My journey to organic textiles and interiors, started quite subtly as a child. I grew up on a dairy farm where my mother grew our vegetables, bought Soil and Health magazines (now known as Organic NZ), dabbled in homeopathy, made natural creams for the cows using honey and zinc and raised free range chickens. My mother and grandmother were also avid sewers, knitters and crafters. It was this upbringing that instilled my love of textiles and planted the seed of my environmental awareness.

While completing my degree in Textile Design at Massey University, I did my ‘apprenticeship’ at Arthur Toye’s flagship store in Wellington. London was where I became involved in interiors, working my way into managing Liberty of London’s soft furnishings department.

I have always had a bit of a conscience about the environment, doing a little bit here in there, such as recycling and buying second hand. More often than not, I was thinking and talking, but not doing a lot because it seemed too hard or too expensive! However, when I came back from London my first major choice to do something about it, was the decision to not buy cheap imported products. This step in itself was a huge undertaking, as it seems that the majority of everyday products and clothing are imported from countries where less than ideal working and living conditions are the norm.