Zilpah Tart: Ethical Fashion from Canberra

What do you get when you combine local travel photography with fashion?  Zilpah Tart.  This beautiful range of ethically made Australian fashion is a label by Canberra based designer Yumi Morrissey.

Now I don’t know about you, but when I’m shopping for fashion that is not secondhand, I’m on the hunt for originality.  I want quality garments and preferably too nothing ‘on-trend’.  Ethically made fashion is obviously high up on my list, and if it’s Australian made, even better because there is nothing better than supporting local talent.

When I received an invitation to a fashion event featuring all Australian labels, I scoured the list of brands who would be present on the day and was instantly drawn to Kilpah Tart.  Gorgeous dresses, amazing prints, Australian made .. I had to know more.

Zilpah Tart is an interesting name!  Zilpah was the name of Yumi’s late Grandmother “The original Zilpah Tart”, Yumi says. After Zilpah passed, the family was sorting through her belongings when Yumi found a 1940’s brooch of a penny farthing. This formed the basis for the logo of her fashion label, and provides a personal memory and tribute of the late Zilpah Tart.

Yumi completed a Bachelor of Design (Fashion Design) at the Canberra Institute of Technology in 2007 and a decade on, she is working on her fashion label full time.

Yumi’s designs are her own, made in her home studio. “All pieces are made in Canberra Australia, in fact about 90% is made by me. Though I am at my absolute limit and will look to increase the amount that I outsource. My outsourced production is also done in Canberra, through Cardif Collective which is also a stockist of mine.” says Yumi.

“I think there’s a few things that I pride myself and my label on in terms of ethical and sustainable practices, aside from just the obvious manufacturing side of things.” explains Yumi.

Yumi designs her own fabrics using photographs taken around Canberra to create beautiful, bright, unique prints, which add an exciting element to her range. Yumi explains that she wants to create a personal connection for her customers. There is an emotional value to the collection for those who choose to wear Zilpah Tart who have a connection to Canberra / Australia.

“I have sold the parliament print dresses (my very first fabric print) to Australian Diplomats posted all over the world, and many of the women I have spoken to have told me that one of the reasons they wanted the dress to wear overseas, was not only to use the Parliament house symbol to represent the Australian Government, but also to use as a talking point when forming new professional relationships.” Yumi says.

Take a look at the original photographs taken by Yumi around Canberra and how they are represented in the Zilpah Tart range: