We rise by lifting others! Peppermint wouldn’t exist without the generous support of our wonderful partners. We’re big believers in the fact that every time you spend your hard-earned dollars, you’re casting a vote for the kind of world you’d like to see, so champion mindful businesses with this exciting curation of our wonderful Marketplace sellers from the latest issue. Below you’ll find a marvellous mix of local, sustainable, small, handmade and ethical brands – grab a feel-good find today!
KRISTINA FORREST
Kristina Forrest fell in love with colour when she was little, and the Brisbane surface designer and artist has never stopped playing – gleefully making fun artwork for prints, greeting cards, tea towels and, most recently, fabric! Working with Next State Print in Melbourne, colour-loving sewists can choose from a range of natural fabrics and even customise the scale of Kristina’s vibrant patterns!
TERRA EARTHENWARE
Terra Earthenware is Megan Brakenridge, a designer who creates simple yet sophisticated earrings in tones of rust, olive and ocean blue – colours inspired by her home on the coast of South Australia. Each piece is hand-crafted in a considered process that utilises local and sustainable materials including recycled sterling silver wire and terracotta clay from a family-owned quarry in Golden Grove.
THE SELVEDGE SOCIETY
Join a community of creative minds at The Selvedge Society. Whether shopping online or at their Stanmore store, the team offers everything you need to turn your creative ideas into reality – from essential sewing supplies to stock up on, workshops and classes to upscale your skills, and a friendly environment to connect with kindred spirits where inspiration and advice abound.
LEAF CANDLE CO
Give your used tomato can a new spark of life with Leaf Candle Co. Now adding bold paper labels to their signature cans, the Melbourne brand is still on a mission to upcycle small and large tins into hand-poured, delightfully scented soy candles. The team has also just launched new fragrances in its collection, including Gin and Tonic, Bellini Sorbet and Australian Sandalwood.
GREENPAN
Can you handle the heat in the kitchen? GreenPan certainly can. The range of chic cookware – like the Scandi-inspired Mayflower collection – was launched back in 2007 with the innovative introduction of Thermolon, a ceramic non-stick coating, derived from sand, that’s free from PFAS chemicals, lead and cadmium. Plus they look pretty swish on your hob, too.
TINA M COPENHAGEN
Drawing on the chic minimalism of Scandi design, Tina Madsen-Walcott creates headwear to protect you from the harsh Australian sun. Her latest collection offers select styles made with the brand’s signature Flexibraid, a textile innovation that makes pieces like the Maui Wide-Brim Fedora crush-resistant, travel-friendly and UPF50+ rated for maximum sun protection.
OPEN HOUSE
At the heart of Open House, a welcoming and vibrant retail space in Brisbane’s West End, are the precepts of culture, creativity and community. With an extensive range of locally designed wares, ethical fashion, wearable art, native foods, books and authentic products from First Nations creatives, Open House is a space to connect with the city’s movers, makers and shakers.
THINKING OF YOU GIFT
Thinking of You Gift – a social enterprise for emerging artists – wants to make the giving process as unique and special as your loved ones. Hand-printed and sewn by Freya Toussaint, the signature and customisable bunting is bound to bring joy to any room, both literally and figuratively, and is available to purchase online or instore at the Queensland Children’s Hospital.
TO THE TREES
To the Trees is the brainchild of Lauren Gero, a passionate artist whose goal is to encourage connection and love for the Earth and for each other. Living and working in the Blue Mountains, she is inspired by and protective of the natural world – creating heartfelt artworks on high-quality, 100% recycled paper, and reproducing them on beautiful earrings, calendars and cards.
LUNAE ACTIVE
Find the perfect fit for your next workout with the help of Lunae Active. The women-led business offers breathable, squat-proof and buttery-soft activewear in delicious colours such as beetroot, blueberry, pine and chic black. All of the brand’s stylish sports bras and leggings are made with recycled nylon from post-consumer waste. Who knew plastic bottles could look this good?
ABORIGINAL ART CO
Aboriginal Art Co aims to empower Indigenous artists and businesses while eliminating fake Aboriginal ‘style’ art and products, which comprise up to 80% of the souvenir market. Proudly First Nations-owned and operated, the company promotes and stocks authentic and ethically sourced Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art and products.
JADE AND MAY
Dreams do come true in Jade and May’s hand-dyed sleepwear. Produced by women for women, these Melbourne-designed nighties, separates, sets and robes are made ethically in small batches from beautifully breathable natural fibres in a range of inclusive sizes. Choose from luxe French linen, soft bamboo and cosy cotton, or mix and match for the perfect pyjamas all year round.
STATE LIBRARY OF QUEENSLAND
More than just food, cake is a whole mood. In Cake – a new podcast from State Library of Queensland – award-winning host Kaitlyn Sawrey looks at the people, places and recipes that have influenced our enduring love for the humble gateau. Featuring stories on everything from lamingtons to iconic cakes from our childhood, it’s a sweet treat of history and memories.
POWERHOUSE STORE
Launched in 2022, Powerhouse Store is the perfect finish to a visit to Brisbane Powerhouse. The maker and creator space, like the iconic venue itself, specialises in telling and selling stories, showcasing a wealth of local and national talent. Shop online or visit instore to delight in pieces that balance function and beauty – from fragrances and fashion to books, jewellery and artisanal homewares.
SUGARBERRY SHIMMY
Sugarberry Shimmy’s intricate jewellery is the epitome of delicate beauty, but the brand stands strong when it comes to empowering women. Founder and designer Jules Moradi is passionate not just about creating pieces that are as durable as they are feminine, but also focusing on fair pay and safe, flexible working conditions for the women in her supply chain.
BEDDIE
Inspired by vintage patterns and playful nostalgia, designer Deborah Brown started Beddie – a dreamy range of heirloom quality sheets, quilt covers and pillowcases. Not only is each piece manufactured using Oeko-Tex-certified cotton and dyes, but thoughtful details like extra-wide elastic, generously sized pillowcases and hidden zippers on quilt covers mean making the bed is no longer a nightmare.
EM HATTON
Sydney artist Em Hatton embraces the female gaze in her practice, experimenting across diverse mediums and translating these originals onto art prints, table linen, tea towels and even gift card packs. Her work, Monthly Sesh at the Crimson Pool, reimagines the experience of having a period as a relaxing day out, visualising the uterus, ovaries and fallopian tubes as a water park.
KAYU AND CO
Sydney’s Kayu and Co is a small business with a big goal – to lift people from poverty, one product at a time. Concentrating their efforts in Indonesia, the brand partners with skilled artisans – who are paid a fair wage and work in their villages rather than factories – to design and create elevated homewares and accessories that embrace both the simplicity and sophistication of natural materials.
LILLIBELLA
Karen Davey was an early adopter of natural fabrics in the 1990s, recognising their potential for clothing that was both sustainable and comfortable. She founded her label Lillibella in 2017 and opened her first store in Croydon last year. To this day, Karen still designs stylish garments inspired by sharing the beauty of 100% organically grown linen, hemp blends and bamboo fabrics with her customers.
TEA WITH SOPHIE
Tea with Sophie brings artistry to your dinner table with unique salt and pepper grinders. With an asymmetrical stance and clever design, these grinders are designed and hand-made in a Sydney studio using warm materials like ceramic and wood. Oh, and they’re practical too – with a wipeable glossy surface, easy refill and adjustable grind, you’ll have no reason not to season!
TROPPO TROOP
We get it, you want to give your little one the world. Inspire young adventurers with colourful and whimsical maps from Troppo Troop. Founder Kylie Varty illustrates each piece by hand before they’re printed in Melbourne onto textured fine art paper. For a final touch, you can even select to personalise a map with your child’s name – they’ll really feel like the world is their oyster.
TWEE AND ME
Step into the pretty polymer clay world of Twee and Me! Maker Erin Baker creates every pair of earrings in her home studio where she spends time choosing colours, pressing designs and adding foils, glitters or mica powders to create her uniquely sweet pieces. Made in small batches, Erin also collects and recycles all her scraps to make more bold and bright ear candy.
SPIRITUS ECO CLOTHING
You may be surprised to know that Spiritus Eco Clothing’s founder Lisa Tainton started her career in fast fashion. Disillusioned by what she saw, she attended night school to complete a Diploma of Fashion Design and now – working with fabrics sourced from Australian designers – focuses on ethically making small-batch pieces from her home in the gorgeous Dandenong Ranges.
YOU ARE BRAVE TEXTILES
During a troubled time in her youth, Michelle Kistima-Menser’s Aunt Mabel gave her three words of encouragement. They’ve become her business name and ethos as she screenprints table linen, accessories and fabrics (to sell by the piece or metre) by hand. Often referencing her childhood in Cape Town and life now in Sydney, the bold prints have a distinctly coastal yet modern aesthetic.
DÁRSY
The fine folk at Dársy are working to redefine self-care through their range of plant-powered skincare. Made in Melbourne using all-natural ingredients (no synthetics or petrochemicals here!), their sweet range of skincare will complement any routine whether you’re a skin minimalist or maximalist. Lock in moisture, nourish your body and glow your own way!
THE MOON ET TU
Embrace sparkle and spirituality with artwork from The Moon Et Tu. Self-confessed “foil fiend” Jesslyn Mooi collaborates with Australian-based artists to hand-craft original artworks depicting figures from tarot, astrology and mythology. Each artwork is printed on FSC-certified cardstock with hand-rolled foil in your choice of mystically magical colours like gold, lilac and indigo.
ADA HODGSON
Ada Hodgson delights in the “lush disorder” of an overgrown garden, a love she reflects in her field of rings, earrings and necklaces that feature recycled gold, sterling silver and a treasure trove of ethically sourced gemstones. The Melbourne-based jeweller offers ready-to-ship pieces but also specialises in bespoke custom beauties that capture the wild stories and style of the wearer.
VIOLET CLARK STUDIO
Australia’s raw natural beauty is captured on luxury pieces from Violet Clark Studio. Featuring moody colour palettes and patterns of native flora, the collection of silk sleep and loungewear reflects founder Lyndal Malarkey’s reverence of nature and commitment to considered production. The West Australian designer hand-draws every design and produces in small batches twice a year.
THE WONDERFUL LITTLE SUITCASE COMPANY
Send your little one on an adventure into their own imagination with the help of The Wonderful Little Suitcase Company. Launched in 2023 by paediatric speech pathologist Angela Mischkulnig, each easily portable and utterly sweet suitcase is made in ethical conditions using sustainable materials, including FSC-certified timber.
KARIEMAKES
Get a head start on looking put together with the small-batch headbands and scrunchies from Brisbane’s Kariemakes. Comfort is top of mind for the brand, with each headband featuring a sturdy but flexible internal band, softened ends to prevent irritation behind the ears, and a hand-stitched covering in a rainbow of limited-edition styles and colours.
FOUND MY SKIN
If you love the great outdoors – both being out in it and looking out for it through conscious consumerism – have we found the perfect product for you? Amy Found founded Found My Skin (try saying that five times fast!) – a 100% plastic-free business that creates reef-safe, cruelty-free, vegan sunscreens and skincare infused with Kakadu plum in her home of Western Australia.
SILVER SUNSCREEN
BUFF WAND
Add a little magic to your mani-pedi with the bewitching wares of Buff Wand. Anything but hocus pocus, these products, including the namesake all-in-one glass manicure wand, are designed to be multifunctional, easily washable and endlessly reusable so you can wait on your fabulous self hand and foot, living luxe while buying less. Neat trick!
FINALIST NAIL PRODUCT
LAMAV
Developed by Dr Tarj Mavi, a multitalented veterinarian, pathologist and research scientist, LAMAV is a skincare and beauty brand that wants to make the world a better, more beautiful place, whether through using Certified Organic ingredients in its Australian-made products or giving back to communities through an ongoing partnership with i=Change.
GOLD OIL BASED SERUM GOLD BODY OIL BRONZE FOUNDATION
DEVA CACAO
Hand-made in Tamworth by husband and wife team Maggie and Ming, Deva Cacao is organic, raw chocolate that’s naturally sweetened with Australian bush honey – the first of its kind in Australia. Free from dairy, gluten, soy, refined sugar, artificial colours, flavours and preservatives, these tasty treats are carefully housed in home-compostable packaging. Now that’s sweet!
FINALIST CHOCOLATE / CACAO
FIBRE FOR GOOD
Fibre For Good’s snuggly, gender-neutral babywear is made from Organic Natural Colour Cotton (ONCC) – a sustainable and hypoallergenic fabric grown in its natural colour. Hand-picked from heirloom seeds, ONCC doesn’t require bleaching or dyeing, saving water and staying extra soft. It also means the range is biodegradable so it can be returned to the earth as your little ones grow.
GOLD BABY APPAREL
HEMP COLLECTIVE
Give your beloved pooch a taste of the high life with the help of Hemp Collective. Nestled in the Byron Shire, this Aussie family business champions the sustainability and versatility of the misunderstood and much-maligned hemp plant. They create personal care products to pamper you and your pets – from body butter and balms to shampoo bars for humans, horses and hounds.
BRONZE PET PRODUCTS
HARK & ZANDER
Hailing from the shores of Aotearoa, Hark & Zander aims to share the botanical bounty of its beautiful island home with the whole wide world. Specially formulated for sensitive skin, the multi-award-winning range heroes New Zealand natives and organically grown ingredients like hemp heart, New Zealand kawakawa leaf and native red seaweed.
GOLD SKINCARE – VEGAN GOLD CLEANSING OIL
HAIRPIP
Stop your solid shampoo from slipping away in the shower steam with Hairpip’s innovative design difference – portion-sized, breakaway ‘pips’ that help you get the most out of your beautiful block of zero-waste haircare. Minimally processed and designed for all hair types, the bar supports healthy locks with Indian sandalwood, cocoa butter and shikakai.
BRONZE ZERO WASTE – BODY
EXTRACTA
Extracta is on a mission to minimise food waste with its Devine Connoisseur range of upcycled foodstuffs, transforming agricultural surplus and byproducts into nutritious ingredients. Why not whip up a squidgy chocolatey bake with the Cabernet Merlot Brownie Mix – made with grape flour from New South Wales wineries and sugarcane fibre from artisanal gin distilleries? Delish!
FINALIST LOW WASTE FOOD PRODUCT
HERE AND AFTER
Here and After is all about making your eco-journey as achievable as possible. The star amidst its sterling collection of practical home and baby products is the revolutionary Reusable Wipes System, which aims to make the switch from disposable wipes a squeaky clean getaway. But don’t just take our word for it. The brand says it’ll save 14,000 mucky wipes from ending up in landfill per child!
GOLD BABY WIPES
SKIN JUICE
Is the juice worth the squeeze? With Skin Juice, we’d say yes. The nutrient-rich skincare is formulated to feed the skin everything it needs to stay fresh. Bright and zesty, this Australian owned and made business crafts every product with care to create botanical beauty that looks, smells and feels good enough to drink. But please don’t…
GOLD MULTI-PURPOSE BALM SILVER SKINCARE FOR OILY SKIN / ACNE FINALIST TONER / FACE MIST
SUNSLAYER
Sunslayer’s natural sunscreen isn’t just reef safe, it’s a reef saver with 10% of profits sent to support coral reef restoration and the conservation of marine life in Australia and beyond. Cruelty-free, fragrance-free and plastic-free, Sunslayer is SPF50+ and comes in a 100% recyclable aluminium tube. How’s that for protection without pollution? Icarus could have learned a thing or two…
GOLD SUNSCREEN GOLD KIDS SUNSCREEN
LITTLE STORIES OF YOU
Does anyone else wish they made kids’ clothes in adult sizes? Little Stories of You designs linen and organic cotton clothing for young’uns so fine you’ll be overcome with envy for your fancy offspring. Made in Australia by a team wholly consisting of women, an empowerment philosophy underpins all the label does from foregoing seasonal trends to donating 10% of profits to the Malala Fund.
BRONZE KIDS APPAREL / PYJAMAS
WOOHOO BODY
The cheerful crew at Woohoo Body craft their nourishing, vegan creations in small batches in Newcastle. Co-founder, in-house cosmetic chemist and self-confessed “mix-a-holic”, Aaron Breckell, formulates the glowy, good-for-you goos, as well as their signature natural deodorant, with a careful eye to environmental awareness and efficacy. Glow on!
GOLD LIP BALM SILVER DEODORANT
OASIS BLACK
Explore the exciting world of ‘skinimalism’ with Oasis Black’s back-to-basics approach to skincare. Hand-made in Byron Bay, the waterless formulas hero black seeds alongside botanical ingredients, and are housed in eco-friendly packaging. Suitable for all skin types, Oasis Black offers a simple one-two-step routine that’s easy to follow every day!
FINALIST MULTI-PURPOSE BALM FINALIST VEGAN SKINCARE
VANILLA MOZI
Developed in founder Lea-Anne Crawford’s very own kitchen and now proudly a household name, Vanilla Mozi’s pesticide, paraben and palm oil free Outdoor Body Cream is designed to mask your natural scent in the great outdoors. Harnessing natural plant extracts to hydrate and nourish, and with notes of vanilla and spearmint, the cream will have you smelling as fresh as a daisy!
BRONZE PERSONAL CARE
WATTLE GROVE
Wattle Grove is a family owned and operated farm located in Buckleboo, South Australia, that sustainably grows and harvests Eucalyptus polybractea trees. Using steam-distilled eucalyptus oil, which uses minimal energy and water during production, they create a suite of aromatherapeutic products from sprays and soaps to creams and candles. It just makes scents!
SILVER HOUSEHOLD CLEANING
BIO-FIRST
Soothe your skin with Bio-First – an Australian Certified Toxic Free skincare brand that supports people with sensitive, eczema and psoriasis prone skin with gentle and soothing balms, as well as natural remedies for bites, rashes, bumps and scrapes by utilising the natural properties of ingredients like aloe vera.
BRONZE SKINCARE FOR SENSITIVE SKIN BRONZE IMMUNITY FINALIST SENSITIVE SKIN ECZEMA FINALIST KIDS NUTRITION
NO PONG
Coming to life in a Sydney suburban kitchen back in 2015, No Pong is the all-natural deodorant that does what it says on the tin – literally. Made in Australia using ingredients like coconut oil, shea butter and essential oils, and housed in a recyclable tinplate container, no matter how hard you sweat, No Pong will be there to keep you free from body odour all day long.
GOLD DEODORANT SILVER SENSITIVE DEODORANT
MOVEACTIVE
Founded in 2009 by Melissa Pain, Melbourne-based MoveActive makes accessories, equipment and grip socks for those who know that just because you love practical things like exercise and sustainability, that doesn’t mean you can’t look cute as hell and have a little fun doing it – the team has raised more than $66,000, and counting, through i=Change. Get moving and stay grooving!
BRONZE YOGA FINALIST BASICS + ACTIVEWEAR
SAYA SKINCARE
From her local Eumundi Markets to now owning a global brand, Saya McDermott has been formulating products for your skin for over 20 years. Balancing science, sustainability and simplicity, she makes natural beauty products with clinically proven results and minimal impact on the planet.
GOLD BODY WASH GOLD CLEANSER – NORMAL / DRY SILVER EXFOLIATOR SILVER MOISTURISER – DRY SILVER MOISTURISER – COMBINATION BRONZE BODY MOISTURISER
SYNTHESIS
Made in Byron Bay by founder Theme Rains, Synthesis follows a philosophy of “enlightened self-care” while creating holistic skincare and aromatherapy. The gentle yet high-performance formulations use ACO-certified, vegan and cruelty-free ingredients like winged kelp, olive squalane and carrot oil to help nourish the skin you’re in and soothe your senses.
GOLD FACE OIL GOLD MOISTURISER – NORMAL SKIN
GIFT ME AGAIN
Scrap the gift wrap and get the gift bag that keeps on giving! Gift Me Again’s reusable fabric bags are hand-made in Howlong, New South Wales, using 100% cotton. Featuring fabulously festive designs for all occasions, the brand also sells a resplendent range of reversible fabric crowns made from reclaimed fabric and ribbons. Sustainable, cost-effective and convenient – what’s not to love?
SILVER CELEBRATIONS + STATIONERY
MCM BEAUTY
Ooh la la! MCM Beauty makes the most luxurious hair and beauty products from around the world available to Australian audiences via its booming online store. One of said brands is Les Huilettes – a cult-favourite French brand that cultivates organic, botanical beauty using small-scale production and partnerships with local businesses in France. So Frenchy. So chic!
SILVER HAIR TREATMENT BRONZE FACE MASK
THE CORNER STORE NETWORK
Drink coffee. Eat pickles. Save the planet. Sounds like quite the to-do list, but that’s exactly the kind of work The Corner Store Network is about. This Melbourne-based social enterprise fights food waste and insecurity, climate change and unethical trade by serving up ethical coffee from Timor-Leste and delicious preserves made in-house from rescued waste produce.
GOLD LOW WASTE FOOD PRODUCT SILVER COFFEE
YOGI PEACE CLUB
Created in 2014 by Emma Barr on the Surf Coast near Bells Beach, Yogi Peace Club sells mats designed by yoga teachers, for yoga teachers. Made from natural rubber and recycled PET bottles, the long-lasting mats are cushy and comfy with a special grip layer to imbue your yoga practice with the added serenity of slip-free safety and sustainability.
GOLD YOGA
LARK PERFUMERY
Capture the magic of everyday moments with Lark Perfumery’s olfactory wizardry. Their eight, 100% natural fragrances are hand-poured in Sydney and designed to evoke uniquely Australian experiences – a long lunch in the hinterland, spending all day at the beach, wandering in a rainforest or lazing on a verandah under fragrant jasmine vines.
FINALIST NATURAL PERFUME
JUNIPER AUSTRALIA
Juniper Australia is a naturopath-recommended and Certified Organic skincare range. Family owned and made, all products are created in Sydney in small batches on a regular basis. With targeted ranges designed for teenage, oily, sensitive and mature skin types, we say berry good!
BRONZE SKINCARE FOR OILY SKIN / ACNE BRONZE SKINCARE FOR TEENS SILVER SENSITIVE SKIN / ECZEMA FINALIST MULTIPURPOSE BALM
CHOCOLATE ON PURPOSE
“We listen to the ancient ones and ancestors. They show us the proper path to honour bush food.” So says Chocolate on Purpose – a 100% Indigenous-owned business operating on Wiradjuri Country that combines couverture chocolate with Australian native botanicals – sharing storytelling and open conversation between cultures through a slab of the good stuff.
SILVER CHOCOLATE / CACAO
HEMP GALLERY
From the bedroom to the bathroom, Beatrice Kuyumgian-Rankin and Nicole Wiertlewski, the mother-daughter duo behind Hemp Gallery, want to fill your home with heirloom hemp-based pieces. From blankets to baby toys, skincare to pantry staples, for the Hemp Gallery, everything’s an opportunity to connect to the natural world through elevated everyday essentials.
SILVER BEST BEDDING
SONTSE
We don’t need to stress the importance of sun safety to you! The skin lovers at Sonste – Ukrainian for ‘sun’ – have created a vegan-friendly, sunless-tanning solution that’s certified allergy-safe, and paraben and sulphate free. Go for that summery, sun-kissed glow while keeping your skin protected from UV damage so Australian icon Sid the Seagull would be proud.
SILVER PERSONAL CARE