Meet Jackie Jennings.
33 years old from Victoria’s stunning Mornington Peninsula.
Jackie is the owner of Australian lifestyle brand, ‘Ovae’ which draws inspiration from cultures around the world.
I got to play in some of Jackie’s stunning pieces and learned more about what has driven this sister to success…
Jackie, how did you get started in the fashion industry?
I worked for 10 years with an iconic Australian ‘Hippy’ company and was lucky enough to be the buyer for their apparel & accessories categories. This saw me taking countless trips to India, Nepal, Turkey and Indonesia each year. My love for these countries, their people, and their incredible talents as artisans grew deeper with each trip. I knew one day I would combine my love and passions of these cultures into a brand that would represent all of this as well as embody the modern, timeless gypset women of today.
Are there any particular hardships or obstacles you’ve had to overcome to get where you are now?
Absolutely! They pop up all the time, however these hardships and obstacles are there for a reason I believe. You learn and grow an incredible amount with each obstacle and it only makes me more determined to keep doing a better job. Mistakes are valuable lessons and keep popping up so we can learn from them and move forward with more knowledge.
In Jackie’s own words…
“I love using Indian Cotton in my scarf collections. Actually, the earliest cotton in the world was spun and woven in India. Roman emperors would wear delicate cotton from India that they would call “woven winds.” Mogul emperors called the fabrics “morning dew” and “cloth of running water”. I often think of the nostalgia in this when creating the Ovae scarf range”.
What I’m Wearing
Sweater- Marcs
Jeans- Articles of Society
Hat- Nordstrom
Check this Sister out:
EMU PLAINS MARKET- Meet The Maker : Ovae Posted 4th March 2015
Welcome to our freshest Meet The Maker profile! Jackie Jennings is the brain child behind super cool brand Ovae. At the EPM we pride ourselves on supporting local designers and entrepreneurs – they may not make all of their items with their own two hands but they work tirelessly with small villages overseas making their ideas and creations come to life, ethically and sustainability. Western culture is merged with world wide influences creating one of a kind pieces unique to the Australia craft landscape. We are very lucky to have such talented people at the EPM and be able to give you a little look into their world…….
Tell us about yourself and what you do at the EPM
I’m a creative dreamer, mama bear, travel enthusiast who is incredibly inspired by the world and the people and places that encumber it. I design and source accessories and lovely things for your abode, with the essence of countries afar always at the helm.
When did you know you first wanted to be a designer?
Well I had a nighty as a little girl that once read “LEO: I’m a roamer and I LOVE shopping” I guess my need for travel and scouring the globe for inspiring finds and creating things came from a young age. When I finished secondary school I remember asking my mum if a job existed in the world where I could travel and shop and source and collect and create?? Her answer was “of course darling! There is a job out there for everyone, no matter how obscure or out of reach it may seem”
What inspires you to be creative?
Travel. People. Music. Colour. Wine.
Describe your perfect day
Waking up somewhere exotic or remote…a far away land with my baby girl and my hubby Timmy. The perfect day would include, coffee, markets, authentic people, discovering something breathtaking, water, live music, wine, dancing and lots of laughter.
What is your best ever creative moment?
Only one? Hmm. I don’t know. For me it’s more that feeling I get deep in my tummy when I find something on a trip or get an idea to transform something into a beautiful creative piece. I love transforming something old, a piece of history into a modern functional piece that has relevance and presence in our modern day world. It’s that butterfly feeling deep in my gut that drives and inspires me everyday to create.
What’s the scariest movie you have ever seen?
I don’t really watch scary movies, but that’s only because my hubby can’t watch them! He’s going to hate me for sharing that!
What’s your favourite childhood book?
Oh dear. I don’t know! I think my most favourite stories were the ones that “came out of my fathers mouth” you know…the ones that were made up as he went along. It always involved me riding a horse and wearing a tutu so in my eyes this was the IDEAL story and a better story that any book could produce!
What’s the best advice anyone ever gave you?
I’m sure there has been lots of advice but you know I never seem to remember things like that! I just keep trusting my gut and believing that I’m on the right path & there are definite bumps and roadblocks along the way but you need to remember they are there for a reason. If they weren’t, we would never learn and we’d continue to tread life in a very uneventful way.
What’s your favourite tunes to get you in the creative mood?
No particular band or musician to get the creative juices flowing…just my iTunes on shuffle or Double J whilst I work. I LOVE music, but it’s more to keep me company whilst I create. I’m a very visual person so I find the best creative mood stimulator would be a ‘spectacular smack bang in my face visual’ to start the day! And of course a coffee.
Connect with Caravana…
Facebook: Ovae
Website : www.ovae.com.au
Email : hello@ovae.com.au
Jackie is also holding her very first solo photography exhibition at Yerring Station in the Yarra Valley. Its called Colour, Culture, Character and exhibits 81 images spanning 9 countries and 10 years! Open until the 29th March 2015.
Photography Exhibition
COLOUR | CULTURE | CHARACTER March 05 2015,
Jackie Jennings - Artist Statement
I have always had a passion for creation, whether it be fashion, photography, or lifestyle products. At a young age when I thought about my career and my future, all I knew was that I wanted to combine all my passions in life, and create a career doing what made me happiest at my core. I am extremely blessed that throughout my professional career, I have been able to do this. Even luckier, I have been able to include my other love, travel.
My work as a fashion and accessories buyer has led me to visit the most remarkable places, from India and Nepal to Turkey and the USA. Travel is an education – an education about the world, but also about myself. Exploring other cultures has also always been an inspiration for creation and expression, both personally and professionally.
Nowhere has this been more profound than my travels to India. India has been a big inspiration in my creation of products, but also in my photography. India can be a place of hardship and challenges, from the extreme heat to the poverty on the streets, but it is also a place of immense beauty, generosity and spirit. Women in colourful intricate saris stepping onto the dusty street, children playing joyously in a filthy river; you cannot go to India without it affecting how you see the world and how you create within the world.
I’ve always been fascinated with people. The way they look, the way they interact, the way they hold themselves. This everyday analysis and observation is especially interesting when a part of another culture, and this has undoubtedly influenced my photography style. In all the countries I’ve travelled, I’ve tried to remain anonymous, tried to hide behind my lens in the hope I can capture something, a slight moment of magic, ‘a moment in time’. Often these everyday moments are a slice of life, but while observing, you notice a sense of universality, they cross boundaries – a man on his way to work, children play fighting in the streets, a woman bathing in a river – they remind us, that whatever our country of birth, or the colour of our skin, we are all the same.
The images within the exhibition Colour| Culture | Character, have been captured over the past 10 years; the most recent were taken in February 2015. From independent travel to professional buying trips to living abroad, the images span 10 countries.
I am now based on the Mornington Peninsula and am busy promoting my lifestyle brand Ovae online and in stores. With my product, comes stories and a journey. I can’t help but feel each piece of what I create at Ovae is influenced heavily by the people I’ve met and the places I’ve been – some of which you will see in this exhibition.
I love being inspired by a photograph. Knowing that the moment captured in front of you, was once a moment that existed in time. When I look through these pictures, they conjure up feelings of nostalgia, inspiration and excitement.
It is my hope that upon viewing these photographs, they evoke something inside of you…
Jackie Jennings