AUSTRALIAN STORY Willie Weston
A desire to challenge preconceptions about indigenous art is the driving force behind this unique Melbourne textiles brand.
Willie
Weston is built upon passionate beliefs and ethics shared by two best friends. “At the core of our business is the belief that indigenous art and design is beautiful, contemporary and deserving of a prominent place in our built environment,” says Laetitia Prunetti (above right), who co-founded the brand with Jessica Booth (left) in 2015.
They met 15 years ago at university when both undertook a Master of Art Curatorship course. For the next decade the two pursued separate careers; Laetitia focused on contemporary Australian art while Jess worked as a project manager in indigenous art centres.
Laetitia’s time off after the birth of her first baby coincided with Jess completing a Master of Business degree. This became the perfect juncture for them to pursue a dream business together, a venture that “celebrated the diverse artistic output of indigenous artists across Australia”, says Laetitia.
The pair develop their collections based on original works by indigenous artists. They adapt these (minimally) to create repeating designs and multiple colourways for fabric and wallpaper. Final designs and colours are approved by the artists, who are paid for each metre produced. “This enables us to support them in an ongoing, scalable way. The artists are at the core of what we do,” says Laetitia.
Products are printed to order, in Australia, to minimise waste. All residential fabrics are pure linen or a linen-cotton blend, and there’s a range of treated fabrics available
‘There was a huge gap in the market for sophisticated indigenous design.’ Jessica Booth
for indoor/outdoor use. Their latest offering is the Bábbarra collection, created by artists from the Maningrida community in Central Arnhem Land, featuring subtle, swirling and cross-hatched patterning in oatmeal, coffee and charcoal shades.
The best part is that consumers can’t get enough. “People are often surprised that our designs are by indigenous artists, which is part of the perception-shifting we want to be part of,” says Jess. willieweston.com