It's hard to stand out at zine fairs. As hippies, indies and students flock to these culturally enriching events – purses full of loose change, stomachs full of Chai Lattes and excitement bursting at the seams – it's not easy for a zine creator to fight off competition and claim the limelight for themselves. Unless, of course, they've got something special going for them, which AmandaPandaJapanese clearly does.
Her zines are not only charming, but she compliments her creative zine collection with dainty brooches that are beyond adorable and incredibly clever. Her badges and brooches are simple, think: sunny-side-up egg, teapots, geese and half eaten pieces of fruit. And it's a collection that's ever expanding as she adapts to her client's needs by sewing brooches and bags laiden with pop cultural references.
“A lot of [the inspiration I get] comes from popular culture, like the Gir, Salad Fingers and
The Mighty Boosh. But I also like the idea of making tea inspired work like the cupcakes
and teapots! Some of the inspiration for the bags comes from scraps of material I find at
Reverse Garbage in Marrickville.
“Most of my badges are made whilst I work in a call centre,” she says.
“ A lot of the time there is not many calls coming in so I started taking the felt as a way of keeping busy instead of reading. Now I find it hard to sit down at home and make the badges, I'm more comfortable at work!”
AmandaPandaJapanese proves that simple is often the best – her range of brooches, bags and badges all carry her trademark style of soft fabrics and delightful prints with a youthful twist – like grandma on Lip Smackers.
