LOTTIE HALL, LOTTIE HALL

While eponymous brands are pretty common in fashion, not many well-known names can claim they also paint the artworks for their designs, except Lottie Hall. Renowned for her hand drawn prints, Lottie's clothing is more like a collection of little wearable pieces of art. No mass production runs, each design is hand made in small quantities, nice and slowly. Having relocated from Bali to Byron with her family, we caught up with Lottie to chat about the move, her flagship store, and finding inspo from the sea...

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We’re thrilled you’ve opened your first shop at Habitat. What brought you here?

Thank you! Thrilled to be here too. I love the creative hub here of like-minded, thriving businesses, and I was after an office/showroom where we can work, but also have customers visit and purchase. The boutique nature of Habitat was the perfect fit.

How’d you get into the fashion industry?

I studied fashion at RMIT in Melbourne, fresh out of high school. Then I landed an assistant design job for a popular Australian brand, that led me to live in Bali when I was 20. The rest is history.

Explain the brand to someone who’s never seen your collections?

It's an art-based brand. I do the prints myself, and we make limited run collections. That's a very basic overview.

Your hand painted prints have become synonymous with the brand, have you always painted?

I studied fashion at university, but I've always been into art too. Not just painting, but a lot of different mediums, including drawing, print making, photography and painting. I'm so happy to merge two creative loves into my brand. I haven’t always painted, and I don't consider myself the most skilled, but I think my naive style is the signature of the brand, luckily.

You’re obviously inspired by the sea, where’s your favourite place to hang out by the ocean around Byron?

There is no place like Wategos Beach to me. I also adore Christmas Beach in Brunswick Heads.

Fashion can make a big impact on the planet. How do you manage this?

It sure can and it weighs on my heart being a business that creates new things in this world. I'm happy my clothes are made 20-to-50 pieces at a time. I prefer to sell out and make more only if the demand is there. I work with a beautiful, well looked after factory that create my styles slowly. I use natural fibres and sustainable fabrics where I can, and we use plastic-free packaging.

What are you doing when you’re not working?

Being a mum is a major one. Hanging out with my kiddies, friends, family. At the beach or going out for dinner. Gym, meditation classes.

You’re headed to a tropical island getaway and can only pack three items, what are they, and why?

My vacation pants, surf tube, and Maui bikini. Easy!

Why should people race down to Habitat and visit the store?

Because you can see where the magic happens! And see the artwork and clothing in the flesh.

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Visit the new Lottie Hall showroom in Shop 47, Building C1. Catch their latest collections and designs on the website or Instagram.