Kelly Atkinson, Co-Founder and Creative Director of Showroom-X
Welcome to our Inspiring Women in Australian Fashion and Art Series, and our conversation with the beautifully talented Kelly Atkinson, Co-Founder and Creative Director of Showroom-X, a multi-brand ecommerce platform for elevated Australian fashion.
With a background in visual merchandising and a deep appreciation for life’s artistic potentials, Atkinson seeks aesthetic inspiration from the world around her.
“I often find it in nature, or small moments with my daughter,” she explains. “I also have a collection of vintage books I turn to, including an 1860 edition of Thomas Moore’s poetical works ... I am a very tactile person, so magazines will always be a way for me to find inspiration. I love to turn a page, and it’s my mission with Showroom-X to take that kind of tangible immersion and parlay it into a digital, inspirational yet shoppable experience.” Showroom-X.
“Inner strength and positive energy. My mother always told me people won’t remember everything you said or what you looked like – but they will always remember how you made them feel.”
Kelly Atkinson captured by Pierre Toussaint.
Tell us about women who have inspired you in your life?
I grew up very modestly with a single mum, raised mostly by my ‘tribe of women’. My Nan (grandmother) and Mum ran the house on the daily, and my Auntie whom my mum worked with was also a huge part of my life, too. Women are my mentors, because I can only now appreciate how hard it is to do it all.
Women have to wear so many hats: Mum, Creative, Boss, Lover, Friend – each takes a different mindset and headspace and I admire those women who can do it all.
Now that I am a mum I realise even more how important it is for women to know that they are strong and capable, I want my daughter to be empowered, kind, smart and independent, like all the women I was surrounded by growing up, and still am.
Tell us about the women you work with?
I work with a small group of immensely talented, intelligent women. As a business we are super lucky to have found such a beautiful strong team straight out of the gate. Everyone brings a different element to the table and I hope to grow and encourage them throughout our journey in business.
What are some Australian artists and designers that you adore personally?
Being a Bris-Vegas girl I can’t go past CJ Hendry… her sketches are amazing. Fiona Barret Clarke who was featured in Saint Cloche’s exclusive Art Annex showcase for Showroom- X is also a favourite.
My fashion – fashion is an art - I love lots of Australian designers for different reasons ... that’s really where Showroom-X was born from.
What do you feel makes Australian designers and our fashion so unique?
There is something inherently natural and relaxed about Australians, it’s in our attitude, our aesthetic and our design. That’s what international buyers find so appealing about our brands – there is an ease to them, and an effortlessness that’s enchanting.
“Women have to wear so many hats: Mum, Creative, Boss, Lover, Friend – each takes a different mindset and headspace and I admire those women who can do it all.”
How have you navigated the challenges faced this year?
As is the case with almost every industry, we have been deeply affected by COVID. Primarily, we had to delay our launch to market which had many repercussions, the biggest being that we have some stock that would be considered by industry standards as past its key selling period, with a seven to eight month development time and six-week retail shelf-life-span, you can see how the industry is broken.
We have many commitments to our brand partners and didn’t want to make an already challenging time worse for them – so we made a business decision to honour all orders placed and we have been forced to re-examine the way we sell. In the case of stock that wasn’t new anymore we have had the designers sign custom Showroom -X tags so there is a bespoke touch of hand to each of these limited pieces.
This delay in our launch actually drove us to work with the industry in ways we could never have imagined. My partner and love Richard Poulson started a retail round table discussion with most of our brands & industry connections as a way for us to share our stories of survival and strategy. What started out as a group of five to ten of us on call weekly ended up with nearly 250 people on one call. I was updating the Zoom account as the call progressed so more people could dial in.
We quickly realised the industry needed consumer support and looked at what we could do as a joint marketing initiative with all the brands to help drive this – what resulted was the development of the #WeWearAustralian campaign which helped us boost sales across the industry and had us work alongside Thread Together to clothe many struggling families, in a time when they needed it the most.
I was so proud of our industry, it felt so good to be making a real difference.
Ultimately, COVID has given us all a chance to slow right down and explore not just how, but why we do business.
What opportunities do you see as a result of the pandemic?
I strongly believe the silver lining of this whole pandemic has been the ability to refine our purpose and practises.
As an industry we are a massive contributor to the degradation of the environment and our earth, so by educating consumers on production values and fabrications we can hopefully help to reduce the overall impact on our planet.
I feel, now even more than ever, the customers want to learn – they want to know where their clothing has come from and why it’s worthy of their money. Conservation isn’t just only about recycling and hemp fabric … We have closed loop fully traceable wool and fibre trace cotton.
Australia is so advanced in some of these technologies that will revolutionise the fashion industry, and it’s amazing to be a part of the rewiring.
DISCOVER SHOWROOM-X
Tell us about your isolation experience?
We are a Perth-based business, so for the first time in my life I was actually thankful for the isolation we have over here. It’s kept us safe & relatively normal compared to the rest of the world.
As hard as it’s been not seeing family and friends from interstate, but it’s what we all have to do right now.
Not going to lie, as a mother to a feisty three-year-old, I am well aware of how hard home isolation was. Trying to manage her time, be productive, creative and launch a business amidst the height of a global pandemic had its tough days. But I always thought there is so much to be thankful for. So concentrating on what we had, not what we didn’t have was how I got through - also anything that wasn’t screen-based kept me sane.
My favourite book, Man’s Search for Meaning, has been a good re-read right now. It’s an extremely poignant reminder that we are all part of history – whether we choose to be or not.
With most of us dreaming about resuming our travels abroad, what is an aspect of Australia that you have loved this year?
I have only lived here in Perth for the past four years, and with a three-year-old daughter it’s been tricky to travel outside of business needs … so there is plenty of Western Australia for me to discover yet. This is the best chance for us all to see the hidden treasures of our homeland.
Do you have advice for our creatives right now during such challenging times?
“Be yourself. Trust your gut – no one can be you, but you, so keep the faith and think outside of convention.”
How do you see the fashion industry evolving now?
Seasonless, sustainable and far more direct-to-consumer-led, so essentially, it’s changing for the better.
What’s ahead for yourself?
A well-deserved rest … Some time with the family, preferably on a beach somewhere in Western Australia!
Thank you Kelly for sharing your conversation with THE INSPIRED CO.