brad macglashen, owner of one of bird and knoll’s newest stockist, aptly named skarfe, is no stranger to the intrepid life. he manages to enviably combine his career and a love of travel – the outcome is his unique niche boutique specializing in scarves hand picked from all around the globe. join bird and knoll as we ask this intriguing character to share with us his six favourite things …
1. scarves – a little obvious perhaps! I started collecting scarves while travelling a few years ago as gifts and mementos of my travels. I think it’s amazing how the essence of a culture, place and time can be distilled in a scarf. when I returned to australia I decided that I was going to give working for myself a shot, but was tired of fashion retail. I now specialise in scarves as it’s something I’m passionate about, and it’s completely niche in what is otherwise a really oversaturated retail marketplace in australia. I’ve just celebrated skarfe’s first birthday, and while having your own business has its challenged, I absolutely love it.
2. travel – travel was initially something I pursued as a means to escape work and the 9-5 and now I’m lucky enough to combine work and pleasure when I head off on buying trips for skarfe. I’m especially enamoured with asia. my favourite trip to date was travelling with Mum the length of china through picturesque towns like fenghuang and pingyao. turkey and morocco are next on the buying agenda. I discover new textiles and scarves on every journey.
3. friends – my family are in new zealand and I live (blissfully) alone, so spending time eating out and hanging out with my close circle of friends is my life beyond skarfe. while I love food and wine, it always takes a second place to the conversation and company. we’re all a little co-dependant, but they’re the best sounding-boards and support!
4. art and imagery – I am certainly no expert, and a self-confessed art history drop-out! but I’m a visual person and I love the way scarves combine art and fashion, historically, and in the contemporary context of digital printing. skarfe has an new project on the go collaborating with an exciting australian artist on our first in-house scarf range, hopefully it will be the first of many!
5. cinema. I am a bit of a cinema freak, and usually watch about 5 films a week. I find asian cinema very beautiful, and love the work of wong kar wai, ang lee and tran anh hung. however my taste is pretty diverse, I like horror and provocative film as well … lars von trier is also a favourite.
6. red wine – ‘nuff said, it’s almost 6!
to view more of what is on offer at skarfe visit www.skarfe.com
