Caryn began her career as a graphic designer and, along side her work on a range of prestigious graphic and web design projects, was a founding member of the Australian INfront online design collective. She eventually tired of madcap inner city Sydney and returned to the serenity of her home town Byron Bay. There, Gillespie revived her longstanding interest in fashion and transfered her graphic talent to clothing.

In 2002 Caryn enrolled in a Diploma of Textiles, Clothing and Footwear at the North Coast Institute of TAFE. She took out four awards in her graduating year, including The Fashion Students Vocations Club Award for best results in the state, The Fashion Student of the Year, The Arts & Media Faculty Award and the overall Student of the Year.

Her “Love Your Lawn” design featuring a cheeky kangaroo also won The Best Australian Memento in 2005, an award recognizing commercially viable craft, art and design for the tourist market. Although the tourist market is a clear niche for the design, its boldness and humour make it appealing to a broad section of the marketplace.

“My designs are always in some way an exploration of Australian culture, femininity and nature,” she says.

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