Meet The Bright Rays: Six Creatives Re-Inventing Australian Fashion And Design

Brought to you by the MINI “Bright Rays” grant. More details here.

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Last month we paired up with MINI to help emerging fashion and design creatives break into the industry. One month and over 500 applications later, the MINI “Bright Rays finalists” have been announced, with the grand prize including a $29,000 business grant, a mentorship session and a MINI Ray for twelve months.

We spoke to all six finalists — from an activewear designer that creates her line using recycled drink bottles to the creator of a motorcycle apparel brand that’s “designed by women, for women”.

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Milly Dent

Sydney-based ceramic artist Milly Dent is already getting noticed. Six months after graduation, she launched a signature range that combines dreamy marbling with tactile geometric patterns. She’s understandably excited by the possibilities of the grant. “I live to dream big, though dreams in this industry can come with a price tag. With $29k the sky’s the limit,” she told Junkee.

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Emma McKinlay

Over in Adelaide, Emma McKinlay’s fledgling leather accessories label Jade and Beckett stands out with its monochromatic palette and sleek form factors. It’s the chance of a mentorship from MINI Bright Rays mentor Tiff Manuell that has Emma excited. “She’s a pretty awesome, inspiring woman. I hope that [a mentorship] would guide me to become the best artisan and person I can be”.

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Martin Tauts

Martin Tauts runs an emerging design firm called Red Block, which merges Scandinavian construction, Japanese minimalism and Australian materials – one stunning example is an actual oxide-rich red soil from regional Australia. For Martin, the grant is an opportunity to “build Red Block into an organisation that collaborates with local designers while supporting Australian makers”.

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Hannah Smith

Hannah Smith heads up Black Arrow, a motorcycle apparel brand that’s “designed by women, for women”. Her range of jackets and accessories include Kevlar lining and CE approved armour. Hannah hopes she can celebrate Black Arrow’s first birthday with a win – the grant would go towards researching next-level safety material for her line.

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Safa Itote & Desta Cullen

Sisters Safa Itote and Desta Cullen created The MINIML brand to make stylish, organic clothing that gives back to local community and charity groups. The sisters say “fashion is in our hearts, but it’s our fierce belief that the current rag trade needs a shake up; ethical, sustainable fashion isn’t a trend, it’s the new order”.

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Jane Bell

As the creator of Dhaaga — an activewear range designed and manufactured from old soft drink bottles — Jane Bell says she’s “saving the environment one legging at a time”. Bell pays her staff ethical wages to recycle plastic bottles into a high quality polyester that’s then sewn into exercise gear.

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