Tag Archives: re-purposed

Tracey Trinder loves to keep busy. When she is not  looking after her family, she finds space to squeeze in her two other passions – writing and fashion design. As a writer, Tracey has spent the past 18 years writing television drama including Always Greener, McLeod’s daughters, All Saints, Mirror Mirror, and Home and Away amongst others.  For years she has doodled fashion designs, but it is only recently after a trip to Hobart that her passion for fashion design was re-ignited, resulting in the creation of the Trinderella fashion range. 

Tracey originally studied design in school, and grew up with a creative mother and grandmother who taught her first to crawl, walk, then sew ….and knit, crochet, embroider, make patterns etc!   So it was not a huge leap for Tracey to put her passion into practice, and develop the Trinderella range, which predominantly uses reclaimed ties to make skirts and handbags.   

All Trinderella products are designed by Tracey, and sewn by her and her team in Sydney, NSW in a small solar powered studio made by her talented photographer husband. Tracey and her “lookouts” source ties from all over Australia which are then sorted into colour codes ready to be selected for designs.

      Tracey is passionate about reducing waste, reusing what we have, and making quality pieces that are earth friendly from their conception to production. She graciously agreed to take some time out from writing scripts, a novel, pattern making and sewing to share some more information about herself and Trinderella:

 1)       What inspired you to start Trinderella?

I was at a market in Tasmania and saw a shoulder bag made of ties.  After that I started noticing beautiful ties everywhere. I started to collect some and it then became an obsession. I found vintage ties, silk ties, wide ties, thin ties and ties made of truly beautiful prints and fabrics. I made a skirt and every time I wore it I had people asking about it and wondering where they could get one. I saw an opportunity to do something I love and to do something positive for the environment.

 2)          How would you describe your style?

My personal style is eclectic. I don’t follow fashion trends and don’t like the idea of being slave to a passing fad. I’m just as happy buying something that’s made of beautiful fabric or is well cut in an op shop as in an expensive boutique full of unique hand made pieces.  I prefer to collect pieces that will last and I wear them and love them a long time. Then I pass them on for someone else to love.

 3)      What does a typical day involve?

My day usually involves getting up at 6am to have breakfast with the kids, make the school lunches and throw on some washing before I start work at nine o’clock. I walk my little one to pre-school which is great because I can really relax and focus on the day ahead as I walk home.

I usually hit the studio with some ideas/sketches in place and then I start attacking my mountains of ties looking for just the right ones.  I lay them out on a big long, well lit table; trying and discarding lots of ties until I can narrow it down to a set that really work well together.

If I’m working on a bag the process varies more than with the skirts. Because no two ties are the same – in size or texture, it is impossible to make up a pattern for the bags. Each piece is designed from scratch. I also use recycled materials, wherever possible, for the bases and skeletons of the bags. I’ve used everything from plastic milk containers, to cut down, hot water bottles.

Other days I spend time in the studio with my photographer husband who lights and photographs the new pieces, so I can put them on the Trinderella website.  

 4)       Where can we find your designs?

Currently my designs are available in a wonderful, shop full of interesting designer pieces in Newport , Sydney, NSW, called Di Van Ooi after the owner and operator who is also an amazing milliner.

The biggest selection, however, is online at trinderella.com.  I encourage people to book mark it and visit regularly because this really is “slow fashion.” Each piece takes time and care. It’s hand made and a one off, original. So new pieces take a while to get there but tend to go fast when they do.

 5)       What can we expect to see from Trinderella in the future?

Trinderella seems to be growing organically. There is no grand plan except to continue being true to my ideal of creating original, enduring pieces that are earth friendly in their conception and production.

Thanks Tracey – We look forward to keeping an eye on your range.

News hot off the press: One of Tracey’s dresses has just been selected to be part of the Warringah Art Exhibition in the category “Waste to Art”.  The exhibition commences  Thursday15 July – 25 July 2010 – Congrats!

To see the whole range, visit Trinderella online.