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Founder - Jodi Gibbs (above)
THE STORY OF BIRD & KITE
To tell the story of Bird & Kite I have to begin with my personal story. It starts with two young visionaries and how they forged a life for themselves, with their tribe of wildling children, of self sustainability in remote bushland, Australia. These two visionaries were my parents. My greatest inspirations.
WHERE IT ALL BEGAN
The life we lived was free from convention, and completely outside the box. Mum & Dad instilled in us the drive to live creatively, passionately, with intention and independence. They taught us to work hard and to value the fruits of that labour. It was a life of simplicity, living off the land and going back to basics. We were self sufficient in almost all aspects from home grown produce to handmade clothes, cheese, bread. Even our bush rock home was hand built using raw materials from the land and recycled materials.
The home was solar powered, and rainwater was our water source. We lived off the grid. Nothing was wasted. Anything we consumed was either handmade or purchased from garage sales or opportunity shops. We recycled what we could and created what we needed for ourselves.
These beginnings lay the foundations for who I am today. They are the bedrock from which I draw my inspiration. In all things I do and create, those fundamental values are still there, driving my choices and forming the basis of my vision for Bird & Kite. Bird & Kite was born out of this.
Since before I can remember I was making clothes. I remember helping my mum to sew and learnt how to use the sewing machine at a very young age. She taught me how to thread the cotton through that tiny needle and keep the pressure steady on the pedal. She taught me how to cut and use every piece of fabric. As a child I created ways to utilise off cuts of fabric by sewing little pouches to keep things in.
Later, when I was older and a teenager, my interest grew and I became a frequent customer in all the local opportunity shops. I developed a very large vintage clothing collection and also upcycled clothing by cutting dresses up and sewing them together differently to create my own styles. To this day I am still obsessed with vintage clothes and this can be seen in my designs. The nostalgia of my 70’s childhood is present in every collection. They are interwoven with the magic of all my experiences. They are a raw reflection of me.
The same core values from my upbringing are reflected in our brand values at Bird & Kite. Our ethical practices and codes of conduct are driven by my own personal values. To be conscious of our choices. To understand their impact on people and our planet. To lighten our footprint. To waste nothing. To consume less. To respect the makers. To keep traditional artisan culture alive. To live slow. To encourage and inspire others to be the change this worlds needs us to be so very desperately now.