A Lot on My Plate with Holly Banfield.
As part of my monthly newsletter, I will be sharing short interviews with friends and creatives who have a lot on their plate. Everyone has been through a lot in recent times, and I wanted to check in and see how they're going, if these trying times have changed them or their relationship with their work, what good things they're enjoying and doing and most importantly, what they're eating.
Interview #13 is with Holly Banfield of HB Archive, Holly's masterfully considered, masterfully sustainable garment practice. Everything about the way Holly approaches clothing is beautiful, and her pattern making and sewing skills are remarkable - I would know haha (for those that don't know, pattern making and sewing education in the tertiary space is my day job). Holly is also a fellow porridge lover, a really kind, gentle and welcoming soul, and I hope you enjoy reading her responses below as much as I did. Thanks for joining us Holly!
Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got into bread making?
G'day! I'm Holly! I love dancing in the kitchen, lying in parks, swimming, yoga, music, and cuddling my friends.
I'm also the Creative Practitioner for the local label HB Archive. I've been trying really hard lately not to define myself by what I do for a job, but in all honesty I live, breathe, dream and love the clothes I make and all the opportunities that have come from it the last few years.
I've always enjoyed making and mending things. When I was eight or so, I'd go to my friend's house because her mum had a fabric cupboard, and I'd return home and hand sew my dolls and cat (haha) matching outfits.
Straight after high school I studied a three year Fashion Technology degree at RMIT. In 2013 when I was halfway through my final year the Rana Plaza collapsed. After graduating, I couldn't bring myself to work for a fast fashion brand contributing negatively to the industry, and thought if I can't do something good, I won't work in it at all.
Over the next few years, I worked a shitty retail job for a so called 'ethical' women's wear company hoping to make my way to their head office. I kept pattern making, grading and sewing for myself and friends for fun, and managed to score an internship with Vege Threads where Amy showed me that maybe there was another way!
At the start of 2018 I came back from travelling, got a new job in a fabric shop, made some pretty wonderful friends who were locally manufacturing, and started doing freelance pattern making and grading for them and VT.
I spent all my other time still playing around with HB and realised I now had a pretty solid skill set, and library of pieces to open a website and give it a whirl.
Some favourite parts about running HB Archive is getting to do it my own way, contrary to 'the industry' I was taught about in Uni. I also love the community that I have had the privilege to build, and getting to connect, collaborate with and learn from so many incredible creatives (like Clem!)
How have events over the past 18 months or so impacted your outlook/practice/focus?
I'd really burnt out by the end of 2019, I was working seven days a week and was so tired. I made my new year's resolution for 2020 to have a day off a week, and really allowed myself to slowdown and daydream about what was important.
In saying that, I think it's important to share that the last few years hasn't all been smooth sailing. I temporarily lost my casual job at the beginning of the pandemic, and sold a heap of old samples from my wardrobe to be able to pay my house and studio rent, but overall I feel so fortunate because of the size of my business and the support of my customers and friends, I have been able to really pivot to continue focussing on HB, and yet rest when my mind and body needs to as well.
So, I have really learnt the importance of work / life balance. I try to only reply to messages and emails in work hours and spend time off my phone.
I've been trying to be kind to myself lately when I can't spend eight hours a day sewing, because there's so many other things with running my lil business that take up my time.
The old adage goes, some eat to live, others live to eat. Where would you place yourself?
I think I'm a little of both... Depending where I am and what I am doing. I definitely live to eat every morning when it's porridge time though!
How do your cooking habits change when you are busy/stressed/tired?
When I'm busy I try to batch cook quick and easy things for the week that I can turn into other things the next day when I'm heading to the studio or work.
My weekly go-to’s (sort of cook suck meals, but I'm not ashamed!) are a red based pasta with heaps of butter and mushrooms, black beans fried up with some veg, chucked over spinach with an egg on top, or a very healthy/ lemony version of Pad Thai.
Have you learned to cook anything new during lockdown?
This year for the first time in my life I've actually taken it a little easy on the cooking front. I spent every day off last year flicking through my cookbooks and cooking all day and really learnt a lot.
I realised how simple it was to make your own pizza dough, or brownies, or pancakes from scratch and I've gotten really good at looking in my pantry, checking a few different recipes and then winging it.
A couple of weeks ago though, I made my first tiramisu for my housemate's birthday!
What are you most looking forward to when we come out of lockdown?
Going for a swim!
Finally being able to host the Pop Up at Subject Studio I'd first planned for the end of July, now the last weekend of November.
Sitting on a friend's couch with a cuppa.
Having a coffee from a café in a nice cup.
What is the first cafe/restaurant/bar you’ll go to when it’s safe to do so again?
I don't know if I can choose one so here's a list I made with my housemates of some places we want to go!
1. Marios for pasta, and a slice of cherry pie
2. Cocktails at Amarillo with my best friends
3. Shady Lady for the green health shot that comes after the tequila
4. Faradays Cage for some breakky
5. An eggplant parma at The Standard.
Could you share with us some of the music that’s been getting you through the past few months?
Oh yes!
I've gotten a lot more into pop over the last year, mainly Kylie's new DISCO album, and love the classics and really bonded with my mum over Skyhooks.
A couple of weeks ago I discovered Suzanne Kraft's remix of TOPS song Colder and Closer and have danced to it every morning. The radio is really good too.
Here's a playlist of songs I've been listening to in the studio the last sixish months.
Photo of Holly above is by Chelsea King.