Hunting for George... meet the women behind the brand
Hunting for George is an Independent Online Boutique full of goodness. Based in Melbourne they truly have a fabulous and extensive product range that features homewares, artwork, accessories, bedding and more. Not only are they incredible at finding the most gorgeous products for you to 'hunt' for in their boutique they also have their own stunning bedding range for adults and children, featuring the softest cottons, beautiful colours and gorgeous prints..
I am so happy to share their story and the inner workings of this great Melbourne company with you...
Tell us about how Hunting for George started and where does the name come from?
Hunting for George started with two sisters - Lucy Gladwright and Jo Harris - and a shared desire to do something different. We kind of just wake up one day and wanted to start a shop. It was a very simple and casual decision, but one that both of us felt very strongly about. The name has stemmed for a few significant George’s in our life. We wanted to create a name that was unique and stand alone, like us.
You have just launched a fabulous new collection of bed linen ‘Siesta’ – we are loving the colour palette – can you tell us about the range and what inspires your designs?
Thank you! The colours are very subtle in this range. We really wanted to create a peaceful collection of bedding that had an effortless nature to it. I guess you could say colour was actually our inspiration. So often an idea can come to mind based purely on an emotional connection you may have with a certain colour, so we decided to be led by these instincts.
Can you tell us about the creative process you go through?
We like to go back to basics and remove ourselves from the task at hand. If you get too fixated on making a pattern or designing something that you think people will like, then you just get stressed and don’t get anywhere. We’ll flick through swatch books, design mags, fashion blogs, old clothes, go for a walk… anything that takes our minds elsewhere for a moment. It’s recognising beauty in the things around us that can really influence the creative process.
We are loving that there are now single sized bedding for the kids, were you always planning on a kids range?
It does seem kind of inevitable now doesn’t it? But to be honest, kids bedding was never really our end game. We just started to receive a lot of customer enquiries asking if our bed linen came in single sizes. So when we looked into it further we realised that there was a space in the market for single sized bedding that was not overtly ‘childlike’ or gender focused. I think that’s why our single sizes have been so popular as our designs are inclusive across a wide range of ages.
What does a typical day involve for you?
We tend to start the day with a quick email check before heading into the studio. If it’s a Tuesday, we have our team stand up. A brief weekly WIP where the whole team shares what they are up to for the week and what has happened since the last. Then it’s coffees all round and we hit our desks. Our jobs can really differ on any given day. One day we might be in a photo shoot and the next could see a huge order of products land that we totally forgot about and we then need to sort out. Lunch is usually on the go and before we know it, it’s 3pm. All orders are out the door by late afternoon and the studio starts to get a little quieter. This is my favourite time to work as I tend to throw my headphones on and try to zero on a few designs. Once I look up it’s late and everyone’s gone home so I scramble out the door to make it home for dinner. Before going to bed there’s usually an hour or two of work squeezed in, but then we get to crawl into the softest sheets in town, set our alarm ready for tomorrow.
What can we expect next for Hunting For George?
We have so many things that we want to wave our Hunting for George wand over. We’re hoping to take ourselves in a slightly new direction product wise next year. We have furniture in our sights as well more home textiles. Plus lots of other ideas but one step at a time.
What is Hunting for George’s best ‘pinch me’ moment so far?
We were putting together material to launch our collaboration with Lonely Planet today and I did have to stop and think… is this really happening? Luckily it was and it felt awesome.
Who are your favourite designers for inspiration at the moment?
Eeek, we are the worst ones to ask this question to. We have no real ‘favourites’ when it comes to designers however we love seeing creative up and comers that are doing something a little bit new and exciting. We are surrounded by incredibly talented friends that create wonderful things. A few examples are Tori Allen, Pop & Scott, Quella Collection and CosWeCan. Having clever mates is pretty cool. It ups and anti and helps keep the inspiration flowing.
