In the Spotlight: Planet Fab

A lovely newcomer from Gippsland will be at the Piccadilly Design Market on 27th April in Geelong.

Introducing Penny from Planet Fab who makes the most stunning winter coats. 

How did you come up with your business name?

As a consumer I have so many questions about what it is that I am buying.  How do I identify products that give the maker/grower a fair go, exclude animal cruelty, and have a positive impact on our environment? The Planet Fab label represents how I feel about the world and the minimal impact that I wish to have on it.  To my customers the Planet Fab label represents an opportunity to wear an Australian made luxury product which not only escapes the monotony of black but also ticks all their ethical boxes.

Have you always been ‘crafty’ or has it bloomed later in life?

My family has a long history in the fashion industry.  I was pretty young when mum got me started making my own clothes. This was after a couple of years of making dodgy clothes for Barbie.  I also enjoyed making soft toys, cushions, upholstery and furniture restoration.  Mostly, I was encouraged to reuse and repurpose what we already had, a value that I have adhered to throughout.  After high school I studied clothing manufacture.

How long have you been in business for?

Many years later I found a few different scraps of fabric at home and made a jacket to wear to my admin job.  Many compliments later, I decided to go into business using scraps and second hand clothes to make jackets.  My product has evolved from there, and five years later I make coats for men and women using remnant fabrics from industry.

What inspires you?. 

It’s so easy to glance at a tree or a bush and simply see green, but when I slow down and breathe in the fresh air I see something altogether different.  A kaleidoscope of colour, an abundance of textures.  When a friend told me of some fabrics that were going to be binned, I rushed over to see if there was some way to save them.  When I saw these poor unwanted fabrics I screamed with excitement.  The next step for the Planet Fab label.  An opportunity to share my love of colour and texture with others.  I haven’t looked back from there, and actively seek to save unwanted fabrics and give them a new life as a beautiful coat.

What is something cool that most people wouldn’t know about you?

I love spending time at our property in Gippsland where there are constant surprises, from the local wildlife to a new bushwalking track.  My partner and I spend nights by a campfire planning our future home from a small shed on the hill.

If money was no object where would you go?

Despite a love of Asian travel, if money was no object I would definitely head to Alaska.  I have dreamed for years of seeing the colours where the ice meets the water with my own eyes.  Colour, it gets me every time.

What are you reading right now? 

 Cook books.  Sweet or savory, it doesn’t matter.  Just love ideas for dinner parties with my friends.

Have you ever met anyone famous?  

My niece insists that I am famous.  Got to love her.