trip that started it all, the philosophy behind Ever Vessel, and why the most sustainable product is often just the one you keep using.
Tap the link in our bio to read the full conversation. 🚰
#EverVessel #ReusableWaterBottle
Pull up a chair… there’s room at this table!
For the first time, Feast for Freedom is bringing people together for a spectacular long-table dinner as part of the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival.
A Longer Table is exactly what it sounds like: one beautiful shared table inside the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (@Asrc1), piled with generous dishes inspired by this year’s hero cooks, Noha and Nige.
From 6 to 9pm on Wednesday, 25 March, this is what you can expect:
🍽 A three-course shared feast
🍷 Matched drinks
🎶 Live entertainment
✨ A room full of good humans
Your ticket doesn’t just buy you a delicious dinner. It supports the ASRC’s vital work and helps create a fairer future for people seeking asylum.
Seats are limited, and long tables have a way of filling up quickly – head to @MelbFoodAndWine’s website to book now: feastforfreedom.org.au/mfwf
#FeastForFreedom #MelbourneFoodAndWineFestival #LongTableDinner #FoodForChange
Sew versatile! 🪡
Another great make from Lisa from @SunnySewsEveryday:
My #PeppermintWaratahWrapDress is finished and I’m so proud of it. It has been designed not to flap open and flash your pants in the wind, so I feel confident it will be a great wheelchair or standing dress in English weather.
#PeppermintPatterns #WrapDress #WrapDressPattern
Frame your face with the Peppermint Bucket Hat!
Stay safe and stylish in the sun with your very own self-sewn and self-drafted wide-brimmed bucket hat. This beginner-friendly sew is perfect for a sunny day. Get out your pencils – this pattern is created using equations and maths!
This DIY project was featured in Issue 53 and now you can access it for the lovely low price of only $5.
Sun-safe chic is always in style. ☀️
Find it via the link in our bio!
Photos: @KelleySheenan
#PeppermintPatterns #PeppermintBucketHat #BucketHat #BucketHatPattern #DIY
✨ INSTANT CLASSIC ✨
The Peppermint Myrtle Shift Dress is a beginner-friendly make with a few special details based on the ever-stylish shift shape – the perfect dress you need in your wardrobe right now!
Myrtle cuts above the knee with options to customise the length. Don’t think she’s reserved for hot weather either: try a heavier-weight fabric to turn your Myrtle into a pinafore-style garment for layering.
For our fabrics we chose two from our lovely sewing partner @Karmme_Apparel – the bold Rottnest Stripes in a lightweight, soft-drape cotton, and the quality linen in the handpainted Mexico Collection.
Get making the Myrtle – the only question is, can you stop at just one?
Link in bio 🪡
Fabric: @Karmme_Apparel
Sewist: @Laura_The_Maker
Photos: @KelleySheenan
Models: @SerahSews and @Pins_And_Tonic
Location: @ShareTheDignityAustralia
#PeppermintMyrtleShiftDress #PeppermintPatterns
It’s time to Feast!
Some recipes travel a long way before they land on your table to delight your taste buds. This year’s Feast for Freedom invites us to gather our friends, cook something delectable and raise funds for the incredible work of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (@Asrc1) while we’re at it.
The 2026 Feast features recipes shared by two remarkable cooks: Noha, who brought the flavours of Palestine with her when she arrived in Australia, and Nige, a Sri-Lankan Tamil cook whose journey with food began in the most unexpected of places.
You can host your own Feast up until 30 April – simply register online and get planning! Host a dinner, organise a workplace lunch, or gather your community… However you do it, the idea is simple: cook, connect and celebrate the cultures and stories that shape Australia.
Want to find out more? Head to the link in bio to meet Noha and Nige, learn more about their stories, and discover a delicious recipe to try.
#FeastForFreedom #PeppermintMagazine #FoodForGood #ASRC
