Buy Blak This NAIDOC Week at the Melbourne Finders Keepers Market
- Words by Peppermint
above THE FINDERS KEEPERS MELBOURNE AW22 BY SAMEE LAPHAM
Melbourne friends, are you feeling the winter chill? Rug up and get down to The Finders Keepers market this weekend to enjoy the warm fuzzies that come from supporting small businesses!
Over 270 makers will be filling the majestic Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton Gardens from Friday 7 July until Sunday 9 July. Tickets are on sale now (just $6) and when you buy a ticket, you’ll go in the running to win one of five subscriptions to Peppermint! Head to the link here for all the details.
As the proud media partner of Finders Keepers, you’ll spot lots of Peppermint goodness all over the place. Head to the Read and Refresh Lounge to add a free back issue to your market tote or look out for us as you shop with a selection of debut stallholders: they’ll have copies of our latest issue to give to their first five customers. And, while the ceiling of the Royal Exhibition Building is a sight to behold, don’t forget to look down – you might see one of our fun flower decals that link you straight to our beloved sewing patterns!
above THE FINDERS KEEPERS MELBOURNE AW22 BY SAMEE LAPHAM
Of course, this weekend also sees celebrations continue for NAIDOC Week and the market will feature some amazing First Nations talent. Finders Keepers has once again partnered with Aboriginal Melbourne and the City of Melbourne for the 2023 Indigenous Designer Lineup – supporting a range of First Nations businesses with a fully funded stall space. Check out the incredible lineup of makers here to plan your wishlist!
We were lucky enough to catch up with a couple of the amazing makers from the Indigenous lineup – read on to meet the creatives behind Amber Days and Kenita.Lee.
BUY TICKETS NOW!
AMBER DAYS
Tell us a bit about what you make…
I’m an Aboriginal designer, nature protector, campaigner, mother and founder of ethical children’s wear label, Amber Days.
Amber Days is a 100% Aboriginal-owned children’s wear label inspired by the Australian bush, desert and sea. With the aim of having a minimal environmental impact and creating positive change in the fashion industry by supporting ethical manufacturers and fabric suppliers, Amber Days collaborates with a different female Aboriginal artist for each collection, to share stories through art – continuing culture as we have done for tens of thousands of years.
Why do you love The Finders Keepers?
Finders Keepers is one of my favourite weekends of the year. I love being among so many creatives and meeting my customers face-to-face. One of my fave parts now is the Aboriginal business space; it just feels like a huge get-together with community.
Personally, I create a list of things over the year that I need and then shop at the Finders Keepers Market. I love purchasing from small businesses that are sustainable and ethical and what better way than to buy directly from the maker?
It just feels like a huge get-together with community.
What can market-goers look forward to when they visit you at the Melbourne market?
We love being able to share the stories of our artwork with everyone and talk about the importance of taking care of Country and why that is important to us and the way we produce our clothing. To us, this means using organic fabric, printing with non-toxic dyes and also being plastic-free with our packaging and the way we live. We are also really excited to release a new baby tee and onesie at the market!
Why is the creative community so special?
The creative community is so special for so many reasons. It makes space to do things differently. It makes space to create a business for purpose, to tell a story through fashion and to celebrate. It’s just a joyous, inspiring space to be in.
KENITA.LEE
Tell us a bit about what you make…
I am a proud Wemba Wemba, Wiradjuri, Wotjiboluk, Nari Nari and Boon Wurrung woman living on the stolen lands of the Wemba Wemba people. I’m a creative artist, making prints, blankets and picnic rugs from my art.
Creating for me has always been my way to express emotions, experiences, healing and self-care. As an adult, I began expressing myself through various creative practices, including dance and weaving.
Keeping our traditions alive is so important to me. My pembemgguk (children) are growing up strong within their identity and culture, surrounded by art, culture and community. I like to paint in mostly vibrant colours to express myself but turn to a natural palette through different seasons in my life.
It’s so supportive, no matter where we come from.
Why do you love The Finders Keepers?
Finders Keepers is such an exciting event; I love that First Nations peoples are represented!
Why is the creative community so special?
It’s so supportive, no matter where we come from, I love that about it!
The Finders Keepers is Australia’s largest curated marketplace of makers, designers and entrepreneurs. Online, and via their major market events, the Finders Keepers is where communities come together to shop, explore and discover the very best from designers, makers and entrepreneurs in our country.
JOIN OUR MAILING LIST
Brighten up your inbox with our not-too-frequent emails featuring Peppermint-related news, events, competitions and more!
explore
More articles
Have you made the Viola Quilted Jacket yet? This pattern hits the sweet spot for both established sewists keen to learn a new skill (quilting!),…
Hang out with us on Instagram
“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
