FairyFloss

Monday, 20 July 2015

FairyFloss Around the World

We asked some of our Instagram and Facebook friends to tell us where they're from, and the proof is in the map we made below: FairyFloss is a truly international brand, with customers and outlets everywhere from Brazil to London to our home in Byron Bay.

Our customers take our clothes everywhere, to festivals and events all over the world; we've seen photos of them at Boom Festival in Portugal, a photoshoot in South America, a Grateful Dead concert in the US, and all of the major psytrance festivals in Australia.

We love our international friends and family! If you don't live in Byron and want to shop FairyFloss in person, there's places all over the world you can do so.

Delicious Boutique in Philadelphia, USA - a gorgeous little shop with beautiful clothes
Toon'z Shop in France - a very popular shop selling music and apparel
Psy7 in Germany - selling pieces with gorgeous psychedelic patterns
Camden Market in London - a British icon
Happy High Herbs in Santa Cruz, California - the US branch of a popular Australian chain

Thank you for all the love, and we're sending it right back!

Thursday, 2 July 2015

FairyFloss and our Natural World

Here at FairyFloss, we're constantly inspired by all nature has to offer; the colours, the patterns, the textures. Below is information about some different natural phenomena, and pictures of how we've incorporated their magic into our clothes.

Sand dunes are the beautiful built up hills and mountains of sand you see at the beach, or in the desert; sand ripples are the tiger stripe patterns that sometimes cover them. When sand is moved by the wind, the grains bounce along the surface and cause other grains to move. Small hollows in the ground are protected from the moving grains, and so once grains are splashed into the hollows, they stay put. The higher areas are more affected, because they stick up into the wind. The ripples move as the hollows are slowly filled with grains, and the higher areas have their grains blown away. The movement and direction of sand ripples is a great way to tell what direction the wind has been blowing, and how hard.

The beautiful colours and patterns found on insects can tell us a lot about them. Insects rely on both bright colors and patterns to warn predators that they are poisonous. Some insects even pretend to be poisonous to fake out their enemies. Others use patterns and colours to hide, blending in with their natural environment (think the green praying mantis, or the moths that imitate the eyes of their predators with their wing patterns).

Birds use their feathers to stay warm, to fly, and sometimes to line their nests to keep their eggs warm and safe. Their colour patterns serve as camouflage, whether they're predator or prey; different coloured feathers on their underside allow them to stay camouflaged while in flight. Differences in colours and patterns within the same species play an important role when birds are choosing a mate; some of these differences can't be seen by humans (the feathers reflect UV light). Some bird feathers are coloured by what the bird eats, rather than genetics; if flamingoes can't get what they eat in their native habitat, their distinctive pink plumage will turn white.

Thursday, 18 June 2015

FairyFloss at the Byron Bay International Fashion Festival

The Byron Bay International Fashion Festival showcases the very best of Byron fashion, alongside international and interstate designers. It's a great opportunity for local designers to showcase their work, and let everyone know just how much this little corner of Australia has to offer the fashion world.

FairyFloss is proud to have been part of this fantastic event, and our show was a celebration of everything that makes FairyFloss unique; a little bit of steampunk, a little bit of tribal style, a little bit of hippie fashion, and a whole lot of magic. It was also a great chance to give people some ideas for how to wear our pieces as a complete outfit - ideas which we're now sharing with you.

The strong lines of our Tribal Knight Vest look great over the soft, flowing design on our Feather Tee.

Our Treasure Chest Vest is steampunk perfection with our Gypsy Punk Skirt; the length and horizontal lines of the skirt match perfectly with the crop and vertical lines of the vest.

The Prophecy Coat is as versatile as the Wrap Vest - both go perfectly with any outfit. The Dragon Rider Belt is the perfect way to dress up a simple pair of pants.

Our Free Spirit Top with our Viking Jacket is another great example of how soft imagery goes perfectly under strong lines and tough detailing.

Leather and lace is always a winner; the ruffles of our Dust Storm Skirt, the delicate lace of the Love Lace Top, and the multi-faceted sheen of our Vixen Leather Bolero are the perfect balance of soft and strong.

Our Proto Punk Skirt and Sphere Vest make a strong, sexy combination; it's the little details that make this pairing stand out from the crowd.

All of these items are available in store, or via our website.

Thursday, 21 May 2015

Spotlight on Steampunk

FairyFloss draws inspiration from a wide range of sources, from nature to sacred geometry to historical tribal wear; it's this fusion of ideas and styles which contributes to our signature Nature Punk style, and makes FairyFloss one of the most original designers on the market.

In this blog post, we're going to draw attention to one of our favourite sources of inspiration: steampunk fashion. We'll show you where steampunk came from and how we use it to infuse FairyFloss clothes with a dystopian flavour, to create pieces that are truly timeless.

(note: for the purposes of this blog post, we're just going to focus on clothes: for a truly excellent history of the steampunk movement more generally, check out this website)

What is Steampunk?

Steampunk is the science fiction of the Steam Age (Victorian Era), re-imagined from a modern perspective. It blends history, imagination and science into a wonderful world that might have been.

The invention of the steam engine made full scale industrialisation possible, and in turn, made authors and artists dream of a future where steam, not electricity, drove advances in technology and science. They dreamed of steam powered submarines, space travel, a mechanised life.

Modern steampunk enthusiasts re-imagine the 19th century with steam-powered versions of modern technologies. In this way, it becomes the perfect blend of alternate history and science fiction.

What Does Steampunk Fashion Look Like?

Steampunk takes Victorian fashion as its base, and adds industrial, futuristic elements. It aims to delight, entertain and engage. Popular features include corsetry, pinstripes, brass adornments, industrial machine parts (eg wheels and cogs), ruffles, frills and leather.

Steampunk and Popular Culture

Steampunk couture continues to increase in popularity, as it allows for a lot of imagination and individuality. The films Sucker Punch and Sweeney Todd have a very strong steampunk aesthetic; Amy Lee from the band Evanescence brings steampunk influences to her gothic Lolita stage outfits.

FairyFloss and Steampunk

Our unique Nature Punk style brings together patterns and hues from nature with the industrial features of steampunk; it takes two opposites, and fuses them into an original, sexy and stylish aesthetic.

We carry a number of steampunk-inspired neo-classical jackets. With lace-ups, frills, bustles, ruffles, and clockwork appliques, these jackets draw on industrial themes but provide a modern twist.

We create tough and strong vests and tops that combine sexy femininity with heavy-duty detailing like grommets, leather, studs and buckles.

We have plenty of tough, tribal and embellished skirts, both long and short. Studs, buckles, gathers, ruffles, ruching, appliques and 100% leather accents give these skirts the perfect mix of feminine and heavy-duty. These skirts look great with tough boots and goggles if you're going full steampunk; pick a hi-lo style with ruffling bustles for neo-classical style.

Steampunk relies heavily on accessories and adornments like goggles,studded belts and cuffs to fuse the Victorian and the mechanical. We have some great accessories in stock, perfect to add something special to any outfit.