Here in Canberra, shopping local is a point of pride. Whether it’s to rep the Bush Capital, or to support local maker-centric markets and boutiques, we proudly sport our Canberra made treasures. See: Bus shelter earrings.
While worth the investment, buying locally made can come at a higher price point, but that’s not stopping Canberra teens, according to experts in local street fashion @canberra.core.
“There’s such a push with younger generations towards sustainability. They’re very into buying second-hand and buying from their friends as well, who are knitting, crocheting, making jewellery,” the street style photographers say.
Among these upcoming makers is Hiba Kennedy. Despite only recently having established her brand @p0ppingpearls, the 18-year-old jewellery designer has already sold hundreds of her pieces across Depop and Instagram.
“I’ve lived in Canberra my whole life,” says Hiba, who is currently studying architecture at the University of Canberra.
Hiba began making jewellery in early 2021, starting off simple by drawing designs on shrink plastic to create earrings. “When we went through our second lockdown (August 2021) it spiked the creativity and I branched out, finding my own sort of style.”
Hiba believes that the boost in popularity of making your own clothes and accessories can be attributed in part to the pandemic – a formative event for her generation.
“Lots of people started new hobbies or projects because there was nothing else to focus on.” A study by Oracle showed that 54 per cent of Aussies started at least one new hobby during the pandemic.
Hiba’s signature more-is-more aesthetic also speaks to another trend popular among Gen Z: maximalism.
“I hate minimalism,” she laughs. “Why are we making everything boring? It drives me insane!”
Dopamine Dressing – a 2020 take on maximalism – rose to popularity during the pandemic as many turned to eclectic and eye-catching fashion to boost their mood.
While she agrees that young Canberrans’ penchant for wearing second-hand and handmade is in part due to a common passion for sustainability, for Hiba, both are products of being a young person in one of the most expensive cities in Australia.
“Everybody my age shops at thrift stores or creates their own things. I know very few people who will shop first-hand.”
Thus, she emphasises the importance of supporting small businesses – the established and upcoming – noting that apps like Depop take 10 per cent of sales.
As well as sourcing her charms from Etsy, Hiba often creates her pieces out of recycled jewellery from op shops – turning dated pieces into fabulously Frankenstein-ed works of art.
Next on the horizon, she hopes to build her own website, where she can continue to sell her wild creations to both her national and local clientele. She often finds that she’s already met the latter at some point, “But that’s just Canberra for you,” Hiba smiles.
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