Postcards From Hobart
We sit down with búl designer Virginia Martin as she explains her inspiration behind the latest collection. Read below how colour palettes, fabrics, patterns and destinations travelled muse AW19 ‘Hobart’.
Tell us why you chose Hobart, Tasmania as búl’s latest seasonal story?
Escaping the mainland to Hobart, a remote island south of Australia is always an embraced getaway. I have visited the small yet mighty township multiple times as it’s a quick trip across Bass Strait from my Melbourne home on either ferry or flight and always lives up to and beyond my expectations.
Tasmania itself is such a diverse state with an untouched beauty and vast wilderness alongside a sense of freedom that I always feel upon visiting. I was completely inspired from the first time I explored this wonderful part of Australia to my on-going travels there.
Hobart is home to a thriving art scene with the incredible mona, a contemporary art museum that captures my days for hours on end as well as the bustling Salamanca Markets where artisanal wares and local produce is delightful to experience alongside the quaint village vibe and harbour side views with the surf forever pumping around the peninsula.
With a place like Hobart where a quiet confidence thrives and a relaxed ease is felt throughout the township, I knew AW19 was going to muse this beloved harbour-side town.
How do you look to a destination for inspiration and what aspects of Hobart did you specifically pull from to create the collection?
Travelling and exploring worldly destinations are a pivotal part of the label. I look towards the landscapes, architecture and native surrounds in a general sense but also the small details, for example how ocean salt dries in an abstract pattern or a piece of furniture brings upon a hit of nostalgia.
Throughout my travels to Hobart inspiration was incredibly vast with each visit bringing fourth another piece to play muse to. I looked specifically towards the palettes of the wild landscape to create a colour story across the collection such as the mountainous greens of Mt. Wellington, the aged sailcloth’s amongst the harbour and the baked sandstone of Georgian architecture that surround the township. Rocky outcrops and rugged landscapes bought upon textural connections of woven, brushed, ribbed and soft vs durable fabrications to sit alongside pebbled, patent and smooth leathers that take me back to the wildly diverse Tasmanian state.
Seasonal prints of bold and varied stripes were inspired by nautical explorations of this harbour-side town and a striking check came about from discovering the Tasmanian tartan that was designed within an inland heritage town neighbouring Hobart, and an illustrational print plays tribute to the vibrant Salamanca Markets, a historic place known well by locals and myself.
Footwear this season has been crafted in wearable mid heights perfect for traversing around Hobart’s township and a statement hiking boot style takes me back to day trips around the peninsula where practicality alongside our signature timeless aesthetic has been kept in mind.
Fabrics thoughtfully partner the natural values of the landscape with raw fibres of cotton, silk, linen and wool focusing a visual ease, tactile warmth and durable comfort. Fishermen’s netting and sailcloth rope inspires delicate knits with warming outerwear designed to welcome hobart’s harsh elements with stride.
Inspiration really does lie everywhere.
As you have visited Hobart many times, tell us one of your favourite things to do there?
It is hard to pin point one exact thing as there are many that I enjoy, from the wonderful restaurants showcasing local produce, Salamanca’s bustling market, the thriving surf and the awe-inspiring hikes but one place I find myself at every time I visit is Hobart’s MONA. It is well worth the discovery and is an otherworldly experience like no other. Experiencing James Turrell's installation at dusk or dawn is an adventure in itself; I would wake up early to arrive before dawn hits and witness the entrancing colours that gradate as the day awakes - I believe it to be the best gallery in the world.
As the cooler weather approaches, which pieces of the collection are your favoured choice to embrace these elements?
The tartan coating and cotton corduroy jumpsuits are definitely bold pieces to wear this winter and will add a bit of fun and brightness to the cooler months ahead, I also particularly like the Hobart cotton tee with an illustrational print of the Salamanca Markets as a great conversational piece alongside hiking-inspired boots to conquer winter adventures in sight.
Lastly, what are you looking forward to most this coming winter?
Enjoying the sound of rain on the roof of my camper van when I travel on weekend getaways and get out of the city to be surrounded by nature. Rugging up and enjoying a quiet read or favoured podcast near an open fire. embracing short evenings and long mornings by getting up early to enjoy the best part of the day before the sun goes down. Although summer welcomes long days of surfing, one of my favoured things to do, winter is looking rather tempting and i’m quite excited for it.