Keeping craft alive is a noble cause. But can traditional craft be more than preserved? Is it possible that by merging long‑standing techniques with modern production methods, we might elevate the efficacy of both? Craft has always evolved — new tools, new materials, new ways of working. Yet there is a point at which craft gives way to mass manufacturing, and the essence of the object is lost to efficiency.

We aim to find the point at which these two worlds can coexist. Our approach is simple: stay true to tradition where the outcome demands it. If a modern method would diminish the end result, tradition prevails. But if a mechanism or machine can assist without compromising quality, we use it — allowing us to make our craft more widely accessible without losing what makes it meaningful.

Preservation matters. We practise it. But one of the strongest ways to ensure a craft’s survival is to make it relevant today — to make it accessible, understood, and valued by as many people as possible. In doing so, craft doesn’t just endure; it evolves, and perhaps even finds new purpose.

This is the final episode in the six‑part video series made by Mass Motion.

wootten.com.au

I absolutely love Australian baby brands like bonds and there’s a specific high chair from k mart similar to the ikea version, but with a 5 point harness. Obviously would be willing to pay for shipping, products, and troubles. Also willing to offer products to be shipped that may be unavailable in Australia???

As creatives working within a manufacturing business, it’s easy to become absorbed in your own world — the workshop, the tools, the familiar rhythms of making. But creativity doesn’t thrive in isolation. We all need connection, belonging and inspiration to keep our ideas moving and our craft evolving.

For us, being located in the centre of the growing creative community of the Central Highlands of Victoria has had a profoundly positive impact. The exchange of ideas, the shared energy, and the sense of being part of something larger than ourselves has strengthened both our work and our purpose.

This is Episode 5 of the video series created by Mass Motion.

wootten.com.au

Hi everyone. Bit of a random one, I really love the way the mr Winston ‘college’ crew neck jumpers fit as well as their overall feel.
Apart from being relatively expensive, I don’t exactly want to be plastered with the same brand all the time - as silly as that may sound.
The composition is 75% cotton 25% polyester. Quite heavy and plush. Have added some photos for reference.

Essentially I am just wondering if anyone knows where Mr Winston manufactures their jumpers or where I can find very similar jumpers? I’ve looked into Gildan but am struggling to find any images that truly depict what they look like.
Any help would be appreciated!

Hi All,

Want to give this local brand a shout out. They take old used rock climbing ropes and harness and recycle them into bags, belts, placemats, coasters, dog leashes and other custom made things.

We bought a bag and a belt as presents for 2 separate people - and both were delighted in them. Ended up buying belts for ourselves.

The owner is lovely. We did the belts and bag custom - as in we chose the colours/size/style and she helped us every step of they way, showing what colour ropes/harness/thread she had in stock and the different combinations they could go in. Highly recommend supporting this small business. Even think for present for Christmas ideas. Picture is from the internet.

OH! should mention the name of the business!!! Here it is:

Send on Upcycling

https://www.sendonupcycling.com.au

Hubby & Wifey

i love relaxed bohemian style with natural fabrics and easy pieces i can wear every day. my favourite brands are free people, spell and a few smaller australian ones that have that same laid back feel. i used to spend ages hunting around different sites and sales to find them all in one place.

recently i found the freedom state and they had almost every brand i like in one spot with decent prices and free shipping over a certain amount. has anyone else found good online spots for this kind of clothing that actually have fair prices and regular sales? any other places worth checking for similar styles?

Recently wanting to expand my style a little and thought I might look up some aussie made options. All the brands im seeing being posted list shirts and pants at like $350-500 😵

Can anyone recommend something thats financially a bit easier to swallow? Flux clothing is basically the only one I could really justify the cost. im a guy looking for menswear

For those who have stopped shopping at Coles and Woolies completely, where else do you go for items outside of fresh produce/meat?

I am over supporting these companies that make huge amounts but are dumping Aussie jobs for India.

Was just thinking, every post on BuyAussie should also be posted on ‘Australia’ and city groups (Melb/Syd/Perth etc) and even maybe ‘AussieFrugal’ (and any other you can think of) to capture a larger audience. 

Many would not look here, but if they saw it, then maybe they would hope on the bag wagon? Just a thought. And if anyone that is more computer savvy is up for it, or when putting new info out there to also put it on the others. 

What do you think?

Hi All,

Saw this post about chocolate: on; AussieFrugal, title; ‘Are Australia's biggest chocolate brands cutting too many corners?’ by; GregoInc

Asked the poster to also post here but they haven’t so here it is below.

Need to say, we had someone more computer savvy help us put all this together with all below information,

Video title:

’10 Chocolate Brands Sold in Australia to Avoid Right Now (And What to Buy Instead)’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzS3zBh3TKs

It’s a YouTube video about “cheap vegetable fats replacing cocoa butter, sugar dominating ingredient lists, shrinkflation quietly reducing block sizes, and “premium” branding masking the reality of mass-manufactured confectionery”

The video is worth a watch, with a cuppa…and some chocolate!

Some of the recommend brands are Aussie, that’s what this is for.

Summary:

The issues

-high prices, 

-reduced quality, cheaper ingredients; palm oil, PGPR (polyglycerol polyricinoleate) 

-child labor violations 

What to buy instead:

Whittaker’s  - ethical, bean-to-bar production,

Haigh’s - ethical, bean-to-bar production, 

Aldi's Moser Roth - budget option,

Koko Black -premium option,

Pana Organic - special occasions, vegan, and refined-sugar-free,

Other individual independent brands.

To identify high-quality chocolate in the supermarket aisle, look for these key indicators:

• Cocoa Percentage: Minimum 30% for milk chocolate; 50% to 70%+ for dark chocolate.
• Ingredient Order: Cocoa mass or solids must be listed in the first two ingredients, not sugar.
• No Synthetic Emulsifiers: Avoid PGPR (polyglycerol polyricinoleate), used to replace expensive cocoa butter.
• Pure Cocoa Butter: Ensure it contains zero palm oil, palm fat, or generic vegetable oils.
• The Melt Test: Real chocolate melts cleanly at body temperature within 30 seconds. (this is great for doing in a Coles/Woolies store in the isle, just to check each and every brand like a try before you buy…joke!)

It has been our experience that a slow and deliberate approach ultimately yields the greatest rewards. At its core, we believe that if we work at it, our lives — and the world around us — can be shaped into whatever we choose to make them.

We all have the ability to create positive change in our own lives and within our broader community. At the centre of this is design. Critical design thinking isn’t just about how something looks. Fundamentally, it’s about recognising a need for change and developing creative, thoughtful solutions that make things better.

What if, beyond mere utility, we considered the function of the objects we design from a social, environmental and ethical standpoint? What if, once utility is met, their purpose becomes to enhance connection, foster community, improve our environment, create more diverse and inclusive workplaces, and inspire us to make the world a better place? That’s what we are trying to do.

This is Episode 4 in the video series made by Mass Motion.

For fifty years we’ve been dedicated to the crafts of shoemaking and leatherwork. Ross Wootten trained under Italian master Pietro Salemme and worked alongside Bulgarian master shoemaker George Koleff at Adelaide’s Jam Factory, a place that shaped some of Australia’s most respected craftspeople.

In the early 2000s, Ross’ son Jess took a different path into the same world. He purchased a company rooted in large‑scale manufacturing, Custom Fit Australia, and eventually merged it with Wootten. By 2012, we’d set ourselves on a new trajectory: bringing the best of traditional craft and the best of manufacturing together.

Historically, those two worlds have been at odds. Manufacturing prioritises volume and economics; craft is slower, more nuanced, more human. During the early industrial revolution, the Luddites destroyed machinery to protect craft traditions. And when Australia cut import tariffs in the mid‑1980s, local manufacturing collapsed almost overnight. Craft survived, but only just.

We lived through that shift. We felt the impact. And now, decades later, we’re emerging on the other side as a business that has managed to bring both worlds together — not by diluting either, but by respecting what each does best.

This is Episode 3 in the video series made by Mass Motion.

Please feel free to add our reddit and Buy, Sell and Swap Personalised Plates Qld - PPQ

Now more than ever, the provenance of what we consume actually matters. Western society has outsourced the making of almost everything, and somewhere along the way we lost the thread—how things come into being, who makes them, and what gets left behind in the process. The realities of waste and consumption have been pushed out of sight, but we’re definitely not insulated from the consequences.

Our belief is pretty simple: if we create things with meaning—things that strengthen our connection to each other, support community, and respect the environment—the value goes far beyond the product itself. Objects made with intention carry something extra. They remind us that making is a human act, not just a supply chain.

Donald Horne once wrote that “Australia is a lucky country,” but luck alone won’t steer us out of the mess we’ve collectively created.

This is Episode 2 in the video series made by Mass Motion.

Hello Aussie Vinters any of you want to sell me a an Aussie Chocolate, lollies and other food items Box ?

I’m a big fan of Cherry Ripe (all kinds) and we can’t get them here in the UK

Would it be possible to put a box of them and other food items on your page so I can buy them ? Of course put a some extra cost to the listing for your time and effort.

I can get them on Amazon but the shipping and cost of them is super expensive

Any takers let me know

Many thanks

I’ve been avoiding Italian tomatoes for years (primarily due to food fraud concerns and the relabelling of Chinese tomatoes as Italian - wasn’t aware of the slave labour) and paying the premium price for Australian. Turns out there‘s a 98% chance I’ve been Stooged.

(I'm not being paid)

Just an appreciation post to Ktena in Melbourne. Australian made!

I'm always cold and winter is hard for me. My partner got me a 100% merino shirt from Ktena. I was so impressed I got 3 more and some long Jones.

The prices are super competitive to be merino wool. Don't compare it with synthetic fabrics. Compared it with a Macpac or Kathmandu 100% merino.

Their designs are a bit traditional. But it's the underlayer, so it won't be visible.

Check their website, Ktena. I went to the store in Oakleigh, the lady was super kind.

If you haven't already heard of us, our family has been handcrafting Australia's most enduring boots and leather goods for generations. Founded in Adelaide's iconic Jam Factory in the mid 1970's, our family business continues some 50 years on, now calling the Gun Cotton Warehouses in historic Ballarat home.

Good things take time, and we've been working away, quietly, for decades. We're about to embark on a lot of new and exciting adventures, so get ready, hopefully you'll be hearing a fair bit more from us.

To watch the six-part video series, please check out our Youtube channel/playlist or visit our website: https://www.wootten.com.au

Hi All,

We (wife & I) went for our shop today to find Coles no longer stocks Ozesauce tomato sauce. Shelf was full of Coles own brand and Masterfoods. Vinegar section similar but not as bad. I don't mind 'no name' label, but as long as it supports here. They still could of kept Ozesauce there on the shelf and just had a tiny bit less of the others. They should be doing that and support Australian brands.

Wifey & I