Twilight Markets at New Acton

It is not often I venture to the New Acton precinct on the weekend, as I work there during the week. What seems to be evolving in this architecturally designed, trendy urban locale is an eco savvy, fashion conscious and foodie vibe. New Acton is situated close to the Australian National University, the National Museum of Australia and the National Film and Sound Archive, making it a handy place to visit while seeing some of the capitals cultural and educational centres. The Nishi Building also hosts the Palace Cinema, which screens many international and art house  films. All in all, New Acton is a pretty groovy place to hang out.

This weekend two markets were on at New Acton – Forage and Hustle and Scout.

The Forage was held  through the paths and grassy areas of the John Avery Gardens and Kendall Lane. (behind A-Baker and The Parlour Wine Room). Their website states that the goal of the forage is “to create a unique, fun, and community vibe where everyone feels welcome. Aesthetics that reflect a raw and earthy feel with a rustic edge will differentiate the forage from any other food market or event in Canberra.”  This was the first event for the forage and plans will see them popping up at different locations around Canberra.

There were a few stalls with organic baked goods, mainly sweets, some selections of wines and a large group of people were queued for pork belly rolls. We didn’t try any of the fare at forage as our main objective was to check out the fashion and jewellery at Hustle and Scout. Perhaps at the next forage we will focus on the gastronomic goodies.

Hustle and Scout was fun and fabulous with lots of designers, sustainable and eco-fashion, recycled and up-cycled fashion and a broad selection of jewellery. There was also models mingling in the crowd, which made the event seem very accessible. Ordinarily fashion is not really my domain (beyond shoes, handbags and jewellery) , but my love for recycled and up-cycled products is slowly revealing a eco-fashion diva. What was also really nice about this event, was that the fashion and accessories were not just for young people, there was a wealth of options for the not so young fashionistas.

Some of my favourites included:

• Honey Bee had some stunning jewellery made from etched stainless steel. the designs have been influenced from a range of cultures and retro styles. I particularly loved some of the earrings that incorporated Arabic patterns and design. Also the material is very light so wearing large, dangly earrings won’t weigh heavily on your ear lobes, a nice feature of these pieces.
• Pure Pod has emerged as one of Australia’s largest ethical fashion brands and is considered to be a pioneer in the ‘Eco & Sustainable’ fashion industry. Pure Pod’s ethos focuses on sustainability, ethics, caring for the environment and humanity. They pride themselves on using talented Australian crafts people and keeping local fashion industry thriving. Even better, their products are 100% ethically Australian Made. I fell in love with the “Wise Old Owl” design and will be talking to Kelli soon about ordering one of these fab frocks made from organic cotton blend.
• Middlemost had some wonderful quirky items – have a look at the image above. I bought the cutest handmade card with a picture and come cat earrings. They specialise in creating clothing, accessories and cards made using vintage and recycled fabrics, with each piece being a handmade original.
• The Darling Sisters specialise in gorgeous retro chic – they also have a shop called “Darling Central” in Gold Creek Village, near the George Harcourt Inn and the Cockington Green miniature village. At the markets, they had some lovely books on hair styling and makeup, I nearly bought the hair styling book and then remembered that I am completely lazy when it comes to hairdos.

This is just a small sample of the fabulousness at the Hustle and Scout market. I look forward to seeing what happens next with this wonderful event.