Designers Media Releases

Media Release
 16-June-2006


Karda Designs
Wrapped in Culture
Barbara Matters is the designer behind the innovative indigenous label Karda Designs.
This label produces wearable art that is irreplaceable, sumptuous designs on sheer, high quality silks which are then manufactured into silk scarves, wraps and sarongs.
Each piece is lovingly designed and hand painted by Barbara and is made for storytelling in traditional Australian Indigenous style.  Barbara designs her pieces to educate the wider community portraying the diversity of the Australian Aboriginal culture.
The designs help to explain the food resources of the Australian bush and the nomadic lifestyle of the original inhabitants.  Each piece tells its own story with no two pieces being the same.
Barbara gained her love of silk and silk dyeing after attending a three day workshop in Mandurah. She immediately began setting her home up to accommodate her new passion, filling her backyard with dyeing racks made by her husband.
Currently Barbara Matters is participating in the TCF Australia Business Skill Project run by the TCFWA Inc.
There are thousands of women living in isolated and regional areas of Australia with innovative ideas or with a business in the TCF or creative industries. The Textile Clothing and Footwear Resource Centre of WA (TCF WA) recognised the hardships involved for these women and decided to do something about it.
TCF Australia Uncovered Business Skills project was launched on the 7th of July 2004 and has scheduled a series of events that run from August 2004 to November 2005. These activities will be held from far North and South WA, Darwin, Alice Springs, Geelong and Hobart and also in Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney and Perth. These activities have been scheduled to coincide with such fashion events as Fashion Exposed, Mercedes Australian Fashion Week, the Australian Fashion Awards and Perth Fashion Festival.
Designedge - TCF Australia Uncovered launched in 2003 as a trade exhibition staged in Perth to provide a showcase of fashion design talent from independent designer operators.  In 2004, the TCF Australia Uncovered Business Skills project will concentrate on uncovering design talent in remote and regional Australia and provide business skills development in the form of online mentoring, specialist workshops, networking and business matching opportunities.  A focus of the project will be directed to indigenous, multicultural and young women.
TCF Australia Uncovered Business Skills project is an Australian Government Funded service under the Small Business Enterprise Culture Program and is supported by the TCFWA Inc., Belmont Business Enterprise Centre Inc. (BBEC) , M.D.F.I, WA Office of Multicultural Interests, C.T.I. NT,  N.T.F.A. and Business Professional Women WA
For more information on Karda Designs please contact:
Media Contact: Barbara Matters
Phone: 08 9531 1741 Mobile: 0400 230 539
For more information on designedge fashion incubator project contact:-
Carol Hanlon Ph: 08 9479 3777 Mobile: 0417 963 231