Friday Friends - Australian Fashion - Random Ally

Happy Happy Friday everyone ! I don't know if I told you but I became an Auntie again this week. Just in case you missed it. I am a bit excited :D
We have had a little more sunshine this week which has been lovely and seems to take the winter chills away for just a little while. I had a dear friend visit this week and we cooked up a storm with Toasted Turkish Bread and Dips, an Asian Inspired Salad with a Citrus-Chilli-Lemongrass-Soy Dressing and Chilli Lemongrass French Lamb Cutlets, followed with some delicious Maggie Beer ice-cream, a meringue and some fresh mixed berries. What a treat !

I want you to meet the most fabulous Australian fashion team this week, Sarah and Kat from Random Ally !



I was incredibly lucky to win one of the fab scarves that Sarah and Kat create



and it has become a fashion staple in my wardrobe this winter ! It is so soft and stylish :D

I also really love this t-shirt and the sentiments "Send in a Rebel In A Party Dress" which reminds me of 80's flicks like Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink and The Breakfast Club.



And is it time to gear up your wardrobe for summer ? This mens Voodoo Singlet is simply cool !



Dear Readers, I hope your weekend is simply wonderful - I invite you now to take an online journey and explore a fine Australian Indie Fashion label that is Random Ally.

The Fashionista Journals of Random Ally


Hi my name is Sarah Lloyd and together with my sister Kat Lloyd, I am the owner/creator of Random Ally, a clothing label/boutique from Robe S.A. Random Ally is an emerging indie clothing label producing unique hand printed designs with a strong artistic influence, on high quality, ethically manufactured clothing.



Random Ally was born in 2008 when Kat and I collaborated to create a small line of ethical hand printed t-shirts. Typical of our way of doing things, I was the only one who had ever tried screen printing before. That is if you can call once in year 8 art class experience. So we brought ourselves a screen printing kit for $100 and worked things out for ourselves. Our first print run was 5 designs across 100 tees.




Looking back I have no idea how we managed to pull this off. But we did and started selling our product at a local market and then through Etsy.com and Madeit.com.au. It wasn’t long before we expanded into men’s tees and then after a year produced or first winter range. Featuring our super comfy cotton jersey scarves, which have been a huge success. In early 2010 we launched randomally.com The labels official website and online store.



In late 2010 Kat and I took a leap of faith and launched our first retail store. Situated in our seaside home town of Robe SA, The store features the ever expanding Random Ally range, plus clothing and accessories by other independent designers from Australia and abroad. The aim of the store is to bring independent design and ethical and sustainable ideals into the spotlight and to give our customers an alternative retail experience.



In fitting out our shop, we used mostly reclaimed or hand built fixtures to display our wares. Our railings were built by me with the help of our close friend/welding extraordinaire Phil Kennett and we created shelves from restored wooden chairs and old table extensions. We have added artworks throughout the store and placed displays of things that we collect and love throughout bare parts of the shop. Kats Lego men displays are always a hit. Although we do find them moved into very interesting positions at times. Our aim is to create a space that is like no other.



Today we are in the process of expanding the label further through a more extensive range of clothing. We will be moving into manufacturing a broader range of garments ourselves, in conjunction with the quality tees that we currently use. Items will include dresses, skirts, tops etc. We have also sourced amazing ethical, organic cotton to produce our products with. We are very excited to be able to combine our prints and these new garments and be able to push the boundaries of standard screen printed clothing. We are also interested in expanding our line of accessories, especially in the jewellery area.



So the big question, what’s with the name Random Ally? The label was named in honour our grandma, Alison Gibbons, a woman who lived life to its fullest. How many people can claim to have had a ride on a Harley on their 90th birthday? She couldn’t see much but she had a blast. Oddly enough the guy who took her for a ride was dressed as Santa. Go figure! But that was grandma. A woman, who loved life, loved her family and was always looking for an adventure. For this she is our biggest inspiration.



And to what does the future hold for Random Ally? Well Kat and I are currently moving our studio into grandma’s house, Fate perhaps? But it will definitely get the creative juices going and produce some amazing designs.



Over the next few years we are hoping to move into the wholesale market and grow our online store to include other products that work well with our own. We ideally would love to open a second store in either Adelaide or Melbourne. Overall we would simply love to be able to commit to Random Ally on a full time basis and not have to work outside of the business to help pay for our coffee and chai habits. To me Random Ally is not work, so when this happens I will never have to work again.

Random Ally can be found at:

Random Ally, Shop 2, 30 Victoria St Robe, South Australia



Connect with Random Ally .........
Online at:

http://www.randomally.com/

On Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Random-Ally/81882525185

On our new twitter page:

http://twitter.com/#!/random_ally

The Blog :

http://randomallyclothing.blogspot.com/

Made It:

http://www.madeit.com.au/RandomAlly