In the early 2000s, young printmaking student Emily Wright started crafting screen-printed leather bags and purses in her spare time, selling them to friends and small stores around town. Inspired by the indie makers and designers setting up their own shops in Naarm/Melbourne at the time, Emily’s artisanal leathercrafting efforts marked the start of Nancybird.
Not just a nifty way to make some extra cash, Nancybird freed Emily from the strictures of trying to build a career in the art world. “Studying fine art had left me feeling pretty uninspired by the standard path of making it as an artist – grants, gallery submissions, art only for those who could afford it. I wanted my art out in the world, not held onto as ‘precious’!” she says.
Something clicked in this mix of frustration, fashion and art. Nancybird took on a life of its
