Meet Lizzie Archer, Creative Director at The Elsewhere Co.

Tell us a bit about yourself?

I’m a country girl at heart. I grew up on a beautiful sheep farm in central west NSW. I always knew I wanted to do something creative. I studied a BA Media (Hons) at Macquarie University, Sydney, majoring in Film and Television production—I originally wanted to be a film director!

I’m based in Melbourne and am a full-time business owner plus full-time mum to two boys. I love to travel (looking forward to being able to do this again one day) and I believe in living an adventurous life—always learning, exploring and living joyfully. I’m always on the look-out for my next adventure!

I have collected jewellery from all over the world and this is part of the reason I created wallets with space specifically to store jewellery! I’m passionate about sustainable fashion and believe that designers have a responsibility to understand the materials they work with—how they were made, who made them, their performance, longevity, environmental and social impact and end of life. This takes time, energy and in most instances is more expensive than mainstream alternatives but it’s really rewarding to see that my designs offer a significant step change towards a more sustainable fashion industry.

What is your current business?

I’m the designer and founder behind sustainable accessories brand, The Elsewhere Co. - a luxury label inspiring freedom seekers around the world to escape the every day through a design philosophy that rejects all that’s ordinary, lacklustre and thoughtlessly produced.

How would you describe your career so far and how did you get into this industry?

My career has been a journey! I’ve done lots of different things and have learnt a lot along the way! At university, I studied Media majoring in film and television production but landed a career in product management and marketing where I worked for several consumer goods brands within Australia and the UK. I also studied interior design whilst living and working in London. My corporate roles gave me experience in developing and launching large scale product ranges, however, I always knew I wanted to be working more creatively in an environment where I didn’t have to compromise on my design vision and values.

I left my job in London to take a year off travelling through Europe and South East Asia back to Australia. I collected jewellery throughout my travels but was having trouble storing it safely in my backpack. Whilst in Cambodia, I fell in love with the beauty of artisan hand-loomed silk and upon returning to Melbourne, I enrolled in a short textile design course at RMIT and developed my very first collection of luxury silk jewellery rolls. From there I’ve developed the brand and collections you see today.

What does a typical workday look like for you? 

I’m constantly juggling my roles as a mum and business owner, so every day is different! I work between 7-9 am in the morning whilst my husband gets my eldest son ready for school—this is when I get my priority things done. Throughout the day I look after my 4-year-old and do bits and pieces when he’s happy playing— things like packing orders, preparing stock for retailers, designing and visiting retailers. We do a daily scooter ride to deliver orders to the post office! Then it’s school pick-up, chores and dinner prep. I sit down again at 6 pm to do my social media for the day, then after everyone’s in bed I’ll do another hour of work before relaxing at the end of the evening. I complete any big projects on a Saturday when my husband looks after our boys!

What has been your favourite product created to date?

Definitely my up-cycled leather wallet – it’s a world-first design which took almost 2 years to develop. It’s an entrant in this year’s Victorian Premier’s Design Awards!

“This is NO ordinary wallet. We set out to design the wallet of your dreams; a single wallet to keep you organised from work to play, trips away and everything in between –without destroying the planet. The Elsewhere Co. upcycled leather wallet is thoughtfully designed for living an adventurous life. It can be used at home or away and features an innovative concealed jewellery storage compartment, making it one of the most versatile accessories around. Crafted from upcycled leather, it imaginatively transforms waste into luxury fashion, with initial production saving approximately 100kg of leather offcuts from reaching landfill.”

It is my hope that our wallets will keep you organised for many years to come, saving you time, making your every day easier and helping you steal more moments of freedom to pursue an adventurous life – a life less ordinary.

Paradise Leather Women's Wallet

What are some of the things which inspires you?

I’m inspired by travel, art and nature. I love bold colour and you’ll notice that colour palettes play an integral role in my designs. I’m also inspired by fabrics and materials – each material has its own beauty, texture, unique properties and story of how it was made. I love working with interesting materials and finding new ways to reimagine them into luxury items.

How do you stay organised in life and business?

Work-life balance has been quite difficult as you can see from my daily routine above! It’s been particularly hard to manage this year as I was homeschooling my 6-year-old, whilst also looking after my 4-year-old. This meant that during these times I had to put my work largely on pause. Over the years of running my own business, I’ve learnt to stress less about what I can’t do and be happy with achieving my best in the time that I have available. I work hard but make sure we plan lots of holidays and fun things to do as a family!

What has 2020 taught you about yourself?

I’ve learnt the value of community this year – I’ve actually worked more collaboratively with others than in a normal year which I’ve really enjoyed.

This year people have been really collaborative and more open to connecting and supporting others. Whilst it’s been a tough sales year there have also been more opportunities and initiatives to support small businesses as well as opportunities to up-skill and be involved in the community which has been invaluable.

Just like the amazing community at Creative Women’s Circle, I’ve also had the opportunity to work with a mentor this year! I’ve found this really useful in clarifying my ideas and helping me move forward with initiatives at a much faster pace. So this is something I’ll probably continue to do going forward.

What have been some of the biggest challenges in your career?

Being a creative at heart; throughout my corporate career, I always found it difficult to be constantly compromising my creative vision and personal values. This meant that while I enjoyed this part of my career and learnt a lot about business, I felt frustrated much of the time. Once I got the courage to start my own business built on my personal values, I felt such a great sense of freedom. I’ve never looked back!

What do you get up to when not working?

I have family in South Coast NSW so we spend a lot of time there at the beach, swimming, bushwalking and enjoying time as a family.

Nightfall Leather Women's Wallet

How do you plan for a new year? And do you have any tips for new year goal-setting?

I like to reflect on the past year’s achievements and take time to really congratulate myself before moving onto new goals. Then I assess what worked and what didn’t!

I find the last quarter of the year is so busy and it’s often quite reactive so I like to begin the year by revisiting my core brand values and vision to see if everything is still relevant or if some areas have evolved etc. I like to bring everything back to the brand vision and values, then I start working on plans for the new year with this vision clearly in place.

 I also do a sustainability roadmap for the year ahead to ensure that each year we’re moving forward with our sustainability goals as a business. Sustainability is a constant journey!

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Shop local this Christmas

The Elsewhere Co collection is available at Design A Space Retail Gallery.

Shop in-store at either of the Design A Space stores below and receive 20% off the upcycled leather collection.

Offer is available until 24/12/2020.

Melbourne City Store 
20 Manchester Lane,  
Melbourne VIC 3000
+61 3 9663 8991

Windsor Store
142 Chapel Street, 
Windsor VIC 3181
+61 3 9510 0144

Interview: Julia Denes of Woodfolk

By Andrea McArthur

For my final interview of 2013, I am delighted to reveal the story behind a creative new accessories label, Woodfolk.

I discovered Woodfolk at the Finders Keepers Market held recently in Sydney, but it was not long before this that Woodfolk was officially launched at Life Instyle Melbourne. Despite its infancy, word of this stylish label is certainly spreading fast.

Julia Denes is the founder and jewellery designer behind Woodfolk. Julia created the label as a break from the fast moving modern world in which we live, with the aim to bring you down to earth. Woodfolk achieves this through simple design, a gentle colour palette and by using only natural materials and fabric.

All Woodfolk products are Australian designed and proudly made by Nepali artisans, throughout local and remote areas of Nepal. The Nepali artisans use their master skills to create beautiful and quality accessories through traditional carving, natural dying, knitting and weaving techniques.

What led you down your current path?

I originally studied a Bachelor of Fine Arts at COFA majoring in Photography, before taking off around the world on a two-year travel adventure that took me to 21 different countries. After spending the last six months of my trip in Central America stringing seeds and shells on banana tree vines, I knew jewellery was my calling.

When I got home I straight away enrolled at Enmore Design Centre, got myself an apprenticeship and began learning to hand-make fine jewellery. Over the years I worked for some of Sydney’s most prominent jewellers both designing and making. In 2009 I started my first business Julia Denes Jewellery that specialised in custom one-off pieces.

Starting Woodfolk felt like a very natural progression. The idea was born after feeling the need to work with more earthy materials and all things natural, combined with my love of travel. I worked on the business for about a year before I launched it at Life Instyle Melbourne a few months ago. It’s got such heart to it, I absolutely love working on it and love the response I’ve been getting from stores and customers.

Who do you admire in Australian accessories design?

I have a lot of admiration for natural, authentic, down to earth businesses like Elk, Nancybird and Ink and Spindle, just to name a few. I find it very inspiring the way they run their businesses. I also love and appreciate all the (much needed) real life, motivational work Clare Bowditch is doing.

What has been your greatest career achievement to-date?

Starting my new business Woodfolk has been my greatest and proudest achievement so far. One of the obstacles I faced in the earlier stages was finding the right people to work with overseas to make the wooden components of my jewellery. I knew I could have gone somewhere like China or India and work with a factory, however that seemed to defeat the purpose of my business. So after lots of research and time spent in Nepal, I found the most lovely, talented family to work with and I’m so happy to be supporting them. I already have my eyes set on a couple of other countries for new product ranges as well.

Describe a typical day at work…

I don’t really have a typical day as I’m running two businesses at the moment and wearing many hats. However, mornings generally start with emails and lots of cups of tea. Days can be filled with stringing and finishing all the wood jewellery; making the ceramic jewellery; getting Woodfolk orders ready and sent; preparing for different design markets and trade shows; liaising with stockists and contacting new stores; creating custom jewellery pieces; developing new ideas to build on the Woodfolk range; all the usual business stuff; and the list goes on. I do like to finish my day with some yoga, pilates or a walk to clear my head – otherwise I start to become a crazy person!

What future plans do you have for Woodfolk?

I have a lot of plans for Woodfolk and see a lot of potential. I’m planning to expand the jewellery line to include more ceramic pieces which have had a great response. A new line of natural style market bags and hand-dyed cotton scarves are already in progress, and I’m considering including some homewares to the range for next year. I’m in no rush though, so I’ll let the nature of this business take its course rather than try and do everything at once.

5 Questions in 5 minutes – Getting Personal:

Studio Sounds, what's playing?

Always something chilled like Ray LaMontagne or Birdy.

What are you currently reading?

Daring Greatly by Brene Brown.

What are you looking forward to?

My upcoming (and much needed) holiday to Vietnam with my husband.

Can you share your go to resource for inspiration?

Blogs like The Design Files, Design Sponge, Books Kinokuniya on George St in Sydney (such a great book store) and I’m a total Pinterest addict (find my page at pinterest.com/woodfolknatural)

What is your local area's best kept secret?

There aren't many secrets left unfortunately in Sydney but I can share some favourite spots: Bondi Beach Farmer’s Markets every Saturday; Breakfast at Bread and Circus in Alexandria; and afternoon/evening walks in Centennial Park.

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If you've fallen in love with Woodfolk like I have, enquiries can be directed via Julia's website, Facebook or follow her on her blog.

Andrea McArthur has a passion for all things visual and works as a freelance Graphic Designer. Type is her true love and goes weak at the knees over beautiful design. You'll find her sharing design related musings via @andyjane_mc