Byron Bay bohemian fashion collective wins Telstra Business of the Year Award

A Byron Bay bohemian fashion and lifestyle brand, Spell and the Gypsy Collective, was named the 2016 Telstra Australian Business of the Year.

The business also won the 2016 Telstra Australian Small Business Award at the national event which was held at the Hilton Hotel in Sydney.

Spell and the Gypsy Collective is known for its unique, vintage-inspired designs, and boasts a celebrity following including the likes of Brazilian supermodel, Alessandra Ambrosio and singer, Katy Perry.

Spell and The Gypsy Collective is an Australian fashion and lifestyle brand with a continually expanding international presence.

With a celebrity following that includes the likes of Alessandra Ambrosio and Katy Perry, the label is fast becoming recognised in global fashion circles for its grassroots approach to business and fashion. Spell and The Gypsy Collective have become known for their unique take on vintage-inspired style and incorporating original prints. Having come from a creative family, sisters Elizabeth Abegg and Isabella Pennefather created the brand as a creative outlet for their everyday lives.

The label currently ships to more than 130 countries, and in the six years since its inception, has expanded its categories to include accessories, homewares, children’s wear and bridal, all with the brand’s signature modern-bohemian aesthetic. The label continues to grow at an impressive rate, as more and more digital influencers take to social media to share their Spell wares with their communities. Spell and The Gypsy Collective itself has a social media following of more than 800,000, and cites this presence across multiple platforms as central to its international growth and success.

Spell and The Gypsy Collective employs 50 women across its Byron Bay based warehouse, office and flagship boutique.

“We’re demonstrating to the fashion industry how a female-centric small business can grow and flourish in regional Australia,” Elizabeth Abegg, Owner and Founder, Spell and The Gypsy Collective.

Telstra Business Awards Ambassador, Andy Ellis, praised this year’s winners of the Telstra Business Awards  for their sound financial performance, innovative thinking and their dynamic attitude which has the potential to disrupt their industries.

“I have been inspired and humbled by the high calibre of the 2016 Telstra Australian Business Awards winners,” said Ellis.

“These business leaders have all demonstrated a unique and compelling combination of heartfelt passion and impressive business acumen.”

“It was a tough job for our judges to measure these successful businesses against a range of indicators, including innovation, corporate social responsibility, financials and potential for growth.”

Ellis says that the 2016 Telstra Australian Business of the Year epitomises this excellence.

“Spell and the Gypsy Collective is a very exciting business. Not only are they showing significant innovation in the digital space, but they are turning the traditional business model of the fashion industry on its head,” he said.

Spell and the Gypsy Collective is the creation of sisters Elizabeth Abegg and Isabella Pennefather. Having come from a creative family, Ms Elizabeth Abegg says the sisters started the brand as an artistic outlet for their everyday lives.

“We’re demonstrating to the fashion industry how a female-centric small business can grow and flourish in regional Australia,” says Ms Abegg.

NSW business, Jewel Fine Foods, won the 2016 Telstra Australian Medium Business Award.

“Jewel Fine Foods shows impressive business sense coupled with admirable values. Not only does the business plan reflect a solid bottom line and steady growth, but the business leaders and staff also demonstrate a mutual respect for each other. They set a great example of how a successful business should operate,” said Ellis.

Now in their 24th year, the Telstra Business Awards showcase and celebrate the achievements and entrepreneurial spirit of Australia’s most brilliant small and medium businesses across five Award categories: New Business, Micro Business, Small Business, Medium Business and the new Charity Award which is designed to recognise the significant contribution that not-for-profit organisations make to Australian communities and the economy.

Other winners of the 2016 Telstra Australian Business Awards were: Victorian not-for-profit organisation, Snowdome Foundation (Charity), Queensland high-tech towing company, Tow.com.au (New Business) and ACT business, medical simulation technology provider, iSimulate (Micro Business).