ANNY DUFF
FASHION DESIGNER
I run Good Studios – a locally made
sustainable clothing and homewares label.
Emma, Beccy and I knew each other through
mutual friends and our respective brands,
so we decided to run a Christmas pop-up
in my old Adelaide studio a few years ago.
We completely fell in love with each other
and didn’t want the pop-up to end, so we
decided to fi nd a space big enough to share
- Ensemble Studios was born! We have a
retail space out the front where we stock
our favourite designers and brands from all
over Australia. Out back is the business side,
which we hire out for shoots, showings and
events. Beccy makes shoe magic happen
there, and Emma brings green things to
life. I’m the boring one with little pockets
of Good Studios everywhere, depending on
the particular time of production. My main
space is a very aesthetically unappealing
stock room. I worked solo for many
years and it’s not easy; you second guess
everything and fi nd reasons not to go in
all the time. Two years into Ensemble, we
know each other’s businesses so well that
we can always help each other out in a tight
spot. That support is invaluable. I love that
every day is different and inspiring; working
alongside passionate, funny women who I
deeply respect and feel respected by never
grows old! A highlight was our one-year
anniversary party, where we all stood
together surrounded by family and friends,
looking around at what we’d built.
EMMA SADIE THOMSON
DESIGNER AND
PLANT STYLIST
I love working with Beccy and Anny; it’s
so important to have like-minded, driven
and intelligent women by your side when
you’re running a business, and it’s great
to share a space with friends. I run the
business Emma Sadie Thomson, where
I mostly work as a plant stylist – installing
plants for commercial and hospitality
venues, and bringing greenery to any
indoor space. I have a potting area –
which is an old laundry trough and a
workbench – and our roller door is great
for taking everything outside to have a
good drink. It was a lot of fun and hard
work setting up the space originally.
Many late nights were spent grinding the
concrete fl oors, eating takeaway on the
fl oor and having a few beers. It’s been a
journey, and so lovely watching it evolve
and turn into something really beautiful.
I used to work from home, and that could
be quite lonely. It’s nice to be able to
come into our space and have someone
around to vent to; have a cuppa with; and
chat about the ups and downs of running
a business. The only downside to a shared
studio is having to get dressed! That may
become more relevant soon, as I’m due
to have a baby in a few weeks. It might
become a bit more challenging for me
to get in to the space every day, but
everyone has been so understanding
and accommodating.BECCY BROMILOW
SHOEMAKER
Once we started talking about the possibility
of a shared studio, it all happened very fast.
Anny came across a space, and we just dove
straight in! There was a lot of renovating to
be done, including ripping out blinds, pulling
up carpet and preparing fl oors, but we did it
all ourselves, which was a pretty nice feeling.
I run BB Shoemaker, making leather shoes,
accessories and dog collars, using mostly
vegetable-tanned kangaroo and bovine
leather. I think I’m someone who couldn’t
be alone all of my working week, so to be
able to work in a space with such strong
and determined women doing their own
thing, their way, is pretty inspirational! I love
that Ensemble is fi lled with light – to work
in natural light is a dream. All the greenery
and the white linen curtains make it such
a calm environment to really get stuck
into the making process. Distraction can
sometimes be a drawback – they’re mostly
good distractions, though. We’re pretty
disciplined most of the time. We make sure
to communicate before anything becomes
a contentious issue, and so far we’ve been
great at being open with each other. On the
whole, we’re all pretty easy-going, so it’s
quite cruisy. My favourite times have been
when drinks have turned into a dancefl oor
in the studio, or we’ve had late-night work
sessions with dinner on the fl oor. We’re
always working to improve the space, and
the online store, too. We have exciting
things planned for 2019!