Men’s Fashion

Store profile: Mandrake and Willow

Store profile: Mandrake and Willow

An interview with Llara Goodall, about her boutique Mandrake and Willow in Melbourne’s inner west…

How long has Mandrake and Willow been open, and why did you choose Yarraville?

We opened Mandrake and Willow in September of 2009. I’ve lived in Melbourne’s inner city suburbs since I was a teen, but had only recently heard of Yarraville when my brother moved there.

One of the first things I noticed about Yarraville was the community atmosphere. I love being part of a little village with such great support from the locals. You won’t find the proliferation of chain stores you would in most areas, there are a really diverse and eclectic mix of small stores and cafes. Not to mention it is so close to the city and easy to get to on public transport.

Tell us about your motivations in setting up Mandrake and Willow.

I think the initial idea came just from noticing the shop for lease on a visit to my brother. I had really come to love the area and myself, my sister Kyli and another friend of ours (who has since left the business) had faced the same challenge as a lot of people in finding socially and environmentally responsible products. We really wanted to provide a haven where every item in the store would reflect these values. We decided the opportunity was too good to pass up.

Was your background in retail, or something else? 

I have worked as a sales assistant in various shops over the years – in fact almost ten years now. I have also worked in costume and fashion, so Mandrake and Willow kind of brings the two together.

What’s inspiring your direction for 2012?

As well as being retailers we are, of course also consumers. So, we look to our own likes/needs to envisage the types of products we stock. We continue to look at sourcing products which – as well as meeting our criteria on ethics- are unique in their creativity and design. Pieces that transcend “trends” and will be cherished for years to come!

Who are your favourite designers/products in store?

Bespoke plush toy by Cat Rabbit.

The amazing thing about having our own store is that we get to choose only things we really love! It’s great that we can support local artists and craftspeople, and one of my favourites we have in store is Cat Rabbit. Her plush toys are amazing, I find it difficult not to take them all home for myself!

Also, I don’t know why but I’ve personally always had a little obsession with shoes and hosiery. We are lucky to stock some great Melbourne-made tights and socks from the likes of Tightology and Ok Ok – and with Melissa Shoes in store, let’s just say my shoe collection has grown somewhat.

Anything else you’d like to share?

It’s encouraging that there are so many people interested in making positive changes to support the planet and the people who live on it. It’s true there are still challenges to face but with so much enthusiasm and growing awareness of the importance of the ethical and sustainable production of goods, we are genuinely excited about the future!

 

Mandrake and Willow  - 66 Anderson Street, Yarraville VIC 3013

Bassike Organic Grey Marle Singlet

I’m going to begin this article that focuses on the very important issue of fashion, by talking briefly about another very important issue: chocolate.

My absolute favourite chocolate in the world (yes, folks – in the world) is Conscious Chocolate. It’s raw, certified organic and handmade very, very locally. It’s vegan, gluten free and only uses the absolute highest quality organic ingredients. It’s rich, creamy, indulgent and wildly moreish. It’s also $6.65 for a 45g block. It’s owned by the dude who makes it, in Port Melbourne.

“45 grams!?” I hear you say, “How the bloody hell much little is that!?”

Well, your standard Green & Black’s block of chocolate is 100 grams, and you can buy that from Coles for $4.27. It’s fair trade, bears the UK’s Organic Soil certification, and is owned by Cadbury Schweppes who is owned by Kraft (correction: not the other way around). If you want to just get the good ol’ budget Cadbury Old Gold dark chocolate, Coles has that going for $5.87 for a 350g block. Their website has conveniently done the maths for me and tells me that this price equates to the chocolate costing $1.68 p/100 grams. For the same amount of choccie that’s in a block of Conscious Chocolate, Old Gold (and please don’t read the ingredients unless you actually want to give yourself a coronary) costs $0.75.

Conscious Chocolate is 9 times the cost of the Cadbury. Nine times.

Is it worth it? Hell yes to the are-you-shitting-me it is. Now that I have the information about:

  • What’s in it
  • Where it’s made
  • At what cost (humanitarian and planetary)
  • Its carbon miles, and
  • Who owns it

there is absolutely no question whatsoever that I will forever more continue to pay up to nine times more for my chocolate than I would if I were succumbing to the standard fare available on supermarket shelves. When I can’t afford it, I simply won’t buy chocolate (or alternatively, I’ll make my own – recipe to come…). Not only is it better for the world (on pretty much every level that chocolate can be), but it’s far, far, far more beneficial for my body. And it’s certainly the kind of food that I would be more than happy to offer my loved ones for both pleasure and nourishment.

But what the flaming heck has any of this got to do with fashion? Well, in the local broadsheet (The Age) this weekend was published an article on the subject of local green – or ethical – fashion. Written by Janice Breen Burns, Style and Sustainability is a timely, solid and gripping piece that explores the “challenges” that the conscious consumer faces when it comes to choosing ethical fashion (namely, the price), as they relate to the many and often heartbreaking challenges that designers and producers face in trying to get ethical fashion both on the rack and out the door.

It’s a disposable market modeled on free trade and all of free trade’s hidden implications. We’re a Target, K-mart, Zara culture that is dangerously in love with unconscious spending, bargains and “the latest thing”. This behaviour is so stitched in (pun intended) to the fabric of our society that we often look at the status quo, and the alternative, and feel that we have no choice but to continue on perpetuating the violence upon the earth and product manufacturers that is blind bargain hunting.

Bento - Wool Louis V Black - local, ethical fashion exquisite.

But the thing is, we do. You and I have a choice. An excellent one. We can choose to spend the extra, buying fewer pieces that yield not only garments of a higher quality (and therefore maximum longevity), but ones that don’t weigh either heavy on our conscience, or the future of our planet and humanity. This is so much more important than we often give pause to consider.

As Janice Breen Burns writes in her article, on a “cost-per-wear” basis, the more ethical and sustainable choices end up making more financial sense than our fast-fash disposable options. We simply have to begin to think about our sartorial investments differently.

From Wednesday, Superéthique is going to begin featuring locally manufactured fashion labels who spin ethical and sustainable garments from the yarn of their business. We’re not going to harp on any further about the benefits and costs (I’ve done more than enough of that here!) – we’re just going to show you how goshdarned sexy, and timelessly classy truly good fashion can be.

- Ming-Zhu. xx

Ethical Web #2

This round-up of Ethical Web Love has us linking all over the proverbial shop – for buying less, sharing more, even buying nothing at all. Let’s get to it.

#1. It’s Buy Nothing New month in Oz this October. You can pledge, if that helps keep you honest – to beg, swap, barter or borrow so long as it’s been used before. I know some of the cynics among us like to dismiss the whole ‘awareness month’ thing as no substitute for lifestyle – but the buying nothing new movement has come a massively long way from being the shock/horror proposition it was when it started over in Vancouver, Canada as Buy Nothing New Day, circa 1992. Celebration, y’all!

This year, the team at Buy Nothing New have even got $5,ooo up for grabs for folks sharing their stories on how they do it, and they’re getting serious with their supporters to promote second-hand clothing trades. Check their blog for some favourited second hand stalls about Melbourne and Sydney. Like Like Like.

#2 is 1 Million Women. This site’s been increasingly pop up in side bars and twitter feed to the point of ubiquity, and now all of a sudden, it has my full attention. The goal is 1 million Australian women signed up to get on with climate action, leading by example and pledging to cut a minimum of 1 tonne of carbon dioxide from daily living over the course of a year. Easy Peasy. There’s nothing like a critical mass to make something cool for the masses. Get on board.

 I signed up to the pledge on the spot, and by selecting from the list of basic habits on the site’s activity centre, I’ve realised that the actions I’m doing now already mean I’m putting 3 tonnes less CO2 in the atmosphere than I was, say 3 years ago. Woo! We all know that consuming less energy, reducing food waste and cutting back on transport are the bare minimum necessary for reducing our impact on the climate. From these basic actions, radical cuts to CO2 must follow. If I can help build momentum for making that seem normal, then 1 Million Women doing it will be freaking inspirational.

#3. Wardrobe Wonderland. I actually came across this kick-ass site via Buy Nothing New, and spent a good while perusing the reading material brought to us by up Melbourne-based writer Lara McPherson.

It’s always great to find quality critique and dialogue on the ethics of mass produced clothing, and understanding how integral fashion itself is to our mass consumer culture. Lara’s site is dedicated to all kinds of dialogue around creating the future of sustainable fashion industries right now. She tweets tirelessly on these issues, too. I’m also putting it out there that I can’t wait to bump into her in public one day and give her a giant pat on the back for all her work. She’s rocking my internets of late, this lady.

#4 continues riding on the good theme of attire, because… National Swap Day is coming up on Monday 24th October! Gee damn, there are some excellent ethical consumer initiatives bouncing around town this month!

Ethical Clothing Australia has details on their site about the National Clothing Swap Day, held in collaboration with The Clothing Exchange. Details about specific Clothing Exchange Events can be found on these sites, including some serious sartorial swapping taking place at Fed Square this coming Monday 17th October. (I must flag that both these sites share some confusion about the actual date of National Swap Day- Monday in October has to be the 25th!)

-Cassie

And before I absolutely wrap up – I wanna SHOUT OUT that we have a Giveaway goin’ on and we want your thoughts! Our friends at Suvana are helping us help you to a tube of their delicious, organic honey and paw paw balm. Seriously petrochemical free. We have 2 up for grabs, guys!

Just tell us – either below, on our Facebook Page, or on Twitter: Where are your ethical values at the moment? What’s on your consumer-conscious mind? What aspects of life (and shopping) are your no-compromise zones? What’s your ethical line in the sand? Are you buying nothing new?

We want to hear from you! And if you want to stay in touch, please sign on up to our newsletter. It’s a weekly wrap up of Superéthique news and happenings. Keepin’ it simple! Mwah (xx).

This website is a 100% labour of love. We’re here to bring great quality, passionately reviewed ethical, ecological and sustainable options to intelligent, tasteful and compassionate individuals who want to do the right thing, and live well at the same time.

In the sidebar to the left you can see a snapshot of some of the kinds of products, services and businesses that we will be covering here, introducing you to (and giving away too… ooh!).

Superéthique is Melbourne-based, Australia-wide in scope (we’ll be expanding nationally, soon), and will frequently feature international products and businesses.

We believe it’s easy to be good, and our mission is to make it even easier. To read more about what we do and who we are, click here.

Our first review will be hitting the front page by the weekend of Saturday 6th August, 2011, and we’re phenomenally excited about it!

Get on board with us by signing up for The List (weekly roundups & exclusive monthly guides) right here. And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter.

Thank you so much for joining us – we’re thrilled to be starting this journey with you.

Ming-Zhu & Cassie. x

 Scroll to top