Cat Carew fashioned scraps into outfits for her dolls early on. Creating new clothes whilst mending and adjusting clothes were the norm. Fashion magazines were an obsession. Vintage purchases and Grandmothers’ items were coveted. Studying fashion design at Brisbane and Sydney TAFE & then Italy, Cat honed her skills of style, pattern-making and garment construction.
She witnessed the impact fast fashion had on a London designer she worked for in 1996 & enjoyed the thrill of runway high fashion with Bella Freud. As a designer & account manager for KingGee she saw Australian manufacturing move offshore. Whilst running her own label Take Cover, she realized the world needed less stuff.
Guiding friends to look their best and de-cluttering her parent’s home of 48 years led Cat to seek a less cluttered life. Whilst her sustainable practices of mending, buying second hand and upcycling have always been a part of Cat’s life it was the Rana Plaza disaster in Bangladesh that prompted Cat to question “who made my clothes”. The Fashion Revolution team cemented her path.
So seeking a more ethical wardrobe in 2015, Cat began The Closet Minimalist blog and business to help women express themselves stylishly, sustainably without the clutter, offering mending & reselling excess to ensure clothes stayed in the circular economy.
Her blog posts vary from styling tips, wardrobe de-cluttering guidance, up-cycling ideas, ethical book reviews to ethical and sustainable brands that have a stylish edge about them.
Her newsletter is about ethical events & stores around the Brisbane area as well as providing topical tips for your seasonal wardrobe.
Her services are personalised and work on her philosophy that every woman innately knows their style, so genuinely believes every woman already has their ideal stylish wardrobe hanging in their closet…they just need help finding it and that’s where Cat does her best work.
If you would like an outsiders perspective on Cat her hairdresser of many years Bethany did a lovely profile on her back in 2014. Click here.
