Lucello

Cutie Doll - doesn't she bring back memories!

A little over a year ago now as I was gearing up to make the big tree change to Ballarat and set up the Crafty Squirrel – I finally got around to popping in to lucello located in the Nicholas building in the city. I had been hearing snippets of goss here and there about this amazing shop filled with vintage haberdashery and gorgeous ribbons, trims and buttons.

Cutie Doll kit by lucello

I’ll never forget the moment I opened that door! I was enchanted! This was my kind of place! Heaven on earth you may say…….unfortunately I only had about 10 minutes to soak up the joy before I had to race off. In this time I was fortunate enough to meet Kim – the lovely owner and eye behind lucello and I knew the deal was done. I had to have some of her gorgeous creations in my little shop – and many of you who have visited me have been delighted by the Cutie doll kits, vintage haberdashery and ephemera kits and gorgeous button cards, gift tags kits and liberty lavender bags. Here Kim tells a little of her story…                           

What inspired and motivated you to start your business?

I started my business because I have a passion for collecting and I love vintage packaging and colours. I love sourcing all the components of our kits and we have fun assembling them, there are rarely two the same. We also produce a range of scented products which incorporates my other favourite things, textiles and fragrance.

How have you developed and defined your signature aesthetic?

Vintage sewing collection by lucello

Ephemera kit by lucello

I am not sure exactly what my aesthetic is, it is certainly eclectic. I haven't been very rigorous in a developing a particular aesthetic for our brand, I usually just keep trying combinations until I happy with the result. Although now I am in the process of having a designer develop a logo and packaging I have had to consider this question more carefully. I am usually drawn to particular colours and I like our products to have a fun and cheerful look.

Where do you gather your inspiration?

I get my inspiration from the materials themselves, I watch old films, magazines, nature provides great inspiration for colour. I love travelling and always spend lots of time in museums, art galleries and flea markets. I also get lots of inspiration from my customers and the things that they create with our products, it motivates me to find more great ephemera and craft supplies.
 

What does the future hold in store?

l'uccello has grown very quickly in the last 18 months and we are finally getting some beautiful branding designed for us. We are in the process of building an on line store which will carry many of the products currently only available at our store in Melbourne, especially our millinery and paper craft supplies. Our store has just started to open 6 days a week instead of 4 and we are busy working on Christmas orders, as well as developing a number of new products. We are very excited about the next year ahead as many of the products that have been in development will start to appear, and that is always very satisfying.  

Thanks for sharing Kim! You can find lots of lucello goodies and more at the Crafty Squirrel!