150 Years in Bloom: Step Into Liberty’s World of Florals and Fashion With Two Green Zebras
- Words by Peppermint
Liberty lovers, mark your diaries! 2026 is kicking off with not one, but two Liberty Fabrics Showcase events, promising all sorts of fabulousness. Presented by the friendly folks at Two Green Zebras (Australia’s exclusive wholesale distributor of Liberty Fabrics), each showcase is a love letter to Liberty’s 150 years of textile artistry, innovation and irresistible floral prints.
Brisbanites get first look on 7 February 2026 at the Brisbane Convention Centre, while Melburnians can spend the 14th of February falling in love with fabric at the Melbourne Convention Centre.
LEFT: ANNA BURUMA RIGHT: MARY-ANN DUNKLEY
It’s the ultimate Liberty day out: part history lesson, part boutique shopping spree, all celebration. Two very special guest speakers will be flying in from Liberty London, too, to give you the inside scoop on Liberty’s past, present, and future. Mary-Ann Dunkley, Liberty’s Head of Design, has a love of print that dates back twenty-five years to when she started working as textile design manager for the iconic British fashion design brand Paul Smith. She now leads Liberty’s creative studio from their Regent Street flagship store in London.
Anna Buruma, Liberty’s ex-Head of Archive, is a trained theatre designer with a storied career as a costume designer in TV and film – plus a masters degree in the History of Dress! She managed Liberty’s textile archive from 1996 to 2022, and her book, Artistic Dress at Liberty & Co: The Early Years (featuring good stuff like archival materials and previously unpublished pattern books) is also available to pre-order with your ticket. So, if you want to hear ALL the tea on Liberty, Mary-Ann and Anna are the perfect brewmasters!
Add to that dazzling fashion parades in collaboration with Aussie pattern company Style Arc, first access to the brand-new Liberty Fabrics Spring/Summer 2026 ‘Floral Rebellion’ collection, a peek at new Lasenby Quilting Cotton collections, and a curated retail experience featuring everyone from patchwork pros to indie designers; and you’ve got a recipe for textile heaven.
And let’s not forget the extras: great goodie bags, delicious food, book signings, giveaways and plenty of chances to pick up something rare, beautiful or just too good to leave behind. Whether you’re a dressmaker, a quilter, a collector or simply Liberty-curious, this showcase is a rare chance to step inside the colourful world of one of fashion’s most enduring names. It’s also a celebration that makes slow fashion sing: timeless fabrics designed to last, stitched into garments and heirlooms that connect generations. Chances are your grandma’s sewing box has an iconic Liberty scrap tucked away in there – and now’s your chance to add to your own stash! You’ll find yourself shoulder-to-shoulder with your people at the Liberty Fabrics Showcase – sewists, makers and dreamers who all understand the joy of finding that perfect print. Florals, for all seasons? Groundbreaking, indeed!
Liberty or nothing!
Liberty Fabrics have sure made their mark on fashion history! These are just a few iconic moments we love.
- Mary Quant used Liberty prints in her swinging ’60s collections, cementing florals as mod-cool (and just a bit subversive, too.).
- In 2009, Hermès collaborated with Liberty on scarves – two icons, one covetable accessory.
- Yves Saint Laurent’s first maxi skirt design used Liberty’s Macedonia print.
- A Liberty patchwork costume features in the 1973 horror movie The Wicker Man.
- In 2008, Topshop announced a partnership with Liberty of London for Kate Moss’s upcoming collection, sparking a ’90s-style boho revival. Kate herself loves wearing vintage clothing, including a 1971 Thea Porter dress made from Liberty-print cotton voile.
- Manolo Blahnik once crafted a limited-edition set of Liberty-print heels and a clutch bag, because why stop at dresses? (This was to mark Liberty’s 140th anniversary!)
- Marc Jacobs collaborated with Liberty for the ‘Pretty Nylon’ collection launched in 2013, featuring classic Liberty floral prints on items like totes, cosmetic cases, and backpacks.
- J.Crew’s done several homeware collabs with Liberty, including a 2023 drop of tablecloths, napkins, placemats, sheet set and duvet covers.
- Need some spring in your step? Nike x Liberty sneakers (2014) became cult collector’s items.
- Liberty’s ‘Retold Collection’, launched this year to celebrate their 150th anniversary, includes a print called ‘Oscar’s Palace’, named after Irish playwright Oscar Wilde, one of Liberty fabric’s most famous fans.
- And closer to home, Liberty prints have long been a staple in Australian dressmaking and quilting circles – stitched into countless heirloom pieces across generations.
Tickets ($75) go on sale 9am, Monday 15 September – book your tickets here. But be quick – there won’t be door sales! Follow along at @Regent_Street_Fabrics and @2GreenZebras for sneak peeks, retailer previews and a first look at what’s blooming.
This post was created with our good friends at Two Green Zebras, the official wholesale distributor for Liberty Fabrics.
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Look, I don’t want to make anyone panic but IT’S DECEMBER!!! If you’re planning to give homemade gifts, you’re going to have to act fast. …
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🌻 The Paddington 🌻
This is a much-loved staple, created for Issue 50 in 2021. We love seeing the #PeppermintPaddingtonTop continually popping up in our feeds!
How stunning is our model Elon MelaninGoddessEfon – she told us it was one of the first times she had been asked to come to a shoot with her natural hair. 🌻
We worked with South African patternmaker Sarah Steenkamp of @FrenchNavyNow_ to create this wardrobe essential – the perfect puff-sleeve blouse. Raglan sleeves make it the ultimate beginner sew, plus the gorgeous back buttons let you add your own personal twist.
Pattern via the link in bio! 🪡
Photos: @KelleySheenan
Fabric: @Spoonflower
Model: MelaninGoddessEfon
“In the 1940’s, Norwegians made and wore red pointed hats with a tassel as a form of visual protest against Nazi occupation of their country. Within two years, the Nazis made these protest hats illegal and punishable by law to wear, make, or distribute. As purveyors of traditional craft, we felt it appropriate to revisit this design.”
Crafters have often been at the heart of many protest movements, often serving as a powerful means of political expression. @NeedleAndSkein, a yarn store in Minnesota, are helping to mobilise the craftivists of the world with a ‘Melt The Ice’ knitting pattern created by @Yarn_Cult (with a crochet pattern too), as a way of peaceful protest.
The proceeds from the $5 pattern will go to local immigrant aid organisations – or you can donate without buying the pattern.
Raise those needles, folks – art and craft can change the world. 🧶
Link in bio for the pattern.
Images: @Gather_Fiber @NeedleAndSkein @a2ina2 @KyraGiggles Sandi.204 @WhatTracyMakes AllieKnitsAway Auntabwi2
#MeltTheIce #Craftivism #Knitting #CraftForChange
TWO WEEKS TO GO! 🤩
"The most important shift is moving from volume-led buying to value-led curation – choosing fewer, better products with strong ethics, considered production and meaningful stories. Retailers have real influence here: what you buy signals what you stand for. At Life Instyle, this means using the event to discover and invest in small-scale, planet-considerate brands that align with your values and your customer’s conscience. Consumers don’t need more things; they need better things, and retailers play a key role in selecting, contextualising, and championing why those products matter."
Only two more weeks until @Life_Instyle – Australia`s leading boutique retail trade show. If you own a store, don`t miss this event! Connect with designers, source exquisite – and mindful – products, and see firsthand why this is Australia’s go-to trade show for creatives and retailers alike. And it`s free! ✨️
Life Instyle – Sydney/Eora Country
14-17 February 2026
ICC, Darling Harbour
Photos: @Samsette
#LifeInstyle #SustainableShopping #SustainableShop #RetailTradeEvent
Calling all sewists! 📞
Have you made the Peppermint Waratah Wrap Dress yet? Call *1800 I NEED THIS NOW to get making!
This gorgeous green number was modelled (and made) by the fabulous Lisa of @Tricky.Pockets 🙌🏼
If you need a nudge, @ePrintOnline are offering Peppermint sewists a huge 🌟 30% off ALL A0 printing 🌟 when you purchase the Special Release Waratah Wrap Dress pattern – how generous is that?!
Head to the link in bio now 📞
*Not a real number in case that wasn`t clear 😂
#PeppermintWaratahWrapDress #PeppermintPatterns #SewingPattern #WrapDress #WrapDressPattern
8 Things to Know About January 26 - from @ClothingTheGaps:
Before you celebrate, take the time to learn the truth. January 26 is not a day of unity it’s a Day of Mourning and Survival for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
It marks the beginning of invasion, dispossession, and ongoing colonial violence. It’s time for truth-telling, not whitewashed history.
Stand in solidarity. Learn. Reflect. Act.
✊🏽 Blog written by Yorta Yorta woman Taneshia Atkinson.
🔗 Link in bio of @ClothingTheGaps to read the full blog
#ChangeTheDate #InvasionDay #SurvivalDay #AlwaysWasAlwaysWillBe #ClothingTheGaps
As the world careens towards AI seeping into our feeds, finds and even friend-zones, it`s becoming increasingly hard to ignore.
We just wanted to say that here at Peppermint, we are choosing to not print or publish AI-generated art, photos, words, videos or content.
Merriam-Webster’s human editors chose `slop` as the 2025 Word of the Year – they define it as “digital content of low quality that is produced usually in quantity by means of artificial intelligence.” The problem is, as AI increases in quality, it`s becoming more and more difficult to ascertain what`s real and what`s not.
Let`s be clear here, AI absolutely has its place in science, in climate modelling, in medical breakthroughs, in many places... but not in replacing the work of artists, writers and creatives.
Can we guarantee that everything we publish is AI-free? Honestly, not really. We know we are not using it to create content, but we are also relying on the artists, makers and contributors we work with, as well as our advertisers, to supply imagery, artwork or words created by humans. AI features are also creeping into programs and apps too, making it difficult to navigate. But we will do our best to avoid it and make a stand for the artists and creatives who have had their work stolen and used to train AI machines, and those who are now losing work as they are replaced by this energy-sapping, environment-destroying magic wand.
Could using it help our productivity and bottom line? Sure. And as a small business in a difficult landscape, that`s a hard one to turn down. We know other publishers who use AI to write stories, create recipes, produce photo shoots... but this one is important to us.
`Touch grass` was also a Merriam-Webster Word of the Year. We`ll happily stick with that as a theme, thanks very much. 🌿
