Vanessa is the creative force behind Purple Leaf Collective, a local biz selling all wonders of gorgeous handmade goodies around the Illawarra.
As the brains and heart behind Purple Leaf Collective, Vanessa wears many hats [or head wraps]. From creating her super awesome and colourful Scrunchies and Wire Head Wraps that add a pop of fun to your day, she also curates a selection of unique gifts from local artisans.
Vanessa’s dedication to spreading joy shines through in every stitch and detail and we love visiting her pop-up shops and other locations around town for something bright that’s guaranteed to lift our mood.
Seriously, just look at these whimsical wonders.
Bright Beginnings
“I started back in January 2020 as a very small weekend market,” says Vanessa.
“I hand make my scrunchies and also took along handmade lanyards, keyrings and earrings as well. They were all really popular.”
“I was also working full time and when Covid hit I was made redundant. That year I set up a Mother’s Day market from my garage in Calderwood and it went well. One customer actually suggested I set up a pop-up shop in Figtree shopping centre, so I did. The response was amazing and from there the business has continued to grow.”
Just a stroll through one of Vanessa’s stalls or scroll through her website, can totally confirm why. Everything she sells is so full of joy and colour that it only makes sense locals would want to take something home for themselves.
Handmade Happiness
At Purple Leaf Collective you can not only purchase the darling handmade hair wraps and scrunchies made by Vanessa, but you can also pick up goodies that are Australian made & Australian hand made from other small businesses. Think Earrings, Lanyards, Keyrings, Bath Bombs, Candles, Bags and Pouches just to name a few.
“I have curated Purple Leaf Collective into a collective of 25 small businesses,” Vanessa tells us.
“I have hand-picked them all because I want to make sure we’re offering things that locals want and that I’m proud to sell.”
Isn’t there just something special about buying local, buying Aussie and buying handmade?
And it’s extra special at Purple Leaf Collective where every purchase is met with gratitude and warmth. For Vanessa, each sale represents more than just a transaction—it’s a chance to connect with fellow handmade enthusiasts and support local talent.
Cool Collections
Purple Leaf Collective often releases wonderful new products and collections.
We’re absolutely crushing on Vanessa’s Footy Fan collection right now! How awesome is it to rock your team spirit with a scrunchie or headwrap? Go Dragons!
The fabulous scrunchies are perfect for all hair types, whether you’ve got fine locks, thick strands, or a lot of hair to manage. With a variety of colours, fabrics, patterns, and sizes, there’s something for everyone!
The Halloween, Christmas and Easter collections are all seasonal must-haves and if you’re a fan of that cartoon blue heeler that’s taken the world by storm, then you’ll love the earrings collection too.
The lanyards make the perfect gifts [hello teachers and cruisers] and some of the bath bombs for sale are so gorge that we don’t know if we want to bathe in them or bite them.. ah!
There’s so much more to explore at Purple Leaf Collective and we reckon you’ve just gotta check it out for yourself.
Shop Around
Visit one of the four retail stores around town to get your hands on some beautiful bits and bobs from Purple Leaf Collective. Locations include:
The Collective Beat Gerringong
The Cool Room Emporium inside The Old Cheese Factory, Robertson
Or jump onto the website to find out where you can find a Purple Leaf Collective Pop-Up Indoor Market next.
And if you prefer shopping from the comfort of your couch, fear not! The Purple Leaf Collective offers online shopping, making it easy to snag your favourite finds with just a few clicks – score!
A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS ARTICLE
This article features friends and advertisers of The Fold Media.
We strongly believe in the businesses and information we share with you on The Fold and we fully endorse the content we create and share.
We’re excited to share the amazing stories and adventures of our local businesses, and it is our sincere hope is that it helps create more awareness for these local businesses, helps keep them top of mind when locals and visitors next need their products or service, and most of all, contributes to creating a strong and thriving local community and economy.
We are so grateful to the local businesses who choose to work with The Fold Media. Without their belief and support in what we do, we wouldn’t be able to keep doing what it is that we love to do. Which is to create and share information about people, places and businesses in our wonderful region. We want to help everyone #LoveLivingLocal and make the most of this wonderful place we are lucky enough to call home.
And to you, our readers? We want to say a big THANK YOU to you. Firstly for taking the time to read this article, but also for supporting local businesses in general, as well as our sponsors who help make The Fold Media possible.
Together, let’s continue to support our local business community, in turn supporting their team, and our wonderful community overall. So let’s all choose local, whenever we possibly can.