Practice Studio: The BNE Store Showcasing Local Designers
Brisbane’s creative hub!
Brisbane has always had a vibrant fashion scene. There are so many incredible designers in our fair city creating pieces that not only look stunning, but also have their own unique point of view. If you’re wanting to get to know some of these emerging designers a bit better and add some of their pieces to your wardrobe, then the best place to go is most certainly Practice Studio.
Where it all began
Initially, founder Kathryn Walsh opened Practice Studio as an alterations business and shop, before transforming the space into a creative hub where customers can watch garments being made, mended, and altered in front of them, ideas being generated and explored in the gallery space, and meet emerging artists and designers in person at intimate studio events.
“This all promotes more personal and meaningful connections with clothing,” Kathryn explains.
“My aim with the space has always been to bring process and product together. It’s a holistic approach to fashion that considers the garment lifecycle from conceptual development through to product care and renewal.”
Having studied fashion here in Brisbane, Kathryn has a special connection to the city’s fashion scene and always feels inspired by her fellow local creatives.
“I love how creatively free we are in Brisbane – there’s more of a supportive, open-minded, and interdisciplinary network of people trying new things,” she says.
“Perhaps the oppressive, outfit-limiting heat of summer has something to do with this as well, but there’s also less of a focus on needing to look cool or be on-trend. As a result, designers are developing unique brand identities and engaging with audiences in a down-to-earth and authentic way.”
Designers at Practice Studio
Practice Studio stocks some of Brisbane’s most innovative designers such as Katalyst, Bulley Bulley, and Lost Hearts in their South Brisbane store, and showcased a curated selection of their pieces at the Brisbane Fashion Festival’s Next Gen show in 2023.
When it comes to choosing which labels to showcase at Practice Studio, Kathryn says it’s quite an organic process between both her and the designers themselves. She loves working with labels that produce fresh, boundary-pushing work, and who also keep sustainability front of mind when producing their garments.
“What everyone does have in common is that they’re working with ethics and sustainability in mind. Whether they’re making their own designs by hand or coordinating with a local factory [where] the people behind the seams are working in safe conditions,” Kathryn says.
Naught Nu
When it comes to fashion design, Kathryn says she’s keen to dive back into that world and create her own unique garments with Practice Studio’s new in-house label, Naught Nu.
“I trained as a designer and have learned so much through running Practice Studio over the last four years, so I’m eager to jump in with all this new knowledge behind me,” Kathryn says.
“It’s an exciting time and I’m hoping to design some timeless, wearable pieces to suit a wide variety of ages and body shapes.”
Naught Nu (pronounced ‘not new’) aims to bring new life into second-hand garments, keeping sustainability at the forefront of the design process, whilst also creating original one-off pieces to be worn for years to come.
Supporting BNE’S local arts community
As well as working on her label, Kathryn also has her sights set on uplifting Brisbane’s local arts community by hosting design residencies, workshops, and pop-ups at Practice Studio.
“We’re inviting creatives to use our gallery space to both produce and exhibit new work – I love the idea of customers being able to pop in and ‘see behind the curtain’ to watch an artist painting on fabric or explore a mood board on the wall alongside a work in progress,” she says.
Practice Studio has quickly become the heart of Brisbane’s creative scene and a place where emerging designers, fashion students, and anyone who really wants to learn more about the artists breaking new ground within their own disciplines, can come together and share ideas.
“It’s such a wonderful feeling to be able to support talented people to do more of what they’re passionate about. It’s a feeling I hope to share with visitors to the space and I’d encourage anyone curious about what we’re building to drop by and say hello!”
