With a mission to highlight sustainable, luxury brands — and encourage others to live by the ethos, ‘buy once, buy well’ — Emma Petterwood founded After Eight, a boutique that carefully and thoughtfully curates designers making strides in sustainable and ethical fashion.
“When I moved from Melbourne to Hobart in 2016 I was really surprised at the lack of beautiful fashion available here,” Petterwood explains of the venture. “Over the last five to seven years, Hobart has really established itself as the go-to destination for the best and next in food, art and culture, so there was a perfect After Eight-shaped style gap to fill. It’s also well known that sustainability and Tasmania go hand in hand, so basing After Eight’s flagship boutique here just made a lot of sense — especially given it was Tassie’s natural beauty that got me thinking about sustainable fashion in the first place.”
From locally-made fabrics to transparency on waste production or supply chain, Petterwood has spent years cultivating relationships with the likes of Michael Lo Sordo, Wynn Hamlyn and Beare Park, all of which are now offered at the Hobart-based boutique.
"I think the most rewarding aspect for me would have to be turning my passion around fashion and styling into a business and lifestyle."
By sticking to her core values, After Eight has become a go-to for luxury fashion lovers looking to make conscious choices. Here, Petterwood shares some of her favourite fashion, beauty and homeware finds.
Fashion Favourites
“I would say my day-to-day style is pretty classic. I live in tailored trousers, jeans, basic tops, knits and blazers. I play with pops colour or fun when dressing for an event — my most recent and favourite addition to my wardrobe is the crystal embellished tailored trousers by Michael Lo Sordo.”
Kowtow Classic Tee, Michael Lo Sordo Crystaline Boy Pant, Saye Modelo '95 Sneakers
This season, I'm really looking forward to wearing...
“The Shearling Coat from emerging designer Beare Park, which is dropping at After Eight later in the season.”
“I like to keep my looks pretty fresh so when customers come into the boutique, they can see how I style the different pieces available at After Eight. On weekends, my formula is a straight leg jean (I’m loving the Wynn Hamlyn Acid Wash Jeans), a tank (Esse Cropped Tank) and a boxy blazer (my current go-to is the Michael Lo Sordo Boy Blazer).”
Wynn Hamlyn Acid Wash Jeans, Michael Lo Sordo Boy Blazer, ESSE Cropped Tank
Beauty Bests
My most regularly repurchased beauty item...
“An eyebrow pencil from Hourglass. My brows haven’t fully recovered from the 90s.”
“I am very fortunate to have relatively easy skin. I use and love Rationale products, so my routine rotates around their face wash, serums, moisturiser and SPF50+.”
If I had to pick three makeup staples, they would be...
“Brow pencil — a must-have one at all times! A 50+ tinted moisturiser — I'm obsessed with Rationale Beautiful Skin Superfluid SPF50, it has a gorgeous base colour and glow. Also, mascara – a quick lick of mascara and I instantly feel fresh.”
- Hourglass Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil; 2. Rationale Beautiful Skin Superfluid SPF50 C2; 3. Lancome Hypnose Mascara
My signature scent is...
“Santal 33, Le Labo.”
Treasured Homewares
“I have a soft spot for Mud ceramics, so you will usually find a few Mud pieces on my table in a mishmash of colours, shapes and sizes.”
“I love the juxtaposition of contemporary and classic in my home. So, I think what makes me feel most ‘at home’ are the vintage objects and furniture I have collected. We have an insane pair of Soriana – Cassina Lounge chairs in original corduroy upholstery.”
“For the After Eight space, using as much locally made and sourced pieces was really important to me. I have pieces like a big Tassie oak table that the team work around. All the joinery was made locally. And, true to our sustainable values, there are a few vintage pieces dotted around from lamps to chairs and objects. One of my favourite pieces is the re-editions of Pierre Jeanneret Chandigarh chair in a luxe mustard velvet. Oh, and the beautiful Nathan Hawke artwork from Sophie Gannon Gallery hanging at the entrance.”
