The EB Story

I launched Edith Barbarella in early 2023 from my home in Brisbane, Australia.

I am the mother of two little boys - Charlie and George.

   

 

I began designing these pieces after a career change from education (I taught economics, entrepreneurship and history at a girls' school in Brisbane for close to a decade).

I’m drawn to objects with an artisanal quality to them - talismans on knotted cord, lampwork beads, Venician glass, pearls on leather, gemstone collars, batik bone. Each are carefully designed and produced in small batches, usually 10 or so. And it’s just me. There’s no team or warehouse.  I’m not purchasing products from a factory. They’re made on my kitchen table while my two boys are at school and childcare.

I’ve always loved telling stories and as a girl, I imagined a career as a designer and entrepreneur. Or perhaps an author? Or a journalist? Maybe a florist? Or a documentary film maker? My creativity was a pinball, ricocheting from idea to idea. 

Desire can be a incessant thing and mine persistently poked me in the ribs, forcing me back to the things that feel heavenly to me: pottery, blue sky, hand painted tiles, 1970s glassware, stripes, woven textiles, sailboats on the water, objects of antiquity, vintage beach chairs. 

Like you, I grew up and straightened up and after studying Economics and Marketing and a stint in an ad agency, I decided to pursue a teaching career.

I believe that when a woman becomes a mother, part of her, too, is reborn. In those early months with my baby in my arms, all clocks and to do lists at a standstill, I felt that creative spirit tugging at me again.

I tried my hand again at painting and pottery, welcomed George in 2020 and fumbled through those months like everyone else.

I began making jewellery in 2021 inspired by a piece my aunt @auntymelon wore. Not long after, friends were asking me to make them something. And this year, I thought ‘maybe this is where that creative spirit can land for a while’.

So I’ve decided to take the leap and give my creativity the space and oxygen she deserves. 

If you’ve read this far, thank you for letting me share a bit of who I am.

Oh, and Edith Barbarella? It's a play on my name ;)

I hope my pieces find a home with you.

Xx Meredith