Australian designer Sammi Burley spent years working with large, Australian brands before starting her own slow-batch fashion label, Cmnty Grdn (Community Garden). Despite always wanting to venture out on her own, it wasn’t until Sammi was diagnosed with breast cancer that she decided to take the plunge.
“After enduring all the treatments and surgeries, I reflected deeply on my life and how I wanted to live it going forward knowing my future was uncertain, and how I wanted to contribute to the fashion industry,” she says. “I decided I could no longer wait until I was ‘ready’ for my own brand. I had to give it a go now.”
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Sammi immediately knew she wanted to keep things smaller scale than the companies she’d worked with previously. Sourcing only recycled, organic fibres and deadstock material for her designs, she was determined to find Australian manufacturers and keep her supply chain local. “I hit quite a few roadblocks with manufacturers and finding the right materials in sustainable options but I persisted, and the first collection launched at the end of 2022.”
You can now find a small, curated range of clothing and swimwear in pastel colourways and striped prints through Cmnty Grdn’s online store. Designed to evoke a sense of playfulness and curiosity, they’re pieces made to feel like you’re on an endless holiday.
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Fashion Journal: Tell us about you. What’s your fashion background and where are you based?
Sammi: I studied fashion design at MSIT in Mount Gravatt, where I honed my technical skills and cemented my love for design. After graduating, I worked in retail, including managing a store in Whistler, Canada, for four years. When I moved back to Australia, I joined a large surf brand as a product developer and eventually became a designer for the women’s division. Those years and experiences working for another brand laid a solid foundation for launching my own label.
How did Cmnty Grdn get started?
Starting my own label has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember. In 2021 while I was still working for the surf brand, I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. After enduring all the treatments and surgeries, I reflected deeply on my life and how I wanted to live it going forward knowing my future was uncertain, and how I wanted to contribute to the fashion industry. I decided I could no longer wait until I was ‘ready’ for my own brand. I had to give it a go now.
I knew I wanted it to be different from the large brands I had worked for in the past. I wanted creativity and human connection to shine through the brand, rather than it be purely a clothing churning machine. I designed my first collection around a beautiful artwork my friend had made, trying my best to find Australian manufacturers that would take small orders.
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I hit quite a few roadblocks with manufacturers and finding the right materials in sustainable options but I persisted, and the first collection launched at the end of 2022. Around the launch of the brand, I was scheduled for my chest reconstruction and remember replying to customers as soon as I was out of surgery in the recovery ward and then getting home and packing orders on my ironing board, with bandages and drains hanging out of my body. I was instantly obsessed with the brand and the community that had started to form… I felt alive again.
What is the significance of the label’s name? Tell us the story of how you first came up with it.
It symbolises a space where creativity and sustainability flourish together – a collective of people connecting, creating, learning and growing, much like a community garden.
During all my cancer treatments (and simultaneously my partner’s kidney transplant) we had such a great community around us. We were growing fruits and vegtables at the time in the back yard and neighbours would share with us what they had grown. This feeling of support and connection was everything I wanted to embody in the brand, so the name Cmnty Grdn just felt perfect.
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How has Cmnty Grdn evolved and what are you trying to achieve now?
In the beginning, I wanted to offer pieces that people could be proud to wear, knowing they were created ethically while being able to express themselves through what they were wearing. The state of fashion at the time seemed to swing only in one direction and as a consumer myself, I really wanted it to go both ways. This is still very much at the core of the brand.
Can you tell me a bit about how you source your materials?
It’s a mix of tireless online research and a bit of serendipity! I spend hours scouring the internet for high-quality and sustainable fabrics. I often look at deadstock suppliers in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne for unique pieces and I’m always on the hunt for organic natural fibres, recycled fabrics and anything innovative. I’ve found some Australian mills and some international mills that have sustainable offerings. It’s a bit of trial and error being mainly online but I’m slowly finding reputable companies that produce quality materials.
How would you describe your Cmnty Grdn to someone who’s never seen it before?
Clean, refined styles, mixed with a playful, curious energy. They’re pieces that make you feel like you’re on holiday.
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What are you most proud of in your work on your label?
I’m really proud that each design is made ethically and that they all came together with collaborative work with my friends and community… it feels extra special.
What do you wish you knew when you started?
I wish I knew to trust my initial gut instinct more.
Who do you think is most exciting in Australian fashion right now?
I love all the small labels popping up and challenging the big retailers with their creativity, passion, and point of difference. Brands by the people, for the people!
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What about the local fashion industry needs to change?
I think the industry needs to slow down and smell the roses.
Who are your dream collaborators?
I would love to partner with a made-in-Australia shoe brand. I love shoes!
Who is in your wardrobe right now?
A lot of Cmnty Grdn of course! Plus Deiji Studios, St Agni, some vintage pieces and some purchases from my recent trip to Japan and the USA.
How can we buy one of your pieces?
Online via my website!
Follow Cmnty Grdn here.
This article Australian designer Sammi Burley’s label is an ode to holiday dressing appeared first on Fashion Journal.
2025-03-18 08:15:00
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