Brisbane Curator Lani Pauli quizzed local Pinterest wunderkid and architect, John Ellway.

Where can you find John online? www.johnellway.com & @jellway

Works: James Russell Architect 

Why Architecture? 
The projects I worked on practicing as a graphic designer led me towards the built environment. My clients have mainly been architects and their photographers. I love detail and materials. This is what architecture is all about.

Where is your favourite Brisbane building and/or space? 
I would say it is the The Red Box space that looks out to the river in Donovan Hill’s State Library refurbishment. I have spent many days reading and working in this space. It’s the best free office in Brisbane.

What is your ultimate ‘goal’ for your architecture career? 
To create buildings that people find comfort in living within. To do that I not only want to design, but also build some of my work. Working with James, we design part of the week in the studio and the rest building on site testing our ideas.

Tell me about your skyrocketing popularity on Pinterest? 
That is a very strange one! Within about 3 weeks my follower numbers jumped from about 30 people I actually knew, to about 30,000. It seems to climbs daily by about 1,500 and is sitting at around 230,000 currently. I finally worked out that I am featured at signup in the ‘Architecture’ category, and with many users pretty interested in buildings and spaces I seem to be added quite a bit.

Why do you think you’re ‘huge’ on Pinterest? 
Maybe people like what I put up because it’s a bit different to the usual pillows, dresses and shoes 🙂
I am pretty fussy about how I categorise my stuff on there which comes about because I really just use it as a visual bookmarking system for my own reference, not really caring if anyone else looks at it.

Who is doing cool stuff in our industries? 

• Graphic design wise, The Hungry Workshop  and Nicole AP  are again practices who not only design but make their work.
• Architecture wise, the guys at Owen & Vokes and A-Ch are doing some really great work.
• Product wise, Little Building Co are making some lovely gifts and collectable items.
• Photography wise, Toby Scott and Christopher Frederick Jones are killing it.

What was your first job? 
My first job was working for the furniture bohemith IKEA during my early studies. Saturdays were hell. It was a great place to work travel wise, you could plug yourself into any city with an IKEA and get a job fairly easily. I spend a bit of time working for them in the UK after I finished studying.

What’s the biggest misconception about Brisbane?
That there is nothing going on. Most of the creative communities have at least one event going on each week. Immerse yourself in a couple of them and you are set. It may not be of the volume of London or Melbourne, but it’s growing. I occasionally jump on an architecture related radio show broadcast from Melbourne reporting on Queensland happenings. The other hosts down their are envious of what is beginning to happen in Brisbane. The describe it as the feeling Melbourne had 15 years ago.

What’s the biggest opportunity and challenge for architecture in Brisbane?
There are plenty of opportunities to infill and densify our suburbs. There are plenty of council rules that that stop it. There are plenty of ways to get a balance between density and character.

What are some local upcoming events you recommend? 
• PechaKucha Brisbane – pechakuchabrisbane.org
• Seven with Another – sevenwithanother.com
• The local version of the thechapolympiad.com to soon be announced by www.anneg.net
• Edible Streets Tours – www.facebook.com/ediblestreets

What’s next? 
Finish my study; refine my craft; and create simple comfortable architectural spaces for people to live in.

This fortnight Brisbane editor Lani interviews fashion designer Chiquita Searle about her label ‘Chi The Label‘. You can follow Chiquita on Twitter here.

Where does your passion for fashion design come from and what keeps it going?
There is a strong creative element to my personality which I feel is only ever fully expressed through creating and showcasing my own sense of style. I think each person has their own unique sense of self, and clothes, in my mind is a perfect way to express this. Establishing my own fashion label and sharing what I believe to be timeless and classical pieces with other women, was a natural progression in my own sense of self and expression.

Who do you think is doing cool stuff in your industry?
Black Milk Clothing. What they have done is phenomenal. They are a local business here in Brisbane and even though they are still a relatively new company being only two years old, they are selling 500 units a day. It’s all produced locally in Brisbane and sent to all corners of the world all via their Facebook page and website. It is marketing at its most brilliant.

What was your first job?
The ultimate first job – “Check-Out Chick” at Woolworths.

What’s the biggest misconception about the fashion industry?
That there is such a thing as an “overnight” success. Generally there are many hard years of work behind any fashion sensation. In my opinion, a combination of perseverance, knowing your target market and having an innovative concept is the way set yourself apart from others.

What’s the biggest opportunity and challenge in setting up your own label?
There are many opportunities which come with owning your own business. The ones that resonate with me is the ability to be my own boss, being in a position to help all women everywhere feel beautiful in the clothes they wear to work, partnering with other like-minded women in business and knowing I can overcome any challenge that comes along. The biggest challenge I see would be monitoring cash flow and converting interest into sales which is generally fairly standard for any start up business.

What are some local upcoming events you recommend?
Get Dressed for Success on 19^th June at Ice Works in Paddington! It is an event for real women and the Fashion Show will feature “real” women of all shapes and sizes as opposed to your traditional size 8 glamazon. We are partnering with charity Dress for Success which aids disadvantaged women re-enter the workforce. The women involved in this event are all women business owners who have come together to put on a fabulous event for any woman who enjoys some pampering, on trend fashion, champagne & mini cupcakes!

What’s next?
Chi designs for the “real” women and the average woman these days is size 14 – 16. Corporate Divas come in all shapes and sizes and the Chi Team feels that all women are beautiful regardless. We want to make all women everywhere feel beautiful in the clothes they wear to work so are expanding into bigger sizes and will be producing all designs from 8 – 16 . All designs are available for purchase on the Chi website.