Being able to do the Christmas shopping out and about and in person this year is reason enough to promptly hit the pavement in glee.
After nearly two years of life as usual disrupted and disconnected, the release of energy you can feel across Melbourne as we all emerge from an 18-month standstill is invigorating.
Whilst we've lived through the world's longest lockdown, there's been a groundswell of local Melbourne female-founded businesses emerging, adapting and getting on with practising better business. They're brands fiercely passionate about not creating and selling more crap. Instead, they share new ideas, inspiration and truly useful products with their communities and customers.
There's joy to be found in doing something big by shopping small and supporting local this year. So we've created one epic gifting directory filled with our favourite female-founded Melbourne businesses that you can support this holiday season.
Their products are designed and mostly made here in Melbourne, with the help from all sorts of talented Melbournians. So if you've still got some gifts to buy, love a discount and want to avoid parcel delays, check out our friends and their fabulous businesses that do more than sell great things.
The Gift Guide
👋 Fluff
🙋♀️ Founded by: Eri Geraerts
📍 Collingwood, Melbourne
Fluff is a Casual Cosmetics Company whose products are all about keeping it simple: good for your skin, your thoughts, and the planet. Fluff believes that it’s ok to feel more with makeup, so long as you don’t feel less without it.
Feel-good factors of Fluff:
- Refillable skincare and makeup
- Vegan
- Cruelty and free
- Made in Victoria
- 1% for the Planet
Eri’s Christmas gift pick:
Fluff: Lip Oil. It’s a deeply nourishing, natural lip oil with subtle shine available in Clear or Tint.
Shop Fluff’s Lip Oil here.
Added perk: Use code FLUFFDIRT for 15% off your order.
👋 BITS
🙋♀️ Founded by: Sophie Hopkins and Bianca Robortaccio
📍 Fitzroy, Melbourne
BITS is the new home of intimates with an inclusive line up (sizes 6-34) of bras, undies, period, pleasure and other bits, for your bits.
Feel-good factors of BITS:
- Inclusivity across their intimates range.
- 100+ products in their Sustainable Edit including certified organic cotton, plant-dyed fabric and natural fibre lingerie options.
- Free shipping with no minimum spend.
Sophie’s Christmas gift pick:
A Happy Bits Gift Card Pack, including a BITS Gift Card (to the value of your choice) along with a free Ultra Violette Mini SPF 50+ and free shipping to their door (or yours).
Shop BITS gift card pack here.
Added perk: Exclusive to The Dirt Company community, we're offering 15% off The Sustainable Edit with coupon code ECOGIFTS15.
Offer valid until 12th December. Not to be used in conjunction with any other offer. The Sustainable Edit includes the following brands: Lela Lingerie, Jonny Condoms, NICO, The Unseen, Vee Underwear, Scarlet and Eco Intimates.
👋 The Goodways
🙋♀️ Founded by: Tanzy Owen
📍 North Melbourne, Melbourne
Between launching a sustainability consultancy, The Goodways, and in the depths of lockdown last year, founder Tanzy decided to learn to paint to make her grandfather a calendar of birds she saw in the Yarra Bend Park, which was within her 5km radius. It was such a hit that she ended up making 50 copies, and built a small but loyal following that inspired a 2022 iteration to come to fruition. So here it is, Birds I Saw, a hand-painted love letter to some of the birds that made 2021 that little bit easier.
Feel-good factors of Birds I Saw:
- 10% of profits donated to BirdLife Australia.
- Printed on 100% recycled paper.
- Posted in 100% recycled packaging.
Tanzy’s Christmas gift pick:
The perfect locally made sustainable gift idea, our 2022 calendar is hand-painted, designed and printed here in Melbourne on 100% recycled paper by a local sustainable printing company. This A3 wall calendar, 'Birds I Saw' is an ode to some of our beloved Australian birds like the Welcome Swallow who was named by sailors who knew that when they saw these birds from their ships, that land couldn't be too far away. 10% of profits will be donated to Birdlife Australia to support conservation efforts around the country.
Shop Birds I Saw here.
Added perk: Use code THEDIRTCO for 10% off all orders placed before December 16th.
👋 Lois Hazel
🙋♀️ Founded by: Lois McGruer-Fraser
📍 Brunswick, Melbourne
Lois Hazel is honest Womenswear made Ethically in Naarm, Australia. Focusing on timeless, versatile and elevated essentials for your everyday wardrobe.
Feel-good factors of Lois Hazel:
- Ethically made in Naarm, Australia
- Transparent supply chain
- Sustainable fabrics
- Available in size 6 - 16
Lois’ Christmas gift pick:
Our new Dinner Dress is a great gift, it's versatile, easy to wear and suits a range of different body shapes. A staple for many years to come, and is available in black and our new Paradise Print that was designed by the incredible Eliza O'Sullivan
Shop Lois Hazel’s Dinner Dress here.
Added perk: Exclusive to The Dirt Company community, get 15% off store wide with code DIRT15.
👋 Lott Studio
🙋♀️ Founded by: Kari Layton
📍 Abbotsford, Melbourne
Lott Studio is a jewellery design studio based out of Abbotsford, Melbourne who create handmade pieces in solid gold and sterling silver. Lott Studio's fluid forms are effortlessly understated pieces designed to be collected for the everyday wearer of sculptural forms. Their closed cycle production process uses recycled materials and also repurposes customers' own gold and stones into their studio classics.
Feel-good factors of Lott Studio:
- Lott Studio jewellery is made locally in Melbourne
- Every piece is made entirely from recycled materials using sustainable studio practices
- One of few jewellery studios in Australia that work with customer’s own heirloom gold and stones, creating a closed cycle production within their studio
Kari’s Christmas gift pick:
The /331 snake chain necklace is the perfect gift because it goes with just about any outfit and suits all genders. This piece can be customised to your favourite metal or combination of metals making it unique to the wearer's style.
Shop Lott Studio’s /331 Necklace here.
👋 Love Tea
🙋♀️ Founded by: Emma Watson
📍 South Geelong, Greater Melbourne
Love Tea skillfully crafts, blends and packs each of their products in Melbourne, Australia. They collaborate with growers and small scale cooperatives around the world to fairly source organic ingredients.
Love Tea thoughtfully design each of their unique products, to ensure optimum therapeutic benefit, exceptional flavour and minimal impact on the environment.
Feel-good factors of Love Tea:
- Certified organic and fair trade
- 1% for the Planet
- Handcrafted in Australia
- Naturopathically designed
Emma’s Christmas gift pick:
Our gift packs offer a beautiful gifting option. We have carefully selected four certified organic, loose leaf tea blends, offering a complete gift for any tea lover. These custom made gift packs are crafted from recycled card and can easily be recycled or composted as needed. A generous space on the back of the gift box has been allocated for you to add a note, for a more personal touch. Each gift is put together by hand, with a great deal of love and care by us. We also offer a range of loose leaf teas, biodegradable pyramid tea bags and a selection of ceramics.
Shop Love Tea gift pack’s here.
Added perk: 10% discount on all products using the code DirtCompany10.
👋 Sans Beast
🙋♀️ Founded by: Cathryn Wills
📍 Brunswick, Melbourne
Sans Beast make handbag + wallet collections with an aesthetic point of view, quality manufacturing, responsibly made non-leather fabrics + a passionate commitment to not exploit animals. Never professing perfection in the fraught fashion space, yet with each day, Sans Beast aims to convince you that animals should not suffer for our style choices.
Feel-good factors of Sans Beast:
- PETA approved vegan leather
- Ethically made
- Monthly supporters of Edgars Mission, Sea Shepherd and One Tree Planted
Cathryn’s Christmas gift pick:
The Overflow Tote - easy to wrap, accessibly priced, practical.
Shop Sans Beast’s Overflow Tote here.
Added perk: Welcome discount of 10% when you join the Sans Beast mailing list, or get 10% off when you combine a bag + strap, or a bag + wallet.
👋 Daily Blooms
🙋♀️ Founded by: Courtney Ray
📍 Kensington, Melbourne
Growing from a bud of a business in 2014 to now a blossoming team of flower enthusiasts, Daily Blooms are the original experts in letting every day bloom with fresh, premium-sourced and beautifully curated bouquets that change daily. Daily Blooms now delivers their signature blooms Australia-wide, as well as an array of thoughtfully-selected gifts and treats to brighten the daily.
Sourced locally from the most luxurious and exciting Australian brands, Daily Blooms gift bundles are thoughtfully curated to enchant and delight every day.
Feel-good factors of Daily Blooms:
- A different daily selection of blooms
- Premium-sourced blooms with a focus on Aussie blooms paired with a premium selection from Africa, South America and South East Asia
- Carbon offset partnership with Greenfleet
Courtney’s Christmas gift pick:
The Hey, Rudolph gift pack. Delivering delight with just what they need, it’s a unique, fun and thoughtful treat that’s full of joy and curated with love, including: A Maison Balza Pink Glass Platter, a box of fresh local cherries, as well as a signature daily blooms arrangement.
Shop the Hey, Rudolph gift pack here.
Added perk: 15% off all blooms and gift hampers with code SHOPSMALL15