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A Q&A with Peggy from Juliette et Felicity
Image provided by Juliette et Felicity
Hi Peggy! Tell us a bit about yourself.
My name is Peggy and I was born on a small island called New Caledonia, in the South Pacific. My immediate family and I moved to Australia when I was nine, not knowing a word of English. We arrived in New South Wales and finally settled on the Gold Coast where I am now based.
Image provided by Juliette et Felicity
Can you tell us about your brand, Juliette et Felicity?
Juliette et Felicity is a made to order, sustainable and ethical women’s fashion label which utilises hand techniques lost to machines.
Each collection uses mainly linens and other natural fabrics with a little nod to the past by incorporating natural dyes, hand embroidery and other fabric manipulations to give it that little something special.
What does a typical work day involve for you?
A typical work day includes checking my emails with a cup of coffee, writing my to-do list and then hitting the design table. From there, I create patterns, transform my design concepts to reality or fill customer orders. Then add in a kid pick up, dinner duties and I often finish the day off with a little social media planning.
What led you to work in the textile, clothing and fashion industry in the first place?
I have wanted to be a fashion designer since I was 14 and proudly announced this to my mother one night at the dining table. It was at this time that she promptly told me that I needed talent to be a fashion designer and so my dream remained dormant for many years. I was finally able to start my career in the fashion industry once the timing was right which was after babies, marriage and a mortgage.
Why is it important to your business to manufacture ethically? What are the benefits and challenges?
I have always been a greenie at heart and when I became aware that the fashion industry was the second biggest polluter and one of the biggest culprits of modern slavery, I did not want to be part of the problem. I still wanted to be able to chase my dream but do it in a way that didn’t cause a deficit in the world. I wanted to bring a positive change to the industry so we could still look good but without the guilt.
The challenge that I’ve experienced when creating ethically and sustainably is the availability of not only the natural resources but also the number of manufacturers that offer the transparency without the greenwashing.
Image provided by Juliette et Felicity
Juliette et Felicity just became accredited by Ethical Clothing Australia – congratulations! What made you decide to get accredited?
Being part of the Ethical Clothing Australia family was very important to me as I didn’t want to be seen as another company that said they were ethical but didn’t have proof to support the claim. Having this accreditation brings credibility to my business, which in turn gives comfort to my customers when they purchase from my store.
