We discovered this little piece of Australia with the sisters of Spell Designs
Spell Designs , her oneiric line of clothing, jewelry and homeware, aims precisely that "women with a bohemian spirit can take a piece of Byron Bay with them wherever wander ". Because that's what his muses do: wander, drift, live a nomadic and carefree life shod in good leather sandals, and covered in several white layers of gaseous fabrics. Ethereal, yes, but powerful. What the atmosphere that is breathed on this shore of the Coral Sea , which attracts lovers of happiness and simple life from all over the planet.
"The first summer I came to Byron Bay, when I was in my early twenties, I came with my friends. We camped in a tipi in another friend's garden and we hitchhiked every day to get to town; They always brought us very nice neighbors. We had parties in the street in the evenings, we ate vegetarian food, we did yoga on the side of the road , we used to visit waterfalls... That's Byron Bay: a place that brings out a powerful feeling of freedom who visits him".
The one speaking is Elisabeth, the other half of Spell Designs. And although she acknowledges that the place has changed somewhat since that first time she visited him she, she will be about 15 years ago, "she still has that touch that she makes, even though you work and live here, feel like it's a vacation spot ". She fell in love, above all, with the beaches and gastronomy, and romance continues: "Here, of course, there is as much vegetarian offering as you could hope for in a sleepy little hippie town , but it is that, in addition, it has been established in recent years a wonderful culture foodies . There are products fresh, organic and healthy everywhere, and I love that the people who live here have a lifestyle so healthy and happy ".
As if that were not enough, the bay, whose population does not even reach 5,000 people, has spontaneously become in a pole of innovation in the creative industry from Australia. She has done it thanks to small but stable industry of which its artisans are a part, among whom, back in 2009 -before bulk sell to all over the world - the sisters themselves counted. In fact, at that time her work was so "manual" that it did not convince the professionals of much more industrialized Brisbane: "We got there with our pieces of jewelry in tupperware and pillowcases ; everything was so homemade, we were so unsophisticated, that I don't think they would take us seriously So we just continue to sell online," they recently told The Daily Telegraph.
Now, just 11 years after those humble beginnings, Spell Designs offers its thousands of followers **some of the most beloved lookbooks in the business** (and even a book telling its own story). Elizabeth's experience as film editor, in addition to the bet of both for a very personal and defined aesthetic , which she does not understand fashion, are clearly taking them on the right track. To this must be added the "Byron Bay Essence" that we were talking about before and, above all, the commitment of the sisters to her work, which makes the borders between what they sell and what they live is practically indissoluble : It is not that they are selling a dream of eternal sunsets at music festivals , endless roadtrips along the Australian coast or warm awakenings with precious babies, is that, if we pay attention to his Instagram, they are living that dream (In fact, all the looks that they wear on this social network can be bought. And they also have ** collections for the little ones ** ).
Also, the love of travel , which is very clear with just a glance at their profiles, is another feature that determine the tone of the designs from Spell Designs: "Every time we travel, we gather inspiration for our collections. We love folk art and the work of local artisans from around the world, whose workshops we try to visit whenever we go to a new country. But our weakness is the landscapes and imagery of North America , and that shows, and a lot, in our clothes". And also in their lookbooks, because that is where their photographers shoot the most.
Be that as it may, Elizabeth and Isabella manage to carry the spirit of Byron Bay wherever they go. But what other places in Australia have a similar atmosphere? What would be the stops of a possible roadtrip that would synthesize the essence of Spell? "You'd have to drive. from sydney up the coast , stopping at Bellingen and Ulmarra, where you should arrive at sunset to sit in the river As you watch the sun disappear Then you would have to get to Byron Bay, and later, go through our neighbors Bangalow and Nimbin (where a day trip will suffice to soak up the spirit of the place) . Finally you would stop at Noosa and then you would have to drive even further up to Port Douglas to visit r the Great Barrier Reef ", summarizes Elizabeth. "But there are also lots of wonderfully bohemian places in melbourne , you should spend some time there", she says goodbye to her, while **recommending Fleetwood Mac** as the road soundtrack.
* Article published on 11.25.2015 and updated