A new week means a new excuse to treat yo’self and there’s no better way to do that than with some sweet local brands. From threads to swimwear and accessories, we’ve rounded up a collection of Gold Coast goodies that we know will knock your socks off.

Happy shopping.

Olas Supply Co. 
Established in 2016, Olas Supply Co is the product of two people with a shared loved for travel and adventure, wanted to branch away from their regular Monday to Friday jobs and try something different. Inspired by the founders adventures and grown from the soul of traditional villages along the coast of Central and South America, Olas Supply Co. offer a unique style Gold Coasters love.

Violet Gray
Violet Gray is the love child of Australian Designer, Alexandra Olsen. Her pieces are simple, delicate and created from high grade metals (soon to be 100% recycled and fair trade) and genuine gemstones. The concept for each piece is deeply rooted in spirituality, connection, romanticism and symbolism, making them sacred and powerful to wear. Alex and Violet Gray started their journey at The Village Markets five years ago and since then has grown to be loved worldwide.

Lokoa
What started as a daydream in 2009 quickly turned into an independent Australian lifestyle brand that has since been featured in the pages of Instyle and OK! Magazines. The Gold Coast based bohemian fashion label specialises in exotic handmade leather bags, wallets and clothing inspired by local designer Brie Shinn’s love of travel and exploration. The colourful and unique pieces resemble every creative women’s wanderlust, bringing a sense of mystery and adventure into the lives of wearers.

Shuturp
Created by Ellie Hopley, Shuturp is a quirky fashion label that has quickly become much-loved the world over. With hand drawn art adorning t-shirts, caps and clothes for the kiddies, the brand is easily recognised and very colourful. Many of the pieces also have uplifting slash hilarious slogans on them too. Everything is part of a limited drop so get in quick.

The Lobster Shanty
Now something for the fashion-savvy men amongst us, introducing The Lobster Shanty. Jarro Dartnell is the brains behind the Australian beach-oriented fashion label and clothing store. Inspired by his Granddad Jims’ love of the sea, Jarro created his own boutique range of signature tee shirts and snapbacks while the store offers a wide array of seasonal essentials for the like-minded adventurers with brands such as Brixton, Obey and Santa Cruz.

Grace Loves Lace
For women of style, substance and originality, Grace Loves Lace specialise in unique, free-spirited and timelessly sophisticated luxe wedding dresses handmade from only the finest French and European lace and silks. When it’s time to slide on that ring and pop the champagne, you can’t be in any ordinary dress, you NEED Grace Loves Lace! Only the best on your big day, Sweetheart!

The Undercurrent
Tourism on the Gold Coast has reached a whole new level with the recent launch of The Undercurrent, a fashion label dedicated to showcasing the city through the eyes of locals. The brand made its debut with a collection representing five suburbs (Burleigh, Mermaid, Surfers, Currumbin and Coolangatta), each of which is printed with a local artists’ work depicting iconic landmarks and incorporating the things they love about their area.

Myra Swim
The Gold Coast is known as the bikini capital of Australia and for good reason with labels like Myra Swim producing the goods. Bianca Elouise launched Myra Swim in 2014 and since then she hasn’t looked back. Inspired by the sun, surf and the sea, Bianca wanted to create a swimwear line for curvier women and as such, has developed an international following including the likes of the one and only Kim Kardashian.

The Weft
The Weft is a recent addition to the Gold Coast design scene and it’s a goodie. Created by Caitlin Verall, The Weft is all about subtle, beautifully crafted pieces that transcend the seasons in natural colour palettes and fabrics. The latest range Outliers offers everything from the classic Smith ‘90s Dress to the statement Ithica Wrap Dress. It’s a beautiful range of timeless, laid-back silhouettes, with matching separates emerging for the first time.

peony swimwear
Born out of a life long love affair with the ocean, boutique Australian swimwear label peony fuses bohemian nostalgia with refined femininity to create swimwear made for chasing the sun. First making an appearance at The Village Markets and now an internationally-renowned brand, peony epitomises summer’s simple joys – diving into the ocean, the smell of coconut oil, the feeling of sand under bare feet and the first bloom of peony flowers, which signal the beginning of summer.

Get shopping.

Words by Louisa Ingelheim

A born and bred Gold Coaster, Casey Lyons, along with his mate Sam Webb, founded locally based not-for-profit company LIVIN after losing their best friend to suicide. Together the pair have changed the way many Australians understand mental health.

We spoke with Casey on the importance of raising mental health awareness how we locals can look after each other and help LIVIN create change. 

How long have lived on the Gold Coast?
29 years, I grew up in Mudgeeraba and Burleigh so I’m pretty lucky.

What’s your favourite thing about calling the Coast home?
Probably the laidback vibe. We’re lucky to be blessed with beautiful beaches but we’ve also got an amazing hinterland not too far either, it’s the best of both worlds. I start every day with a morning walk along the creek and up to the beach, that’s another thing I love, being able to start my day off on such a positive note. 

Tell me how LIVIN came about?
LIVIN started in 2013 in the most tragic of circumstances when my best friend Dwayne Lally took his life. Dwayne lived with depression and bipolar for a number of years and the stigma kept him quiet. He was a tough, loving and very outgoing character but there was a battle that lived inside him that he didn’t know how to articulate. After losing him we were confronted by the shocking statistics that surround mental health and suicide in this country and we wanted to turn that negative into a positive. We didn’t want his death to be in vain.

What does it take to put together a not-for-profit?
We didn’t really know what to do but we were lucky that we had a lot of good people around us who helped us to get to where we are now. We had Minter Ellison Law Firm at Varsity Lakes reach out to us for a community fund raiser and then offer to do pro bono work for us and they helped set us up as a not-for-profit charity. Without them, this journey would have been very hard, expensive and confusing but they made it a hell of a lot easier.  

Did you expect it to have such an impact? 
When anyone starts anything, I suppose they always have dreams of wanting it to be as big as possible but we never imagined it would get this big this quickly. The fact that it grew so much kind of represents the problem we’re facing in society. One in five people suffer from some form of mental illness and suicide is the leading cause of death between the ages of 15 and 44 so chances are someone you know has been affected by this tragedy.

What are LIVIN’s main ways of raising awareness?
We’ve got our merchandise, which started out as a by-product and a way for us to create an identity. It was also a way to raise money without asking people to donate and give nothing in return. The merchandise started as a fundraiser but so many beautiful things have happened off the back of that. There’s a group of people who understand each other, if someone sees a person wearing a LIVIN shirt, they get that head nod or a wave, it’s just a great conversation starter. We do a lot of community based events from 24-hour runs to bands playing gigs for us, local fundraisers, you name it, we’ve probably done it. Our most important aspect is our education program. It goes to schools, businesses, sporting clubs, anywhere in the wider community, and teaches about warning signs and symptoms, where to go for help, that sort of thing. It also teaches evidence-based research and educating people so they know how to help themselves and others.

Why is it so important for people to speak about mental health?
The more comfortable we can be with having these conversations, the more chance there is that people will open up to each other and get professional help. It’s imperative we all start talking so we can create a culture of understanding and change the way people see mental health.

Father’s Day is this weekend, while it’s a celebration for many families, it can also be a difficult time, what advice do you have for anyone who might be struggling?
Definitely. Take the time out to do something that will make you happy, or at least feel a little bit better. By that I mean give yourself permission to be selfish. On the flip side, if you know someone is struggling, please reach out to them, ask how they’re doing and listen to what they have to say. Listening is vital. If you are suffering please remember you’re not alone, reach out and ask for help, there is someone out there who will listen.

How can we help with LIVIN’s mission?
Jump on our website, all our information is on there. There’s plenty about where to get help, warning signs, etc. There’s a volunteer section and ways to get us out to your school or community group. 

What’s in the works in the future for you guys?
We’re always on a mission to make LIVIN the best it can possibly be. At the moment we’ve got a pilot program in a school in Townsville and hopefully once we get the information we need, we’ll look at taking that Australia-wide.

What’s the best piece of life advice you’ve ever received?
Treat other people how you’d like to be treated. 

Being a local, we have to ask your favourites…

Café: Burleigh Social Brew
Restaurant: Easy Street Diner, Julie’s Woodfired Kitchen on Tallebudgera Connection Road – the food is amazing and third, Tom Ugly’s – good pizza.
Beach: Burleigh
Weekend hang: Tallebudgera Creek

Okay friends, we need to talk.

There are very few sleeps until Christmas day and yes, our hearts started pounding too. Firstly because it’s legit our favourite time of the year and secondly coz crap, we need to get our rears into gear and sort presents stat.

If you’re like us and running way behind in this department (every.darn.year), here’s a roundup of inspo to help you get a wriggle on.

Being the proud Gold Coasters that we are, each of our suggestions is based in our ‘hood, coz #supportlocal will forever be our favourite hashtag (and we do love a good hashtag, in case you hadn’t noticed).

Here we go….

Spirits and Beer
Get in the spirit this Christmas – quite literally! Who doesn’t love a tipple so a pressie from one of these local booze-bosses, you’ll be the golden child/friend/niece/nephew/co-worker…you get the gist.

If you’re searching for a gin on the northern GC, look no further than Biggera Waters’ White Oat Distillery.  These gents sure know how to hand craft a cracking drop, like their London Dry Gin.

Turning to the central power players, Granddad Jack’s in Miami will sort you out with an extra special Christmas spirit in the form of Pavlova Gin and this is exactly how we like our dessert. Or hit up another newbie which has also been attracting attention for all the right reasons, Burleigh’s Familiar Spirits. We highly recommend their limited-edition Pudding Gin (you’re welcome).

For the beer enthusiasts, you just can’t beat Burleigh Brewing Co. (the Burleigh Twisted Palm Tropical Pale Ale is the shiz) or Lost Palms. Black Hops (and Black Hops II in Biggera Waters) never disappoint, nor does their Foreverland Grapefruit XPA. If an authentic Belgian brew or two is on someone’s wish list, it’s all about Ashmore’s Madlocke Beer Brewing Company.

Clothing
Like booze, we all love threads so when in doubt, look to these local legends!

PJ’s are a go-to for a well-received Chrissie gift and Homebodii specialises in thoughtfully created, elegant sleepwear which, bonus, can be personalised.

Shop the comfiest and coolest loungewear for women and kiddos at Momi Babie (where everything is $20 or less right now), or head for Rhythm in Burleigh for the coastal surfy vibing missus or mister.

The lads at Alfred’s Apartment are providing our local men with an ever-growing range of curated fashion and accessories. And, on a totally unrelated note, you NEED to drop in and check out their coffee slushies stat. #thankuslater.

Good Intentions Co. are making a positive impact, one tee at a time, pledging 10% of their sales to incredible charities like Beyond Blue, FoodBank, and RizeUp.

For the ultimate #supportlocal nod, you cannot go past The Undercurrent. Stocking men’s and women’s unique, high quality tees, singlets and caps designed exclusively by Gold Coast artists who share a passion for our city’s culture, it’s the perfect stocking filler.

Homewares
We all love homewares (verified fact) and Kira and Kira in Miami stock the highest quality, timeless homewares, décor, artwork, and furniture. For beautiful wall art, wallpaper and planners, Mint Art Co have endless gorgeous options. For one-of-a-kind fine art pieces, prints and super cute repositionable decals we recommend The Confetti Collective.

For linen lovers (AKA e.v.e.r.y.o.n.e), I Love Linen has a long list of goodies for the bedroom, the kitchen, and beyond.

For the greenery enthusiast, pop into Greenfolk Botany Shop in Burleigh for plants, cacti, succulents, pots, home and garden wares.

Now these guys aren’t strictly Gold Coaster’s (hailing from just over the border) but we reckon Clubbies Prints Gold Coast surf series are so spesh they need to be included #soznotsoz.

Other Gifts
Simple Sunday Designs is your go-to for linen beach bags and yes, this.is.a.thing! Every Gold Coaster appreciates a lush, premium quality beach or bath towel, just like those at Mayde Towels and no-one does environmentally-friendly natural skincare like Sabbia Co.

Uggs are the quintessential Aussie must-have and the genuine, original version are crafted right here on the GC at Ugg Australian Made. Our tip: personalise your Ugg for a truly unforgettable gift! Small-batch, ethically crafted gold and silver jewellery from Merchants of the Sun is a great stocking filler, as is luxury hand-made artisan chocolate from Little Cocoa.

If you still haven’t found what you’re looking for, settle petal because The Village Markets pop-up events always deliver amazing, well, everything. Lifestlye boutique Halo & Grace, in Mermaid Beach, is chock full of a beautifully curated mix of goodies.

And, last but not least, if you’ve yet to discover The Kindred Trader in Burleigh, now is your perfect opportunity. Housing an abundance of Australian and international brands their goodies aim to bring light, colour and joy to your home and life. Be warned, you may *accidentally* leave with a few goodies for yourself as well as your loved one!

HAPPY SHOPPING!

Words by Bianca Trathen.